Cyber Security Awareness Month

3. An initial phase of a cyber-attack which entails gathering information about a target system, network, or organization to pinpoint vulnerabilities that can be exploited in subsequent stages.
6. Targeted attacks aimed at specific individuals or organizations, often personalized.
7. A common threat to individuals involves the theft of personal information such as Social Security numbers and credit card details, which is used without consent for financial gain or fraud.
10. A part of the internet often associated with illegal activities which is not indexed by traditional search engines and requires specific software or configurations to access.
11. A form of spear phishing that targets high-profile individuals, like executives.
12. Process of verifying the identity of a user, device, or system before granting access to resources.

1. A hacker who may violate ethical standards or laws but does not have malicious intent.
2. A number used only once in a cryptographic communication to prevent replay attacks.
4. The practice of making data difficult to understand thereby protecting it from unauthorized access or analysis
5. A type of malware designed to erase its tracks after executing its malicious actions.
8. A fraudulent email correspondence that appear to come from trustworthy sources.
9. A security event where unauthorized individuals gain access to a computer system, network, or database, potentially leading to the exposure, theft, or alteration of sensitive information.