Cyber security glossary

Understand key cyber security terms, so you know about common forms of cyber attacks and how you can protect your school or trust against them.

Last reviewed on 14 July 2023

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Contents

Find a list below of core terms for you to be familiar with from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) glossary.

Antivirus: software designed to detect, stop and remove malicious software and viruses

Breach: when data, systems or networks are accessed or changed in a non-authorised way

Cloud: where you can store and access your resources (including data and software) via the internet, instead of locally on physical devices

Cyber attack: an attempt to access, damage or disrupt your computer systems, networks or devices maliciously

Cyber incident: where the security of your system or service has been breached

Cyber security: the protection of your devices, services and networks (and the information they contain) from theft or damage

Firewall: hardware or software that uses a set of rules to constrain