Glossary
Security Glossary
Phishing, zero-day, ransomware, EDR – the most important terms around antivirus, VPN and IT security, explained in plain language for Swiss users.
A
B
C
E
M
- Malware Umbrella term for any kind of malicious software: viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware, spyware, adwa...
- Man-in-the-middle attack An attack where the attacker secretly inserts themselves into a conversation and can intercept or al...
- MFA (Multi-factor authentication) Login protection using multiple independent factors – an extension of two-factor authentication to t...
P
- Password manager Software that stores passwords encrypted and autofills them into login fields – one master password...
- Patch Software update that closes a vulnerability or fixes a bug – the single most important routine prote...
- Phishing A scam in which attackers use fake email, SMS, or calls to trick victims into handing over passwords...
R
S
- Sandbox An isolated test environment where suspicious programs can be executed and observed safely.
- SIM swap An attack where a criminal has the victim's mobile number transferred to their own SIM card – to int...
- Smishing Phishing via SMS: fraudulent text messages with links to spoofed login pages.
- Social engineering A manipulation method where attackers exploit human trust rather than technical vulnerabilities.
- Spyware Malware that secretly collects data: keystrokes, screenshots, location data, browser history.
T
- TLS / HTTPS Encryption protocol for secure internet connections – visible as the padlock and "https://" in the b...
- Trojan Malware that disguises itself as a useful application while running malicious functions in the backg...
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) Login protection that requires a second factor in addition to the password: code from an app, SMS, o...