Centre for Critical Infrastructure Protection

P-T:

Phishing

• A form of Internet fraud that aims at stealing valuable information such as credit card details, user ID's and passwords by tricking the user into giving the attacker the confidential information.

Piracy

• The illegal copying and/or distribution of fake branded software in breach of patent or copyright.

Probe

• An incident involving an attempt to gather information about an information about an information and communications system for the apparent purpose of circumventing its security controls.

Protocol

• Set of rules and formats, semantic and syntactic, permitting information and communications systems to communicate and exchange information.

Remote Access

• Access to an information and communications system from a location outside the systems network boundaries.

Risk

• The negative impact on an organisation of the successful exploitation of identifiable vulnerabilities.

Risk Analysis

• A structured approach to identifying assets, determining threats and vulnerabilities, and identifying cost-effective controls to protect systems.

Rootkit

• A collection of tools which may include programs to elevate user privileges and provide backdoor access, as well as hiding system files, processes, and network connections used by an attacker.

Sabotage

• A deliberate act of destruction of disruption in which equipment or data is damaged or lost.

SPAM

• Unsolicited commercial Email.

Spear Phishing

• Spear phishing describes any highly targeted phishing attack. Spear phishers send e-mail that appears genuine to all the employees or members within a certain company, government agency, organisation, or group.

Spoofing

• An attack in which one person or program successfully masquerades as another by falsifying data and thereby gaining an illegitimate privilege.

Social Engineering

• The practice of obtaining otherwise secure information by tricking, exploiting human traits of trust and helpfulness, or manipulation of legitimate users.

SSC

• State Services Commission

Telecommunications Sector

• The infrastructure sector comprising organisations that allow for the exchange of information by means such as: telephone, radio, television and Information Technology.

Theft

• The theft of assets.

Threat

• Any circumstance or event with the potential to adversely impact an information and communications system.

Transportation Sector

• The infrastructure sector comprising organisations responsible for providing and managing transportation services, such as: air, rail, roading and marine.

Trojan

• A computer program that disguises itself as a useful software application, whereas its true purpose is to carry and run a hidden, harmful payload.