Security Testing

The public may use 'hacktivist' for political hackers, but insiders use 'APT actor' for highly sophisticated, persistent threat groups.

Non-experts say 'virus scanner' casually, but the professional term 'antivirus' refers to sophisticated suites protecting against multiple malware types.

Casual terms like 'password guessing' obscure the systematic and intense effort implied by 'brute forcing,' a key attack method familiar to security testers.

Casual observers say 'password,' but insiders use 'credential' to include all authentication factors, not just passwords.

Laypeople often equate encryption with data protection, but insiders use 'cryptography' to describe the whole discipline behind secure communication.

Non-members call problems 'security flaws,' while insiders use 'exploit' specifically to mean code or method leveraging the flaw.

Non-members use the general term 'system breach' to describe a compromise, while testers use 'exploitation' to detail the process of leveraging vulnerabilities.

General public calls unauthorized data leaks 'data breach,' whereas insiders refer to these as 'incidents' encompassing broader security events.

Outsiders often say 'computer virus' for malicious code, but insiders use the broader term 'malware' to include all malicious software, not just viruses.

Casual users say 'firewall' broadly, but insiders might use 'packet filter' to specify one type of firewall functionality.

While non-members refer broadly to unauthorized access as 'hacking,' insiders distinguish authorized security evaluations as 'penetration testing' to emphasize legitimacy and controlled assessment.

Outsiders often conflate all malware as 'virus,' but professionals differentiate 'ransomware' as malicious software demanding payment.

'Ethical hacker' is a generic term outsiders use, but insiders may specify 'red team member' to denote professionals who simulate real attacks systematically.

Laypeople say 'computer network' generally, but insiders refer to the specific 'target network' under security assessment or attack.

Casual speech calls attackers 'intruders,' while insiders use 'threat actor' to cover a wide range of actors including nation-states and organized groups.

Casual observers call software flaws 'bugs,' whereas security testers use 'vulnerability' to specifically denote weaknesses that could be exploited maliciously.

Non-experts say 'security test' generally, whereas professionals distinguish 'vulnerability assessment' as a focused evaluation of security weaknesses.

Outsiders refer simply to 'bug bounty program,' whereas insiders use 'vulnerability disclosure program' to emphasize structured reporting and remediation.

Casual users call vulnerabilities 'security holes,' but experts reserve 'zero-day' for a flaw unknown to defenders and unpatched, highlighting urgency.