Term 1
Active reconnaissance
Active reconnaissance is the process of directly interacting with a target system or network to gather information, often through scanning and probing.
Acronym study
Terms 1–30 of 32 CEH acronyms and key terms. Each entry includes a plain-English definition and a link to the full 800-word glossary page with exam context and practice questions.
Term 1
Active reconnaissance is the process of directly interacting with a target system or network to gather information, often through scanning and probing.
Term 2
Bluetooth hacking is the unauthorised access or manipulation of a device through its Bluetooth wireless connection.
Term 3
Covering tracks is the process attackers use to hide their activity and remove evidence of a security breach after gaining unauthorized access to a system.
Term 4
Cross Site Scripting (XSS) is a web security vulnerability where an attacker injects malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, enabling theft of data or session hijacking.
Term 5
Cross-Site Request Forgery is an attack that tricks a user into performing an unwanted action on a web application where they are currently authenticated.
Term 6
CVSS Scoring is a standardized framework for rating the severity of security vulnerabilities, helping organizations prioritize fixes based on a numeric score from 0 to 10.
Term 7
DNS enumeration is the process of systematically querying a Domain Name System (DNS) server to gather information about a target domain, including its subdomains, IP addresses, and mail server records.
Term 8
An evil twin attack is a type of wireless hacking where a fake Wi-Fi access point mimics a legitimate one to trick users into connecting, allowing the attacker to intercept traffic and steal data.
Term 9
An exploit database is a curated collection of known software vulnerabilities, proof-of-concept exploit code, and security research findings used by ethical hackers and security professionals to test and defend systems.
Term 10
File inclusion attacks exploit web application vulnerabilities to load remote or local files, often allowing attackers to execute code, steal data, or compromise a server.
Term 11
LDAP Enumeration is the process of querying a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol server to gather information about users, groups, computers, and other network resources in an organization.
Term 12
NetBIOS Enumeration is the process of gathering information from a Windows system using the NetBIOS protocol to discover shares, users, and system details over a network.
Term 13
Nmap scanning is a method used to discover devices running on a network and find open ports, services, and security weaknesses.
Term 14
OSINT techniques are methods used to collect information from publicly available sources for security assessments or investigations.
Term 15
The OWASP Top 10 is a regularly updated list of the most critical security risks to web applications, published by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) to help developers and security professionals prioritize and mitigate common vulnerabilities.
Term 16
Passive reconnaissance is the process of gathering information about a target system or network without directly interacting with it, using publicly available sources and stealthy observation.
Term 17
Password cracking is the process of using software tools or techniques to recover unknown passwords from stored data or by guessing them systematically.
Term 18
Techniques used by attackers to maintain long-term access to a compromised system after an initial breach.
Term 19
Port scanning techniques are methods used to probe a computer or network to discover which network ports are open and which services are running on those ports.
Term 20
Privilege escalation is when a user or attacker gains more access or control over a system than they are supposed to have.
Term 21
RFID hacking is the practice of exploiting security weaknesses in Radio Frequency Identification systems to read, clone, or manipulate data on RFID tags without authorization.
Term 22
Rootkit installation is the process by which an attacker places hidden malicious software on a system to gain persistent, stealthy administrative access while avoiding detection by the operating system and security tools.
Term 23
Service enumeration is the process of actively connecting to a target system to identify running services, open ports, and detailed information about those services for security assessment.
Term 24
Session hijacking is an attack where a cybercriminal steals or takes over a user's active session with a web application, allowing the attacker to pretend to be that user without needing their password.
Term 25
SNMP Enumeration is the process of querying a device's Simple Network Management Protocol service to extract information about its configuration, running processes, user accounts, and network connections.
Term 26
Social Engineering Recon is the phase where an attacker gathers information about a target by manipulating people, not computers, to reveal secrets or access.
Term 27
SQL injection is a web security vulnerability that allows an attacker to interfere with the queries an application makes to its database, often to read, modify, or destroy data.
Term 28
Steganography is the practice of hiding a secret message inside an ordinary, non-secret file such as an image, audio, or video to keep the message hidden from casual observers.
Term 29
A vulnerability assessment is a systematic review of security weaknesses in an information system, evaluating if the system is susceptible to any known vulnerabilities, assigning severity levels, and recommending remediation or mitigation.
Term 30
WHOIS lookup is a query and response protocol used to search databases that store the registration information of domain names and IP address blocks.