The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Internet of Things (IoT): The network of physical devices, vehicles, and other objects embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of collecting and exchanging data. Examples of IoT in use include a smart thermostat adjusting the temperature in a home based on occupancy or a wearable fitness tracker sending data to a user's smartphone.

Internet Protocol (IP): A protocol used for routing and delivering data packets over a network. It is the primary protocol used on the internet and is responsible for addressing and routing data to its destination. Examples of IP in use include a user accessing a website or a user sending a message over instant messaging.

Internet Protocol (IP) packet spoofing: The practice of modifying the source address of a data packet to conceal its true origin. It is frequently employed in cyber-attacks to obscure the attacker's identity and complicate tracing the attack. Examples include sending malicious emails from a spoofed address or propagating malware from a spoofed IP address.

Internet Protocol Security (IPSec): A set of protocols developed to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and authentication of data communications over an IP network. It uses cryptographic security services to protect communications between net-operable devices. IPSec provides a necessary framework for negotiating, establishing, maintaining, and managing secure IP connections.

Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4): The fourth version of the Internet Protocol (IP), which identifies devices on a network via an addressing system. It uses 32-bit addresses, which limits the address space to 4.3 billion addresses. Despite the development of a newer protocol, IPv6, IPv4 remains widely deployed and used, making the understanding and management of its features and limitations essential in maintaining and securing internet and network operations.

Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6): The most recent version of the Internet Protocol, which provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the internet. IPv6 was developed to deal with the long-anticipated problem of IPv4 address exhaustion, as it uses 128-bit addresses, allowing for a vastly increased number of unique addresses compared to IPv4. IPv6 allows for more efficient packet routing and enhanced security as well.