The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Information that can be used to uniquely identify an individual, such as their name, address, social security number, or biometric data. It is used in privacy and security to protect sensitive personal information from unauthorized access or use. Examples include medical records and financial information.

Personnel redundancy: The practice of having multiple employees with overlapping skills and responsibilities to ensure that essential functions can continue in the event of an employee's absence, injury, or other disruption. This strategy is used across various industries, such as healthcare, transportation, and public safety, to maintain operational continuity and prevent critical failures. Examples include cross-training, shift coverage, and job sharing.

Pervasive encryption: The widespread use of encryption techniques to secure data and communications at all times, regardless of whether it is being transmitted or stored. It is used in various industries, including healthcare, finance, and government, to protect sensitive information from being accessed or stolen by unauthorized parties. Examples include using encrypted emails to send sensitive documents or using encrypted storage devices to keep confidential data safe.

Pharming: A type of cyber-attack where a user is redirected to a fake or malicious website without their knowledge, often through the use of malware or DNS poisoning. It is used in cyber security to refer to the act of redirecting internet traffic to a fraudulent website. Examples include fake banking websites and malicious download links.

Phases of BCP (Business Continuity Planning): Business Continuity Planning (BCP) involves several structured phases to ensure an organization can continue operations during and after a significant disruption. The key phases include Business Impact Analysis (BIA), which evaluates the potential effects of disruptions; Risk Assessment to identify threats and vulnerabilities; Strategy Development for maintaining critical functions; Plan Development, which documents the BCP; Training and Testing to prepare personnel and validate the plan; and maintenance to keep the BCP up to date.

Phishing: A type of cyber-attack that involves tricking individuals into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords or financial data, through fraudulent emails or websites. It is often used by hackers to gain access to accounts or steal personal information. 3 examples of phishing attacks are fake emails from banks asking for account information, fake online shopping websites requesting credit card details, and fake social media messages asking for login credentials.