--- title: "Security glossary: terms explained | Daniel Christensen" description: "What is phishing? What does an ethical hacker do? The key terms in digital security, explained briefly and clearly by someone who works with it daily." canonical_url: "https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary" last_updated: "2026-09-07T12:05:01.263Z" locale: en meta: "og:description": "What is phishing? What does an ethical hacker do? The key terms in digital security, explained briefly and clearly by someone who works with it daily." "og:image": "https://danielchristensen.no/_og/d/c_Default%2Ctitle_Security%2Bglossary%2Csubtitle_~U2VjdXJpdHkgdGVybXMsIG1pbnVzIHRoZSBqYXJnb24%2Ctagline_~RXRoaWNhbCBoYWNrZXIgwrcgU3BlYWtlcg%2Cp_Ii9lbi9nbG9zc2FyeSI%2Cs_lFQSkC05XBUfNLM4.png" "og:image:height": "600" "og:image:type": image/png "og:image:width": "1200" "og:title": "Security glossary: terms explained" "twitter:image": "https://danielchristensen.no/_og/d/c_Default%2Ctitle_Security%2Bglossary%2Csubtitle_~U2VjdXJpdHkgdGVybXMsIG1pbnVzIHRoZSBqYXJnb24%2Ctagline_~RXRoaWNhbCBoYWNrZXIgwrcgU3BlYWtlcg%2Cp_Ii9lbi9nbG9zc2FyeSI%2Cs_lFQSkC05XBUfNLM4.png" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://danielchristensen.no/llms.txt) Glossary # Security glossary The security industry loves abbreviations and jargon. Here are the terms you actually need, explained briefly and without scare tactics. 14 terms - [

BadUSB

A USB stick that pretends to be a keyboard and types commands on your machine within seconds.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/badusb) - [

Burp Suite

The tool most pentesters use against web applications: it lets you see and modify all traffic between the browser and the server.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/burp-suite) - [

CEO fraud

Fraud where someone impersonates your boss and pressures you into paying an invoice or transferring money.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/direktorsvindel) - [

Ethical hacker

A security professional who attacks systems with the owner’s permission, to find the holes before criminals do.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/etisk-hacker) - [

Ethical hacking

Breaking into computer systems with the owner’s permission, to find and report security holes before criminals exploit them.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/etisk-hacking) - [

Kali Linux

A Linux operating system built for security testing, with hundreds of hacking tools preinstalled.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/kali-linux) - [

Metasploit

A framework of ready-made exploits, used to test whether known vulnerabilities can actually be exploited.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/metasploit) - [

Nmap

The network scanner that maps which machines and services exist on a network. Often the first step of a pentest.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/nmap) - [

Password manager

A program that creates and remembers unique, strong passwords for you, so you only need to remember one.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/passordbehandler) - [

Pentest (penetration test)

A controlled, authorized attack on your own systems to uncover vulnerabilities, documented in a report.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/pentest) - [

Phishing

Fake emails, texts or websites that trick you into giving up passwords, card numbers or access.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/phishing) - [

Ransomware

Malware that encrypts your files and demands payment to unlock them. Hits companies hardest.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/losepengevirus) - [

Social engineering

Attacks that exploit people instead of technology: trust, stress, helpfulness and authority.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/sosial-manipulering) - [

Two-factor authentication (2FA)

An extra step at login, a code or approval in addition to your password. Stops most account takeovers.Read the definition →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/glossary/totrinnsverifisering) Next step ## Want this explained live? My talks take the terms from this list and show what they mean in practice, with real examples and demos the room remembers. [See the talks →](https://danielchristensen.no/en/talks) [Try the password generator](https://danielchristensen.no/en/tools/password-generator) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://danielchristensen.no/en#website","@type":"WebSite","description":"Ethical hacker and keynote speaker. 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