Cybersecurity Glossary

Domain Security Terms

DMARC

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance. Email authentication protocol that uses SPF and DKIM to verify sender identity.

DNS

Domain Name System. The internet's phonebook that translates domain names to IP addresses.

DNSSEC

DNS Security Extensions. Cryptographic protocol that authenticates DNS responses to prevent spoofing.

Domain Hijacking

Unauthorized takeover of a domain through registrar compromise, social engineering, or expired registration.

Phishing

Fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information by posing as a trustworthy entity, often using lookalike domains.

Typosquatting

Registering domains similar to legitimate ones to capture mistyped URLs. Also called URL hijacking.

WHOIS

Protocol and database for querying domain registration information including registrant, registrar, and nameservers.

SSL/TLS

Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security. Cryptographic protocols for secure communications over networks.

Certificate Transparency

Public logging framework for monitoring SSL/TLS certificate issuance to detect unauthorized certificates.

Homograph Attack

Using visually similar characters from different alphabets to create deceptive domain names.