The top 10 most-searched data security terms in the US: Can you define them?

August 30, 2024 TH Author

Close-up using smartphone with fiber optic exposure — Qi Yang/Getty Images

As we see reports of major data breaches seemingly every week, people are realizing they don’t know a whole lot about data security. To become more informed, they’re turning to the internet to figure out what these terms being thrown around in our current news cycle really mean.

If people are better educated about data security, they’re more prepared, says content security company Kiteworks, and less likely to accidentally expose their sensitive information. In a recent study, Kiteworks revealed the top tech security terms people are trying to better understand.

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Here’s a look at the top 10 security terms people are trying to find the meaning of:

Virtual Private Network (VPN): A VPN is a service that encrypts your data and hides your IP address, keeping your data secure and preventing others from watching your activity or stealing your passwords.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA): This federal law created national standards regarding sensitive medical information and how medical professionals disclose it.
Malware: Malware is any software that someone designs with bad intent. Criminals can use it to steal data, interrupt services, hold systems ransom, or gain unauthorized access to information.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII): PII is any information that identifies you, like name, address, phone number, social security number, or email address. This information can be used by bad actors to steal your identity and open financial accounts in your name.
Social engineering: Social engineering is when a bad actor manipulates someone else into divulging information. This can be tricking someone to gain access to a system or to get their personal information.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Also known as 2FA, multi-factor authentication is when a service or website makes a user present two proofs of identity when accessing information. Text-based 2FA, when a site texts you a code to enter after you’ve logged in with your password, is the most common form of 2FA.

Encryption: Encryption is digitally scrambling information so that only the intended recipient can see it.
Digital Rights Management (DRM): DRM is a technology used to control how people access and share digital content. This is mostly a way to protect copyrighted media, but it’s also used to control things like how many devices you can stream on at once or what geographic region can access content.

Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP): Secure File Transfer Protocol is a network protocol that lets you securely access, transfer, or manage large files and sensitive data.
Firewall: A firewall is a network security system that monitors incoming and outgoing traffic, establishing a barrier between a trusted and untrusted networks. These days, many new firewalls are AI-powered.

To conduct this study, Kiteworks used software to analyze monthly searches made for different security-related terms along with the words “meaning” and “definition.” This data comes from August of this year.