Jargon buster
36 terms, zero jargon. If a word on this site (or anywhere else) ever loses you, it lives here.
- 2FA
- Two-factor authentication: logging in needs your password plus a second proof — a code from an app, your fingerprint, or a security key. Even a stolen password can’t open the account. Also called MFA.
- ACCCE
- The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, led by the Australian Federal Police. Takes reports of online grooming and child abuse material — anonymously if you prefer.
- ACSC
- The Australian Cyber Security Centre, part of the Australian Signals Directorate. Runs cyber.gov.au (protective advice and alerts) and ReportCyber.
- Catfishing
- Using a fake online identity — stolen photos, invented life — to build a relationship with someone. The foundation of romance scams.
- Chargeback
- Your bank reversing a card payment after fraud or a failed purchase. Time limits apply, so contact your bank fast.
- Credential stuffing
- Criminals trying email/password pairs leaked in one data breach on other websites. The reason reusing passwords is so dangerous.
- Cyberbullying
- Using digital technology to deliberately and repeatedly threaten, humiliate or harass someone. eSafety can order seriously harmful material targeting an Australian child removed.
- Data breach
- When personal information held by an organisation is accessed or leaked without authorisation. Serious breaches must be reported to you and the OAIC under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
- Data broker
- A company that collects and sells personal information assembled from public records, apps and purchases. Many offer opt-outs.
- Deepfake
- AI-generated audio, image or video that convincingly imitates a real person. Used in investment scams, fake celebrity ads and image-based abuse.
- Doxxing
- Publishing someone’s private information — home address, workplace, phone number — online without consent, usually to enable harassment.
- eSafety Commissioner
- Australia’s independent regulator, educator and coordinator for online safety, with legal powers under the Online Safety Act 2021 to order removal of seriously harmful online material.
- Grooming
- An adult building a relationship with a child to lower their defences for sexual abuse or exploitation — increasingly starting in games and social apps. Report suspicions to the ACCCE.
- Hacking
- Gaining unauthorised access to accounts, devices or systems. If it happens to you: secure email first, reset passwords, report to ReportCyber.
- IDCARE
- Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support service. Free expert recovery help after scams, identity theft and account takeovers: 1800 595 160.
- Identity theft
- Criminals using your personal details — licence, Medicare, date of birth — to impersonate you: opening accounts, claiming benefits, taking loans in your name.
- Image-based abuse
- Sharing, or threatening to share, someone’s intimate images without consent — including AI-faked images. Illegal, and eSafety can order removal.
- Malware
- Malicious software: viruses, spyware, ransomware. Usually arrives via attachments, fake downloads or compromised websites.
- MFA
- Multi-factor authentication — see 2FA.
- myGov
- The Australian Government’s online portal linking Medicare, Centrelink, the ATO and more. A top phishing target — log in only via the official app or typed address.
- OAIC
- The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner — the national privacy regulator. Handles privacy complaints and data breach notifications.
- Passkey
- A modern password replacement: log in with your fingerprint, face or device PIN. Can’t be phished or leaked in a breach.
- Passphrase
- A long password made of four or more random words — stronger and easier to remember than complex short passwords. Recommended by the ACSC.
- PayID
- An Australian payment feature linking your bank account to your phone number or email. Shows the recipient’s registered name before you pay — always read it.
- Phishing
- Fake messages (email, SMS, DM) imitating trusted organisations to steal logins, card details or identity information. “Smishing” = SMS phishing; “vishing” = voice-call phishing.
- Pig-butchering
- A scam where a criminal “fattens up” the victim with a fake relationship and fake investment profits before draining them completely.
- Ransomware
- Malware that encrypts a victim’s files and demands payment. Backups are the real defence; paying funds crime and guarantees nothing.
- ReportCyber
- The national cybercrime reporting portal (cyber.gov.au/report). Triages reports to the right police jurisdiction. One report per matter is enough.
- Scamwatch
- The ACCC’s scam awareness and reporting service, part of the National Anti-Scam Centre. Tracks scam trends and publishes alerts.
- Sextortion
- Blackmail using intimate images — real or claimed. Never pay: it escalates. Report to eSafety and police; victims are treated as victims.
- SIM swapping
- Criminals convincing a telco to move your phone number to their SIM, intercepting your calls and SMS codes. A porting PIN from your telco blocks it.
- Spoofing
- Faking a sender identity — caller ID showing your bank’s name, a text appearing in a genuine message thread, an email from a lookalike address.
- Two-factor authentication
- See 2FA.
- VPN
- A virtual private network encrypts your internet connection. Useful on public Wi‑Fi, but it doesn’t make you anonymous or stop phishing.
- Zero-day
- A software vulnerability being exploited before the maker has patched it. The reason automatic updates matter.