Cybersecurity Glossary

Account takeover (ATO) is when a hacker successfully takes ownership of one or multiple online accounts.

An advanced persistent threat, or APT, is a type of cyberattack in which one or multiple threat actors gain unauthorized access to your systems or network for an extended period of time without being detected. Typical targets of APTs are large businesses and government organizations, since the scope of their systems is so large that detecting a seemingly small threat goes under their radar. Once an APT occurs, individuals can deepen their access to your systems and cause serious damage. Consequences of a successful APT include loss of sensitive information, intellectual property theft, malware viruses, and total site takeovers.