Attack Surface
The entry points for unauthorized access into a system.
Crypto Glossary: 250+ Terms Explained
From Airdrops to Zero-Knowledge proofs, explore concise explanations and key insights for the terms that shape the digital asset economy.
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34 terms available
Topic Security & Privacy
A
1 definitionC
4 definitionsCensorship-resistance
A characteristic of a cryptocurrency network that prevents any entity to control transactions on it.
Cipher
An algorithm is used to encrypt and decrypt messages.
Cold Storage
A storage method that keeps the wallet off of the internet when it is not being actively used.
Cryptography
A science of using mathematical theories and computation to encrypt and decrypt information..
D
5 definitionsDDoS
Distributed Denial of Service. A malicious attack that prevents users from communicating with the network by flooding the provider with…
Decryption
Reverting the encrypted data back to its readable version.
Design Flaw Attack
An attack by creating either a smart contract, decentralized market or other software with knowledge of certain flaws to trick…
Digital Signature
A unique digital identifier that allows for a user to distinctly recognise and validate a file or transaction, usually through…
Double Spending
Implies that a crypto asset is spent twice. Usually occurs as a result of a 51% attack.
E
2 definitionsF
1 definitionH
3 definitionsHard Wallet
A wallet built upon a secure hardware platform that implement processes and platform specific software to provide greater security for…
Hashing
The process of transforming data using a mathematical function into a value or key that is reprehensive of the original…
HD Wallets
Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet. Uses a 12 word mnemonic phrase or ‘seed’ to generate a Hierarchical tree like structure of keys,…
K
1 definitionM
3 definitionsMD5
A hashing function developed in 1992 due to known vulnerabilities predominately used for checksums and data validity.
Merkel Tree
Also known as a Hash Tree, is a data structure where every child node contains a hashing label of the…
MultiSig
A digital signature scheme which allows multiple user to sign a contract or wallet.
P
4 definitionsPaper Wallet
An offline wallet that is simply the private key and address printed on paper, usually alongside a QR code, one…
Phishing
A phishing attack happens when the attacker attempts to acquire the credentials of users to gain access to their wallets.
Private Key
Operates in tandem with a Public key as part of common asymmetric cryptography standards, this key should never be shared.
Pseudorandom
A function that can produce an outcome that can pass statistical randomness tests.
R
4 definitionsRace Attack
Refers to two transactions that are created simultaneously with the purpose of spending the same funds twice.
Ransomware
A type of virus that threatens to destroy or publish private data unless a ransom is paid.
Ring signature
A digital signature topology developed in 2001 leveraged in security focused cryptocurrencies, as a mechanism to anonymise transactions.
Routing Attack
An internet service provider level attack to manipulate the participation in an online system. Used on blockchains to manipulate nodes…
S
3 definitionsSeed phrase
Used as a point of origin for certain wallets, it uses a mnemonic phrase to generate a wallet ID which…
SHA
Stands for Secure Hashing Algorithm: a standard of hashing algorithm developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the…
Skein
One of the five finalists of the NIST hash function competition, based on the Threefish tweakable block cypher. Skein allows…
T
1 definitionW
1 definitionZ
1 definitionNo matching terms
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