Glossary

Find the definition of the most commonly used cyber security terms in our glossary below.

What is Backdoor in cyber security?

In cybersecurity terminology, a backdoor refers to any method by which authorized and unauthorized users are able to get around normal security measures and gain high-level user access (aka root access) on a computer system, network, or software application. While sometimes these are intentionally put in place by designers or programmers for diagnostic, troubleshooting, or administrative purposes, they can pose a severe security risk. If hackers discover or install a backdoor, they could potentially gain unauthorized control over the system. They can observe all functioning within the system, steal data, corrupt files, alter system configurations, install additional malware, or exploit the system resources for a coordinated attack. Even when the backdoors are secured, their existence opens possibilities for other threats, making it imperative to ensure that systems are backdoor-free.