Information Security Definitions

This glossary explains the meaning of key words and phrases that information technology (IT) and business professionals use when discussing IT security and related software products. You can find additional definitions by visiting WhatIs.com or using the search box below.

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  • A

    alternate data stream (ADS)

    An alternate data stream (ADS) is a feature of Windows New Technology File System (NTFS) that contains metadata for locating a specific file by author or title.

  • anti-money laundering software (AML)

    Anti-laundering software is a type of computer program used by financial institutions to analyze customer data and detect suspicious transactions... (Continued)

  • C

    Class C2

    Class C2 is a security rating established by the U.S. National Computer Security Center (NCSC) and granted to products that pass Department of Defense (DoD) Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (TCSEC) tests.

  • crypto wallet (cryptocurrency wallet)

    A crypto wallet (cryptocurrency wallet) is software or hardware that enables users to store and use cryptocurrency.

  • D

    Duo Security

    Duo Security is a vendor of cloud-based two-factor authentication products.

  • F

    four-factor authentication (4FA)

    Four-factor authentication (4FA) is the use of four types of identity-confirming credentials, typically categorized as knowledge, possession, inherence and location factors.

  • H

    honey monkey

    A honey monkey is a virtual computer system that is programmed to lure, detect, identify and neutralize malicious activity on the Internet. The expression, coined by Microsoft, is based on the term honey pot, which refers to a computer system expressly set up to attract and "trap" people who attempt to penetrate other people's computers... (Continued)

  • L

    LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol)

    LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol) is a Cisco-proprietary version of EAP, the authentication protocol used in wireless networks and Point-to-Point connections. LEAP is designed to provide more secure authentication for 802.11 WLANs (wireless local area networks) that support 802.1X port access control.

  • N

    North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP)

    The North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) plan is a set of standards aimed at regulating, enforcing, monitoring and managing the security of the Bulk Electric System (BES) in North America.

  • O

    Open Source Hardening Project

    The Open Source Hardening Project is an initiative of the United States Department of Homeland Security, created to improve the security of open source code. Because the infrastructure of the Internet, financial institutions and many other critcal systems in the U.S. run on open source software, the security of these applications is crucial... (Continued)

  • P

    PCI assessment

    A PCI assessment is an audit of the 12 credit card transaction compliance requirements required by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.

  • R

    role mining

    Role mining is the process of analyzing user-to-resource mapping data to determine or modify user permissions for role-based access control (RBAC) in an enterprise... (Continued)

  • U

    user account provisioning

    User account provisioning is a business process for creating and managing access to resources in an information technology (IT) system. To be effective, an account provisioning process should ensure that the creation of accounts and provisioning of access to software and data is is consistent and simple to administer.

  • V

    What is a virtual CISO (vCISO)? Does your business need one?

    The virtual chief information security officer is a C-suite-level security professional or service provider who offers CISO-level expertise on a part-time, remote or contractual basis.