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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  • R

    Report on Compliance (ROC)

    A Report on Compliance (ROC) is a form that must be completed by all Level 1 Visa merchants undergoing a PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) audit.

  • residual risk

    Residual risk is the risk that remains after efforts to identify and eliminate some or all types of risk have been made.

  • reverse brute-force attack

    A reverse brute-force attack is a type of brute-force attack in which an attacker uses a common password against multiple usernames in an attempt to gain access to a network.

  • Rijndael

    Rijndael (pronounced rain-dahl) is an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm.

  • risk assessment

    Risk assessment is the identification of hazards that could negatively impact an organization's ability to conduct business.

  • risk avoidance

    Risk avoidance is the elimination of hazards, activities and exposures that can negatively affect an organization and its assets.

  • risk exposure

    Risk exposure is the quantified potential loss from business activities currently underway or planned.

  • risk map (risk heat map)

    A risk map (risk heat map) is a data visualization tool for communicating specific risks an organization faces.

  • risk profile

    A risk profile is a quantitative analysis of the types of threats an organization, asset, project or individual faces.

  • risk reporting

    Risk reporting is a method of identifying risks tied to or potentially impacting an organization's business processes.

  • risk-based authentication (RBA)

    Risk-based authentication (RBA) is a method of applying varying levels of stringency to authentication processes based on the likelihood that access to a given system could result in its being compromised. As the level of risk increases, the authentication process becomes more comprehensive and restrictive.

  • 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)

  • role-based access control (RBAC)

    Role-based access control (RBAC) is a method of restricting network access based on the roles of individual users within an enterprise.

  • rootkit

    A rootkit is a program or a collection of malicious software tools that give a threat actor remote access to and control over a computer or other system.

  • RSA algorithm (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman)

    The RSA algorithm (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) is the basis of a cryptosystem -- a suite of cryptographic algorithms that are used for specific security services or purposes -- which enables public key encryption and is widely used to secure sensitive data, particularly when it is being sent over an insecure network, such as the internet.

  • What is risk analysis?

    Risk analysis is the process of identifying and analyzing potential issues that could negatively impact key business initiatives or projects.

  • What is risk appetite?

    Risk appetite is the amount of risk an organization is willing to take in pursuit of objectives it deems have value.

  • What is risk management and why is it important?

    Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing and controlling threats to an organization's capital and earnings.

  • S

    sandbox (software testing and security)

    A sandbox is an isolated testing environment that enables users to run programs or open files without affecting the application, system or platform on which they run.

  • screened subnet

    A screened subnet, or triple-homed firewall, refers to a network architecture where a single firewall is used with three network interfaces.

  • script kiddie

    Script kiddie is a derogative term that computer hackers coined to refer to immature, but often just as dangerous, exploiters of internet security weaknesses.

  • Secure Electronic Transaction (SET)

    Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) is a system and electronic protocol to ensure the integrity and security of transactions conducted over the internet.

  • Secure Shell (SSH)

    SSH, also known as Secure Shell or Secure Socket Shell, is a network protocol that gives users, particularly system administrators, a secure way to access a computer over an unsecured network.

  • Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the U.S. government agency that oversees the nation's securities industry.

  • security

    Security for information technology (IT) refers to the methods, tools and personnel used to defend an organization's digital assets.

  • security analytics

    Security analytics is a cybersecurity approach that uses data collection, data aggregation and analysis tools for threat detection and security monitoring.

  • Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)

    Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an open standard for sharing security information about identity, authentication and authorization across different systems.

  • security awareness training

    Security awareness training is a formal process for educating employees and third-party stakeholders, like contractors and business partners, how to protect an organization's computer systems, along with its data, people and other assets, from internet-based threats or criminals.

  • security clearance

    A security clearance is an authorization that allows access to information that would otherwise be forbidden.

  • security identifier (SID)

    In the context of Windows computing and Microsoft Active Directory (AD), a security identifier (SID) is a unique value that is used to identify any security entity that the operating system (OS) can authenticate.

  • security information and event management (SIEM)

    Security information and event management (SIEM) is an approach to security management that combines security information management (SIM) and security event management (SEM) functions into one security management system.

  • security information management (SIM)

    Security information management (SIM) is the practice of collecting, monitoring and analyzing security-related data from computer logs and various other data sources.

  • security operations center (SOC)

    A security operations center (SOC) is a command center facility for a team of IT professionals with expertise in information security who monitors, analyzes and protects an organization from cyber attacks.

  • security policy

    A security policy is a document that states in writing how a company plans to protect its physical and information technology (IT) assets.

  • security posture

    Security posture refers to an organization's overall cybersecurity strength and how well it can predict, prevent and respond to ever-changing cyber threats.

  • security token

    A security token is a physical or digital device that provides two-factor authentication for a user to prove their identity in a login process.

  • self-sovereign identity

    Self-sovereign identity (SSI) is a model for managing digital identities in which individuals or businesses have sole ownership over the ability to control their accounts and personal data.

  • Sender Policy Framework (SPF)

    Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a protocol designed to restrict who can use an organization's domain as the source of an email message.

  • session key

    A session key is an encryption and decryption key that is randomly generated to ensure the security of a communications session between a user and another computer or between two computers.

  • shadow password file

    A shadow password file, also known as /etc/shadow, is a system file in Linux that stores encrypted user passwords and is accessible only to the root user, preventing unauthorized users or malicious actors from breaking into the system.

  • Shared Key Authentication (SKA)

    Shared Key Authentication (SKA) is a process by which a computer can gain access to a wireless network that uses the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol.

  • shoulder surfing

    Shoulder surfing is using direct observation techniques, such as looking over someone's shoulder, to get information.

  • side-channel attack

    A side-channel attack is a security exploit that aims to gather information from or influence the program execution of a system by measuring or exploiting indirect effects of the system or its hardware -- rather than targeting the program or its code directly.

  • signature file

    A signature file is a short text file you create for use as a standard appendage at the end of your e-mail notes or Usenet messages.

  • single sign-on (SSO)

    Single sign-on (SSO) is a session and user authentication service that permits a user to use one set of login credentials -- for example, a name and password -- to access multiple applications.

  • single-factor authentication (SFA)

    Single-factor authentication (SFA) is the traditional security process that requires a user name and password before granting access to the user.

  • smart card

    A smart card is a physical card that has an embedded integrated chip that acts as a security token.

  • snooping

    Snooping, in a security context, is unauthorized access to another person's or company's data.

  • SOAR (security orchestration, automation and response)

    Security orchestration, automation and response, or SOAR, is a stack of compatible software programs that enables an organization to collect data about security threats and respond to security events with little or no human assistance.

  • SOC 1 (System and Organization Controls 1)

    System and Organization Controls 1, or SOC 1 (pronounced "sock one"), aims to control objectives within a SOC 1 process area and documents internal controls relevant to an audit of a user entity's financial statements.

  • Soc 2 (Service Organization Control 2)

    A Service Organization Control 2 (Soc 2) reports on various organizational controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality or privacy.

  • SOC 3 (System and Organization Controls 3)

    A System and Organization Controls 3 (SOC 3) report outlines information related to a service organization's internal controls for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.

  • social engineering

    Social engineering is an attack vector that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves manipulating people into breaking normal security procedures and best practices to gain unauthorized access to systems, networks or physical locations or for financial gain.

  • social media policy

    A social media policy is a corporate code of conduct that provides guidelines for employees who post content on the internet either as part of their job or as a private person.

  • soft token

    A soft token is a software-based security token that generates a single-use login PIN. Traditionally, a security token has been a hardware device that produces a new, secure and individual PIN for each use and displays it on a built-in LCD display.

  • spam filter

    A spam filter is a program used to detect unsolicited, unwanted and virus-infected emails and prevent those messages from getting to a user's inbox.

  • spam trap

    A spam trap is an email address that is used to identify and monitor spam email.

  • spear phishing

    Spear phishing is a malicious email spoofing attack that targets a specific organization or individual, seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information.

  • speculative risk

    Speculative risk is a category of risk that can be taken on voluntarily and will either result in a profit or loss. 

  • spyware

    Spyware is a type of malicious software -- or malware -- that is installed on a computing device without the end user's knowledge.

  • SSAE 16

    The Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16 (SSAE 16) is a set of auditing standards and guidance on using the standards, published by the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), for redefining and updating how service companies report on compliance controls.

  • SSL (secure sockets layer)

    Secure sockets layer (SSL) is a networking protocol designed for securing connections between web clients and web servers over an insecure network, such as the internet.

  • SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer certificate)

    A Secure Sockets Layer certificate, known commonly as an SSL certificate, is a small data file installed on a Web server that allows for a secure connection between a Web server and a Web browser.

  • SSL VPN (Secure Sockets Layer virtual private network)

    An SSL VPN is a type of virtual private network (VPN) that uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol -- or, more often, its successor, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol -- in standard web browsers to provide secure, remote access VPN capability.

  • stealth virus

    A stealth virus is a computer virus that uses various mechanisms to avoid detection by antivirus software.

  • STIX (Structured Threat Information eXpression)

    STIX (Structured Threat Information eXpression) is an XML programming language that allows cybersecurity threat data to be shared.

  • stream cipher

    A stream cipher is a method of encrypting text (to produce ciphertext) in which a cryptographic key and algorithm are applied to each binary digit in a data stream, one bit at a time.

  • sudo (su 'do')

    Sudo is a command-line utility for Unix and Unix-based operating systems such as Linux and macOS.

  • supercookie

    A supercookie is a type of tracking cookie inserted into an HTTP header by an internet service provider to collect data about a user's internet browsing history and habits.

  • supply chain attack

    A supply chain attack is a type of cyber attack that targets organizations by focusing on weaker links in an organization's supply chain.

  • SYN flood attack

    A SYN flood attack is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on a computer server.

  • What is SecOps? Everything you need to know

    SecOps, formed from a combination of security and IT operations staff, is a highly skilled team focused on monitoring and assessing risk and protecting corporate assets, often operating from a security operations center, or SOC.

  • What is steganography?

    Steganography (pronounced STEHG-uh-NAH-gruhf-ee, from Greek steganos, or "covered," and graphie, or "writing") is the hiding of a secret message within an ordinary message and the extraction of it at its destination.

  • T

    threat modeling

    Threat modeling is a procedure for optimizing application, system or business process security by identifying objectives and vulnerabilities, and then defining countermeasures to prevent or mitigate the effects of threats to the system.

  • three-factor authentication (3FA)

    Three-factor authentication (3FA) is the use of identity-confirming credentials from three separate categories of authentication factors -- typically, the knowledge, possession and inherence categories.

  • time-based one-time password

    A time-based one-time password (TOTP) is a temporary passcode generated by an algorithm that uses the current time of day as one of its authentication factors.

  • timing attack

    A timing attack looks at how long it takes a system to do something and allows the attacker, through statistical analysis, to learn enough about the system to find the decryption key needed to gain access to it.

  • tokenization

    Tokenization is the process of replacing sensitive data with unique identification symbols that retain all the essential information about the data without compromising its security.

  • total risk

    Total risk is an assessment that identifies all of the risk factors, including potential internal and external threats and liabilities, associated with pursuing a specific plan or project or buying or selling an investment.

  • Transport Layer Security (TLS)

    Transport Layer Security (TLS) is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard protocol that provides authentication, privacy and data integrity between two communicating computer applications.

  • TrickBot malware

    TrickBot is sophisticated modular malware that started as a banking Trojan but has evolved to support many different types of attacks, including ransomware.

  • Trojan horse

    In computing, a Trojan horse is a program downloaded and installed on a computer that appears harmless, but is, in fact, malicious.

  • trusted computing base (TCB)

    A trusted computing base (TCB) is everything in a computing system that provides a secure environment for operations.

  • two-factor authentication (2FA)

    Two-factor authentication (2FA), sometimes referred to as two-step verification or dual-factor authentication, is a security process in which users provide two different authentication factors to verify themselves.

  • two-step verification

    Two-step verification is a process that involves two authentication steps performed one after the other to verify that someone or something requesting access is who or what they say they are.

  • Twofish

    Twofish is a symmetric-key block cipher with a block size of 128 bits and variable-length key of size 128, 192 or 256 bits.

  • U

    unified threat management (UTM)

    Unified threat management (UTM) describes an information security (infosec) system that provides a single point of protection against threats, including viruses, worms, spyware and other malware, and network attacks.

  • 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.

  • user authentication

    User authentication verifies the identity of a user attempting to gain access to a network or computing resource by authorizing a human-to-machine transfer of credentials during interactions on a network to confirm a user's authenticity.

  • user behavior analytics (UBA)

    User behavior analytics (UBA) is the tracking, collecting and assessing of user data and activities using monitoring systems.

  • V

    virtual firewall

    A virtual firewall is a firewall device or service that provides network traffic filtering and monitoring for virtual machines (VMs) in a virtualized environment.

  • virtual local area network hopping (VLAN hopping)

    Virtual local area network hopping (VLAN hopping) is a method of attacking the network resources of a VLAN by sending packets to a port not usually accessible from an end system.

  • virus (computer virus)

    A computer virus is malicious code that replicates by copying itself to another program, computer boot sector or document and changes how a computer works.

  • virus hoax

    A virus hoax is a false warning about a computer virus.

  • voice squatting (skill squatting)

    Voice squatting is an attack vector for voice user interfaces (VUIs) that exploits homonyms (words that sound the same but are spelled differently) and input errors (words that are mispronounced).

  • vulnerability assessment (vulnerability analysis)

    A vulnerability assessment is the process of defining, identifying, classifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities in computer systems, applications and network infrastructures.

  • vulnerability disclosure

    Vulnerability disclosure is the practice of reporting security flaws in computer software or hardware.

  • W

    walled garden

    On the internet, a walled garden is an environment that controls the user's access to network-based content and services.

  • WannaCry ransomware

    The WannaCry ransomware is a worm that spreads by exploiting vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system.

  • watering hole attack

    A watering hole attack is a security exploit in which the attacker seeks to compromise a specific group of end users by infecting websites that members of the group are known to visit.

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