Network security
Terms related to network security, including definitions about intrusion prevention and words and phrases about VPNs and firewalls.802 - COU
- 802.11x - 802.11x refers to a group of evolving wireless local area network (WLAN) standards that are under development as elements of the IEEE 802.
- AAA server (authentication, authorization and accounting) - An AAA server is a server program that handles user requests for access to computer resources and, for an enterprise, provides authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) services.
- access control list (ACL) - An access control list (ACL) is a list of rules that specifies which users or systems are granted or denied access to a particular object or system resource.
- access log - An access log is a list of all requests for individual files -- such as Hypertext Markup Language files, their embedded graphic images and other associated files that get transmitted -- that people or bots have made from a website.
- AccessEnum - AccessEnum is a free Sysinternals tool that offers administrators a view of the full file system and registry security settings to ensure that users have appropriate permissions to access files and directories.
- ACF2 or CA-ACF2 (Access Control Facility) - ACF2 (more formally, CA-ACF2; the ACF stands for Access Control Facility) is a set of programs from Computer Associates that enable security on mainframes.
- active attack - An active attack is a network exploit in which a hacker attempts to make changes to data on the target or data en route to the target.
- Active Directory domain (AD domain) - An Active Directory domain is a collection of objects within a Microsoft Active Directory network.
- Active Directory forest (AD forest) - An Active Directory forest is the highest level of organization within Active Directory.
- Active Directory tree - An Active Directory (AD) tree is a collection of domains within a Microsoft Active Directory network.
- active man-in-the-middle attack (MitM) - Active man-in-the-middle (MitM) is an attack method that allows an intruder to access sensitive information by intercepting and altering communications between the user of a public network and a requested website.
- active reconnaissance - Active reconnaissance is a type of computer attack in which an intruder engages with the targeted system to gather information about vulnerabilities.
- Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) - The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a symmetric block cipher chosen by the U.
- air gapping (air gap attack) - Air gapping is a security measure that involves physically isolating a computer or network and preventing it from establishing an external connection.
- Alice and Bob - Alice and Bob are commonly-used names for participants in security scenarios that involve cryptography.
- Amazon VPC traffic mirroring - Traffic mirroring is a feature for Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC).
- anti-replay protocol - The anti-replay protocol provides Internet Protocol (IP) packet-level security by making it impossible for a hacker to intercept message packets and insert changed packets into the data stream between a source computer and a destination computer.
- antivirus software (antivirus program) - Antivirus software is a class of program designed to prevent, detect and remove malware infections on individual computing devices, networks and IT systems.
- application blacklisting - Application blacklisting, sometimes just referred to as blacklisting, is a network administration practice used to prevent the execution of undesirable programs.
- application whitelisting - Application whitelisting is the practice of specifying an index of approved software applications or executable files that are permitted to be present and active on a computer system.
- asymmetric cryptography (public key cryptography) - Asymmetric cryptography, also known as public-key cryptography, is a process that uses a pair of related keys -- one public key and one private key -- to encrypt and decrypt a message and protect it from unauthorized access or use.
- asymmetric cyber attack - An asymmetric cyber attack refers to cyberwarfare that inflicts a proportionally large amount of damage compared to the resources used by targeting the victim's most vulnerable security measure.
- attack surface - An attack surface is defined as the total number of all possible entry points for unauthorized access into any system.
- attack surface analysis - An organization's attack surface includes all the exploitable vulnerabilities in its hardware, software, connections and even its employees, in the form of social engineering.
- attack vector - An attack vector is a path or means by which an attacker or hacker can gain access to a computer or network server in order to deliver a payload or malicious outcome.
- audit trail - In accounting, an audit trail is the sequence of paperwork that validates or invalidates accounting entries.
- authenticated security scan - An authenticated security scan is vulnerability testing performed as a logged in (authenticated) user.
- authentication - Authentication is the process of determining whether someone or something is, in fact, who or what it says it is.
- authentication server - An authentication server is an application that facilitates the authentication of an entity that attempts to access a network.
- authentication ticket or ticket-granting ticket (TGT) - An authentication ticket, also known as a ticket-granting ticket (TGT), is a small amount of encrypted data that is issued by a server in the Kerberos authentication model to begin the authentication process.
- authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) - Authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) is a framework for intelligently controlling access to computer resources, enforcing policies, auditing usage, and providing the information necessary to bill for services.
- authorization - Authorization is the process of giving someone permission to do or have something.
- Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) - Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) is a broad set of technologies used to collect information from an object, image or sound without manual data entry.
- backdoor (computing) - A backdoor is a means to access a computer system or encrypted data that bypasses the system's customary security mechanisms.
- backscatter spam - Backscatter spam, also called misdirected bounce spam or NDR spam, is a strategy for sending unsolicited email messages that takes advantage of the fact that certain types of mail transfer agent (MTA) programs return the entire message to the sender when a recipient's email address is invalid.
- banner grabbing - Banner grabbing is the act of capturing the information provided by banners, configurable text-based welcome screens from network hosts that generally display system information.
- Bayesian filter - A Bayesian filter is a program that uses Bayesian logic, also called Bayesian analysis, to evaluate the header and content of an incoming e-mail message and determine the probability that it constitutes spam.
- biometric verification - Biometric verification is any means by which a person can be uniquely identified by evaluating one or more distinguishing biological traits.
- biometrics - Biometrics is the measurement and statistical analysis of people's unique physical and behavioral characteristics.
- BIOS attack - A BIOS attack is an exploit that infects the BIOS with malicious code and is persistent through reboots and attempts to reflash the firmware.
- BIOS rootkit - A BIOS-level rootkit is programming that exists in a system's memory hardware to enable remote administration.
- BIOS rootkit attack - A BIOS-level rootkit attack, also known as a persistent BIOS attack, is an exploit in which the BIOS is flashed (updated) with malicious code.
- black hat hacker - A black hat hacker has been historically used to describe one who has malicious intent -- such as theft of information, fraud or disrupting systems -- but increasingly, more specific terms are being used to describe those people.
- blacklist - A blacklist, in IT, is a collection of entities that are blocked from communicating with or logging into a computer, site or network.
- blended threat - A blended threat is an exploit that combines elements of multiple types of malware and perhaps takes multiple attack vectors to increase the severity of damage and the speed of contagion.
- block cipher - A block cipher is a method of encrypting data in blocks to produce ciphertext using a cryptographic key and algorithm.
- Blowfish - Blowfish is a variable-length, symmetric, 64-bit block cipher.
- blue pill rootkit - The blue pill rootkit is malware that executes as a hypervisor to gain control of computer resources.
- bluesnarfing - Bluesnarfing is the theft of information from a wireless device through a Bluetooth connection.
- botnet - A botnet is a collection of internet-connected devices, which may include personal computers (PCs), servers, mobile devices and internet of things (IoT) devices, that are infected and controlled by a common type of malware, often unbeknownst to their owner.
- botnet sinkhole - A botnet sinkhole is a target machine used by researchers to gather information about a particular botnet.
- botnet topology - A botnet topology is the network structure by which botnet interconnections are organized.
- breach detection system (BDS) - Breach detection systems (BDS) are a category of applications and security devices designed to detect the activity of malware inside a network after a breach has occurred.
- browser hijacker (browser hijacking) - A browser hijacker is a malware program that modifies web browser settings without the user's permission and redirects the user to websites the user had not intended to visit.
- browser isolation - Browser isolation is a cybersecurity model for web browsing that can be used to physically separate an internet user’s browsing activity from their local machine, network and infrastructure.
- brute-force attack - A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error method used by application programs to decode login information and encryption keys to use them to gain unauthorized access to systems.
- buffer overflow - A buffer overflow occurs when a program or process attempts to write more data to a fixed-length block of memory, or buffer, than the buffer is allocated to hold.
- Bugbear - Bugbear is a computer virus that spread in early October, 2002, infecting thousands of home and business computers.
- business email compromise (BEC, man-in-the-email attack) - A business email compromise (BEC) is an exploit in which the attacker gains access to a corporate email account and spoofs the owner’s identity in order to commit fraud .
- CA Privileged Access Manager - CA Privileged Access Manager is a product, available as a rack-mounted hardware appliance or a virtual appliance, that tracks and secures the usage of logins involving access to administrative control or sensitive information.
- cache poisoning - Cache poisoning is a type of cyber attack in which attackers insert fake information into a domain name system (DNS) cache or web cache for the purpose of harming users.
- CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart) - A CAPTCHA is a type of challenge-response system designed to differentiate humans from robotic computer programs.
- CERT-In (the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) - CERT-In (the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is a government-mandated information technology (IT) security organization.
- certificate authority (CA) - A certificate authority (CA) is a trusted entity that issues Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates.
- certificate revocation list (CRL) - A certificate revocation list (CRL) is a list of digital certificates that have been revoked by the issuing Certificate Authority (CA) before their actual or assigned expiration date.
- certification - In information technology as in other fields such as teaching, accounting, and acupuncture, certification is a formal process of making certain that an individual is qualified in terms of particular knowledge or skills.
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) - Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is an information security certification developed by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, also known as (ISC)².
- Certified Wireless Networking Professional (CWNP) - Certified Wireless Networking Professional (CWNP)is the name for the family of wireless certifications from Planet3Wireless.
- Chernobyl virus - The Chernobyl virus is a computer virus with a potentially devastating payload that destroys all computer data when an infected file is executed.
- chief risk officer (CRO) - The chief risk officer (CRO) is the corporate executive tasked with assessing and mitigating significant competitive, regulatory and technological threats to an enterprise's capital and earnings.
- cipher - In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for encrypting and decrypting data.
- cipher block chaining (CBC) - Cipher block chaining (CBC) is a mode of operation for a block cipher -- one in which a sequence of bits are encrypted as a single unit, or block, with a cipher key applied to the entire block.
- ciphertext - Ciphertext is encrypted text transformed from plaintext using an encryption algorithm.
- ciphertext feedback (CFB) - In cryptography, ciphertext feedback (CFB), also known as cipher feedback, is a mode of operation for a block cipher.
- Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) - Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a security policy management platform that provides secure network access to users and devices.
- Cisco Information Security Specialist (CISS) - Cisco Information Security Specialist (CISS) is an entry-level certification attesting that the holder has demonstrated the foundational knowledge and skills required to install and support a Cisco Self-Defending Network.
- Class C2 - Class C2 is a security rating established by the U.
- client-side extension (CSE) - A client-side extension (CSE) is an integral component of enterprise group policy administration that applies Group Policy to users or endpoint systems.
- clipboard hijack attack - A clipboard hijacking is an exploit in which the attacker gains control of the victim's clipboard and replaces its contents with their own data, such as a link to a malicious Web site.
- cloud access security broker (CASB) - A cloud access security broker (CASB) is a software tool or service that sits between an organization's on-premises infrastructure and a cloud provider's infrastructure.
- cloud audit - A cloud audit is a periodic examination an organization does to assess and document its cloud vendor's performance.
- cloud encryption (cloud storage encryption) - Cloud encryption is a service offered by cloud storage providers whereby a customer's data is transformed using encryption algorithms into ciphertext and stored in the cloud.
- cloud security - Cloud security, also known as cloud computing security, is the practice of protecting cloud-based data, applications and infrastructure from cyberthreats and cyber attacks.
- CloudAV - CloudAV is a program that combines multiple antivirus applications and scans user files over a network of servers.
- cluster name object (CNO) - A cluster name object (CNO) is an Active Directory computer object linked with the network resource Cluster Name.
- command-and-control server (C&C server) - A command and control server (C&C server) is a computer that issues directives to digital devices that have been infected with rootkits or other types of malware, such as ransomware.
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) - Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) provides unique identifiers for publicly known security threats.
- computer cracker - A computer cracker is an outdated term used to describe someone who broke into computer systems, bypassed passwords or licenses in computer programs, or in other ways intentionally breached computer security.
- Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) - A Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a group of information security experts responsible for the protection against, detection of and response to an organization’s cybersecurity incidents.
- computer exploit - A computer exploit, or exploit, is an attack on a computer system, especially one that takes advantage of a particular vulnerability the system offers to intruders.
- Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) - The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) of 1986 is United States legislation that made it a federal crime to access a protected computer without proper authorization.
- computer security incident response team (CSIRT) - A computer security incident response team, or CSIRT, is a group of IT professionals that provides an organization with services and support surrounding the assessment, management and prevention of cybersecurity-related emergencies, as well as coordination of incident response efforts.
- computer worm - A computer worm is a type of malware whose primary function is to self-replicate and infect other computers while remaining active on infected systems.
- Conduit browser hijacker - Conduit is a browser hijacker that is usually installed without the user’s knowledge through a drive-by download.
- Conficker - Conficker is a fast-spreading worm that targets a vulnerability (MS08-067) in Windows operating systems.
- confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA triad) - Confidentiality, integrity and availability, also known as the CIA triad, is a model designed to guide policies for information security within an organization.
- content filtering - Content filtering is a process involving the use of software or hardware to screen and/or restrict access to objectionable email, webpages, executables and other suspicious items.
- cookie poisoning - Cookie poisoning is a type of cyber attack in which a bad actor hijacks, forges, alters or manipulates a cookie to gain unauthorized access to a user's account, open a new account in the user's name or steal the user's information for purposes such as identity theft.
- Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol (CCMP) - Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol (CCMP) is an encryption protocol based on the U.
- countermeasure - A countermeasure is an action, process, device, or system that can prevent, or mitigate the effects of, threats to a computer, server or network.