Security management

Terms related to security management, including definitions about intrusion detection systems (IDS) and words and phrases about asset management, security policies, security monitoring, authorization and authentication.

PCI DSS merchant levels - Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) merchant levels rank merchants based on their number of transactions per year to outline compliance verification requirements.
Peltzman Effect - The Peltzman Effect is the net-zero effect on overall safety between the presence of safety precautions and people’s tendency to be less cautious in their presence.
Pen Testing as a Service (PTaaS) - Pen testing as a service (PTaaS) is a cloud service that provides information technology (IT) professionals with the resources they need to conduct and act upon point-in-time and continuous penetration tests.
performance testing - Performance testing is a testing measure that evaluates the speed, responsiveness and stability of a computer, network, software program or device under a workload.
personal health record (PHR) - A personal health record (PHR) is an electronic summary of health information that a patient maintains control of themselves, as opposed to their healthcare provider.
phishing - Phishing is a fraudulent practice in which an attacker masquerades as a reputable entity or person in an email or other form of communication.
ping sweep (ICMP sweep) - A ping sweep (also known as an ICMP sweep) is a basic network scanning technique used to determine which of a range of IP addresses map to live hosts (computers).
plaintext - In cryptography, plaintext is usually ordinary readable text before it is encrypted into ciphertext or after it is decrypted.
post-quantum cryptography - Post-quantum cryptography, also known as quantum encryption, is the development of cryptographic systems for classical computers that can prevent attacks launched by quantum computers.
principle of least privilege (POLP) - The principle of least privilege (POLP) is a concept in computer security that limits users' access rights to only what is strictly required to do their jobs.
privacy compliance - Privacy compliance is a company's accordance with established personal information protection guidelines, specifications or legislation.
private CA (private PKI) - A private CA is an enterprise-specific certificate authority that functions like a publicly trusted CA.
private certificate authority (CA) - Private CA stands for private certificate authority and is an enterprise specific certificate authority that functions like a publicly trusted CA but is exclusively run by or for the enterprise.
privileged identity management (PIM) - Privileged identity management (PIM) is the monitoring and protection of superuser accounts that hold expanded access to an organization's IT environments.
proof of concept (PoC) exploit - A proof of concept (PoC) exploit is a nonharmful attack against a computer or network.
proxy hacking - Proxy hacking is a cyber attack technique designed to supplant an authentic webpage in a search engine's index and search results pages to drive traffic to an imitation site.
Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) - Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) are a set of standard protocols, numbered from 1 to 15.
quantum key distribution (QKD) - Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a secure communication method for exchanging encryption keys only known between shared parties.
RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) - RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) is a client-server protocol and software that enables remote access servers to communicate with a central server to authenticate dial-in users and authorize their access to the requested system or service.
rainbow table - A rainbow table is a password hacking tool that uses a precomputed table of reversed password hashes to crack passwords in a database.
RAT (remote access Trojan) - A RAT (remote access Trojan) is malware an attacker uses to gain full administrative privileges and remote control of a target computer.
raw device mapping - Raw device mapping (RDM) enables disk access in a virtual machine (VM) in the VMware server virtualization environment and allows a storage logical unit number (LUN) to be connected directly to a VM from the storage area network (SAN).
remote wipe - Remote wipe is a security feature that allows a network administrator or device owner to send a command that remotely deletes data from a computing device.
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.
return merchandise authorization (RMA) - An RMA (return merchandise authorization) is a numbered authorization provided by a mail-order or e-commerce merchant to permit the return of a product.
Rijndael - Rijndael (pronounced rain-dahl) is an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm.
risk analysis - Risk analysis is the process of identifying and analyzing potential issues that could negatively impact key business initiatives or projects.
risk assessment framework (RAF) - A risk assessment framework (RAF) is a strategy for prioritizing and sharing information about the security risks to an information technology (IT) infrastructure.
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.
scareware - Scareware is a type of malware tactic used to manipulate victims into downloading or buying potentially malware-infested software.
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 access service edge (SASE) - Secure access service edge (SASE), pronounced sassy, is a cloud architecture model that bundles together network and cloud-native security technologies and delivers them as a single cloud service.
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 File Transfer Protocol (SSH File Transfer Protocol) - SFTP is a term that refers to either Secure File Transfer Protocol or SSH File Transfer Protocol, and is a computing network protocol for accessing and managing files on remote systems.
Secure Sockets Layer certificate (SSL certificate) - A Secure Sockets Layer certificate (SSL certificate) is a small data file installed on a web server that allows for a secure, encrypted connection between the server and a web browser.
Security Accounts Manager - The Security Accounts Manager (SAM) is a database file in the Microsoft Windows operating system that contains usernames and passwords.
security analytics - Security analytics is a cybersecurity approach that uses data collection, data aggregation and analysis tools for threat detection and security monitoring.
security audit - A security audit is a systematic evaluation of the security of a company's information system by measuring how well it conforms to an established set of criteria.
security awareness training - Security awareness training is a strategic approach IT and security professionals take to educate employees and stakeholders on the importance of cybersecurity and data privacy.
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 incident - A security incident is an event that could indicate that an organization's systems or data have been compromised or that security measures put in place to protect them have failed.
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 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 theater - Security theater includes any measures taken by a company or security team to create an atmosphere of safety that may only achieve the appearance of heightened security.
security through obscurity - Security through obscurity (STO) is reliance upon secrecy in software development to minimize the chance that weaknesses may be detected and targeted.
security token - A security token is a physical or wireless device that provides two-factor authentication (2FA) for users to prove their identity in a login process.
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.
sensitive information - Sensitive information is data that must be protected from unauthorized access to safeguard the privacy or security of an individual or organization.
session ID - A session ID, also called a session token, is a unique identifier that a web server assigns to a user for the duration of the current session.
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.
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 username and password -- to access multiple applications.
single-factor authentication (SFA) - Single-factor authentication (SFA) is a process for securing access to a given system, such as a network or website, that identifies the party requesting access through only one category of credentials.
smart card - A smart card is a physical card that has an embedded integrated chip that acts as a security token.
smart home - A smart home is a residence that uses internet-connected devices to enable the remote monitoring and management of appliances and systems, such as lighting and heating.
smishing (SMS phishing) - Smishing -- or Short Message Service (SMS) phishing -- is a social engineering tactic cybercriminals use to trick people into divulging sensitive information over text messages.
snooping - Snooping, in a security context, is unauthorized access to another person's or company's data.
Snort - Snort is an open source network intrusion detection system (NIDS) created by Sourcefire founder and former CTO Martin Roesch.
SOAR (security orchestration, automation and response) - SOAR (security orchestration, automation and response) 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.
social engineering penetration testing - Social engineering penetration testing is the practice of deliberately conducting typical social engineering scams on employees to ascertain the organization's level of vulnerability to this type of exploit.
software bill of materials (SBOM) - A software bill of materials (SBOM) is an inventory of all constituent components and software dependencies involved in the development and delivery of an application.
software-defined perimeter (SDP) - A software-defined perimeter, or SDP, is a security technique that controls access to resources based on identity and forms a virtual boundary around networked resources.
spear phishing - Spear phishing is a malicious email spoofing attack that targets a specific organization or individual, seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information.
SQL injection (SQLi) - A SQL injection (SQLi) is a technique that attackers use to gain unauthorized access to a web application database by adding a string of malicious code to a database query.
stateful inspection - Stateful inspection, also known as dynamic packet filtering, is a firewall technology that monitors the state of active connections and uses this information to determine which network packets to allow through the firewall.
stealth virus - A stealth virus is a computer virus that uses various mechanisms to avoid detection by antivirus software.
storage security - Storage security is the group of parameters and settings that make storage resources available to authorized users and trusted networks and unavailable to other entities.
strong authentication - Although it is not a standardized term, with set criteria, strong authentication can be said to be any method of verifying the identity of a user or device that is intrinsically stringent enough to ensure the security of the system it protects by withstanding any attacks it is likely to encounter.
strong password - A strong password is one that is designed to be hard for a person or program to guess.
Structured Threat Information eXpression (STIX) - Structured Threat Information eXpression (STIX) is a standardized Extensible Markup Language (XML) programming language for conveying data about cybersecurity threats in a way that can be easily understood by both humans and security technologies.
supercookie - A supercookie is a type of tracking cookie inserted into an HTTP header to collect data about a user's internet browsing history and habits.
SYN flood attack - A SYN flood attack is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on a computer server.
SYN scanning - SYN scanning is a tactic that a malicious hacker can use to determine the state of a communications port without establishing a full connection.
Testing as a Service (TaaS) - Testing as a service (TaaS) is an outsourcing model in which testing activities associated with some of an organization's business activities are performed by a service provider rather than in-house employees.
threat actor - A threat actor, also called a malicious actor or bad actor, is an entity that is partially or wholly responsible for an incident that affects -- or has the potential to affect -- an organization's security.
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.
token - In general, a token is an object that represents something else, such as another object (either physical or virtual), or an abstract concept as, for example, a gift is sometimes referred to as a token of the giver's esteem for the recipient.
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.
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Tor browser - The Tor (the onion routing) browser is a web browser designed for anonymous web surfing and protection against traffic analysis.
triage in IT - Triage is a term referring to the assignment of priority levels to tasks or individuals to determine the most effective order in which to deal with them.
trusted computing base (TCB) - A trusted computing base (TCB) is everything in a computing system that provides a secure environment for operations.
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) - A Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a specialized chip on a device designed to secure hardware with cryptographic keys.
tunneling or port forwarding - Tunneling or port forwarding is the transmission of data intended for use only within a private -- usually corporate -- network through a public network in such a way that the public network's routing nodes are unaware that the transmission is part of a private network.
user account provisioning - User account provisioning is a business process for creating and managing access to resources in an information technology (IT) system.
virtual appliance - Considered a software equivalent of a hardware device, a virtual appliance (VA) is a preconfigured software solution.
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.
virtual machine escape - A virtual machine escape is an exploit in which an attacker runs code on a VM that lets the operating system (OS) running within it break out and interact directly with the hypervisor.
virtualization-based security (VBS) - Virtualization-based security (VBS) is a technology that abstracts computer processes from the underlying operating system (OS) and, in some cases, hardware.
virus (computer virus) - A computer virus is a type of malware that attaches itself to a program or file.
virus hoax - A virus hoax is a false warning about a computer virus.
VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) - VUCA is an acronym that stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity -- qualities that make a situation or condition difficult to analyze, respond to or plan for.
vulnerability (information technology) - A vulnerability, in information technology (IT), is a flaw in code or design that creates a potential point of security compromise for an endpoint or network.
vulnerability and patch management - Vulnerability management is a pro-active approach to managing network security.
vulnerability assessment - 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.