Threat management

Terms related to security threats, including definitions about anti-virus programs or firewalls and words and phrases about malware, viruses, Trojans and other security attacks.

802 - COM

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.
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 defense - An active defense is the use of offensive actions to outmaneuver an adversary and make an attack more difficult and to carry out.
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.
ActiveX - ActiveX is a set of object-oriented programming technologies Microsoft developed for Internet Explorer to facilitate rich media playback.
ActiveX controls - ActiveX controls are component program objects that Microsoft developed to enable applications to perform specific functions, such as displaying a calendar or playing a video.
ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) - ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) is an application program interface from Microsoft that lets a programmer writing Windows applications get access to a relational or non-relational database from both Microsoft and other database providers.
ad fraud - Ad fraud is a type of scam in which the perpetrator fools advertisers into paying for something useless to them, such as fake traffic, fake leads or ineffective and misrepresented ad placement.
address space layout randomization (ASLR) - Address space layout randomization (ASLR) is a memory-protection process for operating systems (OSes) that guards against buffer-overflow attacks by randomizing the location where system executables are loaded into memory.
advanced evasion technique (AET) - An advanced evasion technique (AET) is a type of network attack that combines several different known evasion techniques on-the-fly to create a new technique that won't be recognized by an intrusion detection system.
advanced persistent threat (APT) - An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a prolonged and targeted cyber attack in which an intruder gains access to a network and remains undetected for an extended period of time.
adware - Adware is any software application in which an advertising banner or other advertising material displays or downloads while a program is running.
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.
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.
Anonymous - Anonymous is a loosely organized hacktivist collective created to promote free speech, unimpeded access to information, and transparency in government and corporate activities.
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.
anti-spyware software - Anti-spyware software is a type of program designed to prevent and detect unwanted spyware program installations and to remove those programs if installed.
antimalware (anti-malware) - Antimalware is a type of software program created to protect IT systems and individual computers from malicious software, or malware.
antispoofing - Antispoofing is a technique for countering spoofing attacks on a computer network.
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 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.
ATM black box attack - An ATM black box attack, also referred to as jackpotting, is a type of banking-system crime in which the perpetrators bore holes into the top of the cash machine to gain access to its internal infrastructure.
ATM jackpotting - ATM jackpotting is the exploitation of physical and software vulnerabilities in automated banking machines that result in the machines dispensing cash.
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.
authentication - Authentication is the process of determining whether someone or something is, in fact, who or what it says it is.
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.
Automated Clearing House fraud (ACH fraud) - ACH fraud is the theft of funds through the Automated Clearing House financial transaction network.
backdoor (computing) - A backdoor is a means to access a computer system or encrypted data that bypasses the system's customary security mechanisms.
Backoff - Backoff is point-of-sale malware that uses memory scraping to steal credit card data from Windows-based retail machines on which it is installed.
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.
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 payment - Biometric payment is a point-of-sale (POS) technology that uses biometric authentication physical characteristics to identify the user and authorize the deduction of funds from a bank account.
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.
bitcoin mining - Bitcoin mining is the process of verifying new transactions to the Bitcoin digital currency system, as well as the process by which new bitcoin enter into circulation.
BitLocker - BitLocker Drive Encryption, or BitLocker, is a Microsoft Windows security and encryption feature.
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 usually employs various 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.
blockchain economy - The blockchain economy is a scenario and potential future environment in which the technology replaces current monetary systems, potentially on a global basis.
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.
BlueKeep (CVE-2019-0708) - BlueKeep (CVE-2019-0708) is a vulnerability in the Remote Desktop (RDP) protocol that affects Windows 7, Windows XP, Server 2003 and 2008.
bluesnarfing - Bluesnarfing is the theft of information from a wireless device through a Bluetooth connection.
boot sector virus - A boot sector virus is malware that infects the computer storage sector where startup files are found.
bot - A bot -- short for robot and also called an internet bot -- is a computer program that operates as an agent for a user or other program or to simulate a human activity.
bot herder - A bot herder is a hacker that seeks out vulnerable computers and infects them so that they can be controlled as a botnet.
bot worm - A bot worm is a self-replicating malware program that resides in current memory, turns infected computers into zombies (or bots) and transmits itself to other computers.
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.
browser extension malware - Extension malware is any browser extension that was developed intentionally with coding that causes undesirable behaviors or whose code has been compromised by an attacker to do so.
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.
brushing scam - A brushing scam is an exploit in which a vendor ships a package to an unwitting receiver who hadn’t ordered it and then submits positive reviews that are supposedly from the verified owner.
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.
buffer underflow - Buffer underflow, also known as buffer underrun or buffer underwrite, is a threat to data that typically occurs when the temporary holding space during information transfer, the buffer, is fed at a lower rate than it is being read from.
bug bounty program - A bug bounty program, also called a vulnerability rewards program (VRP), is a crowdsourcing initiative that rewards individuals for finding errors in software.
Bugbear - Bugbear is a computer virus that spread in early October, 2002, infecting thousands of home and business computers.
burner phone - A burner is an inexpensive mobile phone that is designed for temporary use, after which it may be discarded.
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 .
business logic attack - A business logic attack is an exploit that takes advantage of a flaw in programming managing the exchange of information between a user interface and the application's supporting database.
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.
car hacking - Car hacking is the manipulation of the code in a car's electronic control unit (ECU) to exploit a vulnerability and gain control of other ECU units in the vehicle.
card skimming - Card skimming is the theft of credit and debit card data and PIN numbers when the user is at an automated teller machine (ATM) or point of sale (POS).
card verification value (CVV) - Card verification value (CVV) is a combination of features used in credit, debit and automated teller machine (ATM) cards for the purpose of establishing the owner's identity and minimizing the risk of fraud.
card-not-present fraud (card-not-present transaction) - Card-not-present (CNP) fraud is the unauthorized use of a payment card to conduct a card-not-present transaction when the cardholder cannot or does not physically present the card at the time of the transaction.
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.
chaos engineering - Chaos engineering is the process of testing a distributed computing system to ensure that it can withstand unexpected disruptions.
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.
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.
Class C2 - Class C2 is a security rating established by the U.
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 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.
COBIT - COBIT is an IT governance framework for businesses wanting to implement, monitor and improve IT management best practices.
cognitive hacking - Cognitive hacking is a cyberattack that seeks to manipulate the perception of people by exploiting their psychological vulnerabilities.
cognitive security - Cognitive security is the application of AI technologies patterned on human thought processes to detect threats and protect physical and digital systems.
cold boot attack - A cold boot attack is a process for obtaining unauthorized access to encryption keys stored in the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips of a computer system.

COM - FED