IT Security, Cyber Security, DevSecOps, Network Security. All of these share one thing. The love for acronyms. We sat down and made a list of the top 100 terms and what they mean.
- ACL - Access Control List: A list that defines permissions attached to an object.
- APT - Advanced Persistent Threat: A prolonged and targeted cyberattack.
- BYOD - Bring Your Own Device: Policy allowing employees to use their personal devices for work.
- DLP - Data Loss Prevention: Strategies to prevent unauthorized data access and transfer.
- IDS - Intrusion Detection System: Monitors network traffic for suspicious activity.
- IPS - Intrusion Prevention System: Identifies and prevents potential threats.
- IAM - Identity and Access Management: Framework for managing digital identities.
- MFA - Multi-Factor Authentication: Security system that requires multiple forms of verification.
- NAC - Network Access Control: Policies to enforce security measures on devices accessing the network.
- SIEM - Security Information and Event Management: Provides real-time analysis of security alerts.
- SSL - Secure Sockets Layer: Protocol for encrypting data between a web server and a browser.
- TLS - Transport Layer Security: Successor to SSL, providing secure communication over a network.
- SOC - Security Operations Center: A centralized unit managing security issues on a technical level.
- SAML - Security Assertion Markup Language: Open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data.
- VPN - Virtual Private Network: Extends a private network across a public network.
- WAF - Web Application Firewall: Filters and monitors HTTP traffic to and from a web application.
- XSS - Cross-Site Scripting: A security vulnerability in web applications allowing attackers to inject scripts.
- DDoS - Distributed Denial of Service: An attack that overwhelms a network with a flood of internet traffic.
- PKI - Public Key Infrastructure: A framework for creating, managing, and distributing digital certificates.
- UEBA - User and Entity Behavior Analytics: Uses machine learning to detect unusual behavior by users and entities.
- FIM - File Integrity Monitoring: Monitors changes to files for unauthorized modifications.
- HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act: U.S. law for protecting patient health information.
- GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation: EU regulation for data protection and privacy.
- ISO - International Organization for Standardization: Develops and publishes international standards.
- NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology: U.S. agency that develops technology, metrics, and standards.
- OWASP - Open Web Application Security Project: Provides free resources for web application security.
- PAM - Privileged Access Management: Controls and monitors access to critical systems and data.
- PII - Personally Identifiable Information: Information that can identify an individual.
- RAT - Remote Access Trojan: Malware that provides remote control over an infected computer.
- SFTP - Secure File Transfer Protocol: Provides secure file transfer over a network.
- SOC 2 - Service Organization Control 2: Standards for managing customer data based on five trust service criteria.
- SOX - Sarbanes-Oxley Act: U.S. law for financial practice and corporate governance.
- TFA - Two-Factor Authentication: Security process requiring two different authentication methods.
- VDI - Virtual Desktop Infrastructure: Hosts desktop environments on a centralized server.
- VLAN - Virtual Local Area Network: Segments a network into separate, isolated sections.
- ZTA - Zero Trust Architecture: Security model that assumes no trust for any entity inside or outside the network.
- CVSS - Common Vulnerability Scoring System: Standard for assessing the severity of security vulnerabilities.
- DLP - Data Leak Prevention: Techniques to prevent sensitive data from being leaked outside the organization.
- EPP - Endpoint Protection Platform: Solutions to secure endpoints such as laptops and mobile devices.
- HIDS - Host-based Intrusion Detection System: Monitors and analyzes the internals of a computing system.
- IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service: Cloud service providing virtualized computing resources over the internet.
- IDS - Intrusion Detection System: Detects unauthorized access to a network or system.
- IoT - Internet of Things: Network of interconnected devices that collect and exchange data.
- IR - Incident Response: Methodology for responding to and managing a cybersecurity incident.
- ISMS - Information Security Management System: A systematic approach to managing sensitive company information.
- ISP - Internet Service Provider: Company that provides internet access to customers.
- ISO 27001 - International standard for managing information security.
- ITIL - Information Technology Infrastructure Library: Set of practices for IT service management.
- JDBC - Java Database Connectivity: API for connecting and executing queries on a database.
- KBA - Knowledge-Based Authentication: Method of authentication based on information that only the user knows.
- LDAP - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol: Protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services.
- LFI - Local File Inclusion: Vulnerability that allows an attacker to include files on a server.
- MDM - Mobile Device Management: Administration of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
- MITM - Man-In-The-Middle: Attack where the attacker secretly intercepts and relays messages between two parties.
- MSSP - Managed Security Service Provider: Company that provides outsourced monitoring and management of security systems.
- NAC - Network Access Control: Restricts the availability of network resources to endpoint devices.
- NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement: Legal contract restricting the sharing of confidential information.
- NIDS - Network Intrusion Detection System: Monitors network traffic for suspicious activity.
- NOC - Network Operations Center: Centralized location where IT professionals monitor and manage networks.
- OAUTH - Open Authorization: Standard for token-based authentication and authorization.
- OSINT - Open Source Intelligence: Data collected from publicly available sources.
- PaaS - Platform as a Service: Cloud service providing a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications.
- PCI DSS - Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard: Security standards for organizations that handle card payments.
- PHI - Protected Health Information: Any information in a medical record that can be used to identify an individual.
- PII - Personally Identifiable Information: Data that can identify a specific individual.
- PT - Penetration Testing: Simulated cyberattack to evaluate the security of a system.
- RPO - Recovery Point Objective: Maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time.
- RTO - Recovery Time Objective: Target time to recover IT and business activities after a disaster.
- SaaS - Software as a Service: Cloud service providing software applications over the internet.
- SAST - Static Application Security Testing: Analyzes source code for security vulnerabilities.
- SCADA - Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition: Control system architecture for industrial operations.
- SCEP - Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol: Automates the issuance of digital certificates.
- SDLC - Software Development Life Cycle: Process for planning, creating, testing, and deploying an information system.
- SIEM - Security Information and Event Management: Provides real-time analysis of security alerts.
- SMB - Server Message Block: Network protocol for sharing files, printers, and serial ports.
- SMS - Short Message Service: Text messaging service component of most telephone, internet, and mobile device systems.
- SOC - Security Operations Center: Centralized unit that deals with security issues.
- SOX - Sarbanes-Oxley Act: U.S. law for financial practice and corporate governance.
- SPEAR - Secure, Private, Efficient, and Reliable: Focuses on developing secure and efficient communication systems.
- SQL - Structured Query Language: Programming language for managing data in relational databases.
- SSH - Secure Shell: Protocol for secure remote login and other secure network services.
- SSL - Secure Sockets Layer: Protocol for encrypting information over the internet.
- SSO - Single Sign-On: Authentication process allowing a user to access multiple applications with one set of credentials.
- STIG - Security Technical Implementation Guide: Configuration standards for DoD IA and IA-enabled devices/systems.
- SWIFT - Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication: Network for financial institutions to send and receive information about financial transactions.
- TFA - Two-Factor Authentication: Security process requiring two different authentication methods.
- TLS - Transport Layer Security: Successor to SSL, providing secure communication over a network.
- UEBA - User and Entity Behavior Analytics: Uses machine learning to detect unusual behavior by users and entities.
- URL - Uniform Resource Locator: Reference to a web resource specifying its location on a computer network.
- USB - Universal Serial Bus: Standard for connectors, cables, and communications protocols for connection, communication, and power supply.
- VLAN - Virtual Local Area Network: Segments a network into separate, isolated sections.
- VPN - Virtual Private Network: Extends a private