Cyber Security Terms

More Catchy Acronyms

As for an industry, we are not even sure when it comes to Cyber Security (aka cybersecurity, Cyber security) terms in general. Although there is the possibility that the industry changed the acceptable semantics mid-stream and expects the media and the rest of the world to catch up; figuring out who caused the confusion is not more important than everyone understanding the language of security. There is a distinct benefit to knowing what Security terms mean to you, and what those same terms mean to your security team. In fact, it is critical for success.

Here are a few of many terms you should be clear about with your security team:

• Hacker - an expert who tries to gain unauthorized access into a network or computer systems with intent. Now the "..with intent" part of this description is where the gray area comes in. There are hackers in the wild that will break into a business' network not to do harm, but to show the business where they are vulnerable to a bad actor. But, yes, that Hacker does expect the offering of a monitory reward for their effort. When it doesn't come - they might not tell you how they gained access.

Pppsssttt, whatever you do, do not be rude if ever contacted about a "reward". It is your right to feel whatever you feel. It is a mistake to be rude to the one with all of the cards - they might get loose lips.

• Malware - Malware is a slang term used for malicious software. Malware is software that is used to interrupt or disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive information, or gain access to files or programs.

• Bad Actor - An individual or code that intends to cause harm or control data elements in your network; storage devices; email servers; or in RAM.

The reason there is not a reference to a person is that you might not be protecting against a person, but a piece of code or an infected piece of equipment (router, virtual switch, etc). This is a commonly accepted way of describing a bad "something".

• Cyber Compliance - Cyber Compliance is about your overall Security Program. How secure you function, how quickly your company could recover from a breach. Your promise to offer a fix to your products within the Service Level Agreement (SLA). All of the business related assurances should be within the Attestation of Compliance.

• Remediation Compliance - Remediation Compliance is often found in highly regulated environments. Regulators will perform a cyber audit of the environment. If there seems to be something off, such as permissions granted for access to a database server that are confusing to the auditor. The auditor will create a Finding. These are similar to the sticky notes you would put on the wall if the painter missed a spot. Sometimes they find an entire closet that has gone unpainted, and sometimes the Policies are so strict that they run into eachother and decisions have to be made about which Policy applies. On occation they want you to repaint an area that is being covered with trim, but it's easier to paint than to argue.

• Vulnerability Management - This is often a collaboration of Groups, Teams, or a Division within a company that performs several functions to manage Cyber Risk. They perform Risk Assessments, Review Vulnerabilties for potential Exposure, Make decisions about which vulnerabilities can be ignored, Documents details for current and future reference.

• Malware - Malware is a slang term used for malicious software. Malware is software that is used to interrupt or disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive information, or gain access to files or programs.

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Call to discuss your need, or email Belinda Mobley: belinda@belindamobley.com
(Certified Information Security Manager (CISM))