# Cyber Security Acronyms and Terms Curated list of acronyms and terms related to cyber security landscape including industry, open source and non-profit organizations (Basically any concept that has anything to do with security practices around the cloud, applications, assets, services, kubernetes and containers). This glossary classifies and explains security terms to make them understandable beyond the 'buzzoword'. Any contribution will be more than welcome. ## Algorithms _Encryption algorithms and other protection methods_ 3DES - Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (Also TDEA or Triple DEA) AES - Advanced Encryption Standard DES - Data Encryption Standard MD5 - Message-digest Algorithm RSA - Rivest–Shamir–Adleman open [cryptosystem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_(cryptosystem)) SHA - Secure Haching Algorithm ## Attack patterns, Vulnerabilities, and Threats _Malicious strategies from hackers or red-teams_ ACE - Arbitrary Code Execution AFR - Arbitrary File Read CSRF - Cross Site Request Forgery DC - Differential cryptanalytics LC - Linear cryptanalytics DA - Davies Attack DoS - Denial of Service DDoS - Distributed Denial of Service LFI - Local File Inclusion Malware - Malicious Software MITM - Man in the middle (also Person in the middle) RaaS - Ransomware as a Service RAT - Remote Access Trojan RCE - Remote Code Execution SET - Social Engineering Toolkit SQLi - SQL Injection SSRF - Server Side Request Forgery XFS - Cross Frame Scripting XSS - Cross Site Scripting ## Protection approaches _Security strategies, solutions, and protection patterns_ ADR - Application Detection and Response AIDA - Artificial Intelligence Defense Agent [Link](https://www.knowbe4.com/products/aida#:~:text=Your%20organization%20may%20struggle%20to,approach%20to%20human%20risk%20management.) AIPP (incubating*) - Artificial Intelligence Platform Protection [Link](https://www.sysdig.com/blog/ai-infrastructure-security-why-it-deserves-its-own-category) AMSI - Anti-Malware Scan Interface ASM - Attack Surface Management ASO - Autonomic Security Operations [Doc](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/googlecloud_autonomicsecurityoperations_soc10x.pdf) ASPM - Application Security Posture Management AST - Application Security Testing [Details](https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/application-security-testing) AV - Anti-Virus CADR - Cloud Application Detection and Response CAASM - Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (inventory management) CASB - Cloud Access Security Broker CDR - Cloud Detection and Response CIEM - Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management CIAM - Cloud Identity Access Management CIRA - Cloud Investigation and Response Automation CNAPP - Cloud Native Application Protection Platform C-SCRM - Cyber Supplly Chain Risk Management [Link](https://csrc.nist.rip/scrm/#:~:text=Cyber%20Supply%20Chain%20Risk%20Management%20(C%2DSCRM)%20is%20the,product%20and%20service%20supply%20chains.) CSPM - Cloud Security Posture Management CTEM - Continuous Threat Exposure Management CWP - Cloud Workload Protection CWPP - Cloud Workload Protection Platform DAST - Dynamic Application Security Testing DDR - Data Detection & Response DLP - Data Loss Prevention DSPM - Data Security Posture Management EDR - Endpoint Detection and Response, sometimes known as Endpoint Threat Detection and Response (ETDR) ETDR - See EDR HIDS - [Host based Intrusion Detection System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Host-based_intrusion_detection_system) (also NIDS for Network) HIPS - Host Intrusion Prevention System IAST - Interactive Application Security Testing IDS - Intrusion Detection System IDTR - Identity Detection & Response IGA - Identity Governance and Administration IPS - Intrusion Protection System ISPM - Identity Security Posture Management ITDR - Identity Threat Detection & Response MDR - Managed Detection and Response MDFT - Mobile Device Forensic Tool MSSP - Managed Security Services Provider NDR - Network Detection & Response NGES - Next Generation Endpoint Security NGSWG - Next Generation Secure Web Gateway NIDS - Network Intrustion Detection System NTA - Network Traffic Analysis OTSPM - Operational Technology Security Posture Management [link](https://safetybits.io/blog/what-is-otspm/) RASP - Runtime Application Self-Protection SASE - Secure Access Service Edge SAST - Static Application Security Testing SCA - Software Composition Analysis SCAP - Security Content Automation Protocols SIEM - Security Incident & Event Management SOAR - Security Orchestration & Response SSE - Security Services Edge (A subset of SASE) SSPM - SaaS Security Posture Management SWG - Secure Web Gateway [link](https://www.netskope.com/security-defined/next-gen-secure-web-gateway) TIP - Threat Intelligence Platform TPRM - Third Party Risk Management UBA / UEBA - User and entity behavior analytics VM - Vulnerability Management (also Virtual Machine outside of infosec) WAF - Web Application Firewall WAAP - Web Application and API Protection [link](https://www.airlock.com/en/secure-access-hub/components/gateway) XDR - eXtended Detection and Response ZTNA - Zero Trust Network Access ## Security & Compliance frameworks & work groups APRA - Australian Prudential Regulation Authority ASLR - Address Space Layout Randomisation ASVS - (OWASP) Application Security Verification Standard ATT&CK - (MITRE) Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge BGDPL - Brazilian General Data Protection Law (Brazil) CAPEC - Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification CSAF - Common Security Advisory Framework [(2.0)](https://docs.oasis-open.org/csaf/csaf/v2.0/os/csaf-v2.0-os.html) CIS - Center for Internet Security [Link](https://www.cisecurity.org/) CVE - Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures CVRF - Common Vulnerability Reporting Framework (now CSAF) CVS - Common Vulnerability Score CVSS - Common Vulnerability Scoring System DSS - Data Security Standard (See PCI) EPSS - Exploit Prediction Scoring System GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation (Europe) HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ISO - International Organization for Standardization MITRE - Not an acronym - “a name that was meaningless and without connotations, but with an attractive feel.” NVD - National Vulnerability Database (USA) NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology (US) OWASP - Open Web Application Security Project PCI DSS - Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard PCI SSC - Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council PIPEDA - Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada) TARA - Threat Agent Risk Assessment (Methodology) SAMM - Software Assurance Maturity Model (OWASP) [Link](https://owaspsamm.org/) SLSA - Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifact - [Link](https://slsa.dev/) SOC (1,2,3) - [System and Organization Controls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_and_Organization_Controls). See also the *"Processes, Teams and roles"* section. ## Patterns, Protocols & Implementation Standards 2FA - Two Factor Authentication; see also MFA ABAC - Attribute Based Access Control ACL - Access Control List CA - Certificate Authority CORS - Cross Origin Resource Sharing DoH - DNS over HTTPS DOM - Document Object Model FTPS - FTP-SSL or FTP Secure IR - Incident Response JIT - Just in Time (SAML) JWT - JSON Web Token MFA - Multi Factor Authentication mTLS - Mutual Transport Layer Security OASIS - Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards OAuth - Open Authorization OTP - One Time Password ( sometimes One Time Pad) PaC - Policy as Code SAML - Security Assertion Markup Language SARIF - Static Analysis Results Interchange Format SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol SPDX - Software Package Data Exchange [link](https://spdx.dev/) SSH - Secure Shell SSL - Secure Sockets Layer SSO - Single Sign-on TLP - Traffic Light Protocol TLS - Transport Layer Security U2F - Universal Two Factor WEP - Wired Equivalent Privacy (Protocol) WPA - Wi-Fi Protected Access (Protocol) WPS - Wi-Fi Protected Setup (Standard) ## Processes, Teams and roles A&A - Assessment and Authorization CCSP - Certified Cloud Security Professional (ISC2) CDC - Cyber Defense Center CERT - Computer Emergency Response Team CISO - Chief Information Security Officer CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional COC - Cybersecurity Operations Center CPP - Certified Protection Professional CSIRT - Computer Security Incident Response Team CSO - Chief Security Officer (role) ECES - Certified Encryption Specialist FIRST - Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams NICCS - National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies NICE - [NICCS Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity](https://niccs.cisa.gov/workforce-development/nice-framework) OSCP - Offensive Security Certified Professional SOC - Security Operations Center SecOps - Organizational term. Collaboration between security and operations teams by sharing security responsibilities ## Misc APT - Advanced Persistent Threat Authn - Authentication Authz - Authorization BAS - Breach & Attack Simulation BCP - Business Continuity Plan BEC - Business Email Compromise BGH - Big Game Hunting BIA - Business Impact Analysis BSIMM - Building Security In Maturity Model C2 - Command & Control CAPTCHA - Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers And Humans Apart CIA - Confidentiality; Integrity; Availability CISA - Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency | Certified Information Systems Auditor CoA - Course of Action CTA - Cyber Threat Intelligence IAM - Identity & Access Management IOA - Indicators of Attack IOC - Indicators of Compromise MALOPS - Malicious Operations MTTR - Mean Time to Resolve PAM - Privileged Access Management RBAC - Role Based Access Control RBOM - Runtime Bill Of Materials ([Chronicle AKA SecOps](https://docs.sysdig.com/en/sysdig-secure/risk-spotlight/)) SBOM - Software Bil Of Materials SDLC - Software Development Lifecycle (Also sometimes System Development Lifecycle) SD-WAN - Software Defined Wide Area Network SKU - Stock Keeping Unit (Unique identificaiton that definees an element) SRA - Security Response Automation SSS - Stack Smashing Protector (compilers) SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT Analysis) TI - Threat Intelligence TOCTOU - Time-of-check Time-of-use (Type of bug that can represent a vulnerability) TTP - Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures UAC - User Access Control VAP - Very Attacked Person VPN - Virtual Private Network YARA - Yet Another Ridiculous Acronym - Rule-based tool for malware analysis [Link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YARA) YARA-L - YARA for logs ([Chronicle AKA SecOps](https://cloud.google.com/chronicle/docs/detection/yara-l-2-0-overview)) ## Useful terms that are not specific to security CCM - Cloud Controls Matrix NHI - Non Human Identity NMS - Network Management System NRT - Near Real Time TPP - Third Party Payment provider ## Pending to be classified (Help welcome) _Community help will be welcome_ CAPP - Controlled Access Protection Profile CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional (ISC2) CMF - Collection Management Framework CSA - (1) Cloud Security Alliance (2) Continuous Security Assessment CSP - Content Security Policy CTF - Capture the Flag CTI - Cyber Threat Intelligence CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration DEP - Data Execution Prevention DFIR - Digital Forensics and Incident Response DKIM - DomainKeys Identified Mail DLS - Dedicated Leak Site DMARC - Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance DNSSEC - Domain Name System Security Extensions DREAD - Damage; Reproducability; Exploitability; Affected Users; Discoverability EASM - Externam Attack Surface Management EICAR - European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research EPP - Endpoint Protection Platform FAIR - Factor Analysis of Information Risk FAM - File Access Monitoring FiDO - Fast IDentity Online FIM - File Integrity Monitoring FPC - Full Packet Capture GCM - Galois/Counter Mode GPG - GnuPG GRC - Governance, Risk & Compliance HSM - Hardware Security Module HSTS - HTTP Strict Transfer Protocol IDAM - Identity & Access Management IDOR - Insecure Direct Object Reference IdP - Identity Provider IETF - Internet Engineering Task Force IPE - Intelligence Preperation of the Environment IPSec - Internet Protocol Security IRM - Integrated Risk Management IRP - Incident Response Playbook ISC2 - International Information System Security Certification Consortium ISMS - Information Security Management System ISS - Information System Security KCM - Kill Chain Model LANGSEC - Language Security LOLBin - Living off the Land Binary (also LOLScripts, LOLBAS) NAC - Network Access Control / also NACL (Network Access Control List) NDB - Notifiable Data Breache(s) NGCI - Next Generation Cyber Infrastructure NGFW - Next Generation Firewall ODoH - Oblivious DNS over HTTPS OIDC - OpenID Connect OPSec - Operational Security OSCAL - Open Security Controls Assessment Language OSINT - Open Source Intelligence PASTA - Process for Attack Simulation & Threat Analysis PCD - Payment Card Data PGP - Pretty Good Privacy. See also GPG PFS - Perfect Forward Secrecy PTES - Penetration Testing Execution Standard PUP - Potentially Unwanted Program RFC - Request For Comments ROP - Return-oriented programming RP - Return Pointer RTR - Rapid Threat Response SABSA - Sherwood Applied Business Security Architecture SANS - SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security SAQ - Self-Assessment Questionnaire SCIM - System for Cross-domain Identity Management SSDLC - Secure Software Development Lifecycle SECCOMP - Secure Computing SFP - Saved Frame Pointer SOA - Statemenet of Applicability SOX - Sarbanes-Oxley Act SPF - Sender Policy Framework SRI - Sub-resource Integrity SSVC - Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization STIG - Security Technical Implementation Guide STIX - Structured Threat Information Expression STRIDE - Spoofing; Tampering; Repudiation; Information disclosure; Denial of service; Elevation of Privilege TAXII - Trusted Automated Exchange of Intelligence Information TOGAF - The Open Group Architecture Framework XACML - eXtensible Access Control Markup Language XXE - XML External Entity # Notes \* Incubating : The term is not yet standardized # Resources Original list extracted from [Ghostinashell Blog](https://blog.ghostinashell.com/acronyms/) Enriched with terms learned from [Sysdig](https://sysdig.com) Added some terms from [SecureWorldExpo](https://info.secureworldexpo.com/hubfs/PDF_collateral/Acronyms_cybersecurity_SecureWorld_090419.pdf) Curated list of security resources [Awesome-sceurity](https://github.com/sbilly/awesome-security) List of products and vendors classified by security approach. [The Cloud Security List](https://list.latio.tech/) OWASP Open Web Application Security (nonprofit foundation). [OWASP website](https://owasp.org/) Public front page [Cloud Security Acronyms](https://cloudsecurelab.github.io/security-acronyms/) Contribute with [Cyber-Security List on Github](https://github.com/cloudsecurelab/security-acronyms/)