The ability to identify who or what was responsible for taking
a particular action. Typically requires
a logging system to record activity and authentication to verify
that the user was actually the originator/instigator.
Automated Information System - any equipment of an interconnected system or subsystems of equipment that is used in the
automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, control, display, transmission, or reception of data and includes software, firmware, and
hardware.
Antivirus (or "anti-virus") software is a class of program that searches your hard drive and floppy disks for any known or
potential viruses. The market for this kind of program has expanded because of Internetgrowth and the increasing use of the Internet by
businesses concerned protecting their computer assets.
A technical mechanism that assists the security officer to ensure individual accountability of system users. Users are less
likely to attempt to circumvent security policy if they know their name will show up in an audit log.
Authentication is the process of determining whether someone or something is, in fact, who or what it is declared to be.
In private and public computer networks (including the Internet), authentication is commonly done through the use of logon passwords.
Knowledge of the password is assumed to guarantee that the user is authentic. Each user registers initially (or is registered by someone
else), using an assigned or self-declared password. On each subsequent use, the user must know and use the previously declared
password. The weakness in this system for transactions that are significant (such as the exchange of money) is that passwords can
often be stolen, accidentally revealed, or forgotten.
For this reason, Internet business and many other transactions require a more stringent authentication process. The use of digital
certificates issued and verified by a Certificate Authority (CA) as part of a public key infrastructure is considered likely to become the
standard way to perform authentication on the Internet.
Logically, authentication precedes authorization (although they may often seem to be combined).
Method of selecting security measures for implementation within a company based upon measures used in similar
companies that are generally accepted to be well-run.
Implementation of Baseline Security throughout a company provides a common basis for units to develop, implement and measure
effective information security management and practice, and also provides confidence in inter-unit/inter-company trading.
The British Standard for Information Security management, BS 7799 (now ISO 1-7799) provides a list of baseline controls which should
be implemented in all circumstances, and it is salutary to see how many of these basic principles apply to the smallest of organisations,
not just large companies.
Identification of people by measuring some aspect of individual anatomy or physiology (such as hand geometry or
fingerprint), some deeply ingrained skill, or other behavioural characteristic (such as handwritten signature), or something that is a
combination of the two (such as voice).
Prepared (and tested) measures for protection of critical business operations from the effects of a loss,
damage or other failure of operational facilities providing crucial functions (e.g. programs and data) to them, In terms of Information
Security this comprises backups and archiving, stand-in hardware etc.
An algorithm for encryption or decryption. A cipher replaces a piece of information (an element of plain text) with another
object, with the intent to conceal meaning. Typically, the replacement rule is governed by a secret key.
A process that uses software to read the contents of incoming files, normally e-mail. The content can be scanned for
Malicious Code, obscenities and dubious programme files.
Cryptography is the study and practice of scrambling information in a manner that is difficult to unscramble, and making
scrambled information intelligible. It is used as the basis of much computer security, in that it can be used to keep information
confidential, and also preserve the integrity if data, particularly when being stored or being transmitted.
Cyberliabilities is an emerging term that describes liability issues, normally relating to the internet and email use (and
abuse). The term refers less to the actual offence (which is little different from standard liability) than to the means by which the offence
manifests.
According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, cyberterrorism is any "premeditated, politically motivated attack
against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data which results in violence against non-combatant targets by
sub-national groups or clandestine agents."
Unlike a nuisance virus or computer attack that results in a denial of service, a cyberterrorist attack is designed to cause physical
violence or extreme financial harm. According to the U.S. Commission of Critical Infrastructure Protection, possible cyberterrorist targets
include the banking industry, military installations, power plants, air traffic control centres, and water systems.
Cyberterrorism is sometimes referred to as electronic terrorism or information war.
The process through which a member-owned company becomes shareholder-owned; frequently this is a step toward
the initial public offering (IPO) of a company. Insurance companies often have the word "mutual" in their name, when they are mutually
owned by their policy holders as a group. In recent years, however, there has been a strong trend for these companies to demutualize,
converting to a shareholder ownership base. Worldwide, stock exchanges have offered another striking example of the trend towards
demutualization, as the London Stock Exchange (LSE), New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) and most other
exchanges across the globe have either recently converted, are currently in the process, or are considering demutualization.
On the Internet, a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is one in which a multitude of
compromised systems attack a single target, thereby causing denial of service for users of the targeted system. The flood of incoming
messages to the target system essentially forces it to shut down, thereby denying service to the system to legitimate users. A hacker (or, if you prefer, cracker) begins a DDoS attack by exploiting a vulnerability in one computer system and making it the DDoS
"master." It is from the master system that the intruder identifies and communicates with other systems that can be compromised. The
intruder loads cracking tools available on the Internet on multiple -- sometimes thousands of -- compromised systems. With a single
command, the intruder instructs the controlled machines to launch one of many flood attacks against a specified target. The inundation
of packets to the target causes a denial of service.
While the press tends to focus on the target of DDoS attacks as the victim, in reality there are many victims in a DDoS attack -- the final
target and as well the systems controlled by the intruder.
A digital certificate is an electronic "credit card" that establishes your credentials when doing business or other
transactions on the Web. It is issued by a certification authority (CA). It contains your name, a serial number, expiration dates, a copy of
the certificate holder's public key (used for encrypting messages and digital signatures), and the digital signature of the
certificate-issuing authority so that a recipient can verify that the certificate is real. Some digital certificates conform to a standard,
X.509. Digital certificates can be kept in registries so that authenticating users can look up other users' public keys.
An area that exists between 'Trusted' and 'Untrusted' networks to provide additional levels of security whilst
enabling external access to information.
E-business (electronic business), derived from such terms as "e-mail" and "e-commerce," is the conduct of business on the
Internet, not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners.
E-commerce (electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet, especially the
World Wide Web. In practice, this term and a newer term, e-business, are often used interchangeably. For online retail selling, the term
e-tailing is sometimes used.
Encryption is the conversion of data into a form, called a cipher text, that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized
people. Decryption is the process of converting encrypted data back into its original form, so it can be understood.
The global and regional environment comprising any and all entities (private, public, or quasi) firmly in or straddling the IT
security and financial services sectors.
The Computer Security Act of 1987 defines a "Federal computer system" as a computer system operated by
a Federal agency, by a contractor of a Federal agency, or any other organization that processes information on behalf of the Federal
Government to accomplish a Federal function.
A technique for checking a number of items (e.g. file types, user commands, web site addresses) allowing only those that are
acceptable to pass through a barrier, such as a Firewall.
A firewall is a set of related programs, located at a network gateway server, that protects the resources of a private network
from users from other networks. (The term also implies the security policy that is used with the programs.) An enterprise with an
intranet that allows its workers access to the wider Internet installs a firewall to prevent outsiders from accessing its own private data
resources and for controlling what outside resources its own users have access to.
Operating systems contain a vast number of settings, features and options; if these are set incorrectly it can lead to attack
and compromise. Hardening the system involves changing setting to help ensure the system is secure.
A term that describes an overall practice covering Business Continuity Management and Crisis
Management that aims to integrate both to enhance their effectiveness.
A global "network of networks" used to communicate electronically that is linked by a common set of protocols. These
protocols allow computers from one network to communicate with a computer on another network.
The protocol that enables information to be routed from one network to another in packets and then reassembled into
information when the packets reach the destination computer.
Intrusion detection (ID) is a type of security management system for computers and networks. An ID system
gathers and analyzes information from various areas within a computer or a network to identify possible security breaches, which
include both intrusions (attacks from outside the organization) and misuse (attacks from within the organization). ID uses vulnerability
assessment (sometimes referred to as scanning), which is a technology developed to assess the security of a computer system or
network.
Linux is a UNIX-like operating system that was designed to provide personal computer users a free or very low-cost operating
system comparable to traditional and usually more expensive UNIX systems. Linux has a reputation as a very efficient and
fast-performing system.
A computer virus that is embedded within word processing documents or spreadsheet that will activate when the file is
opened. The effect can range from minor inconvenience to substantial corruption. This form of virus is currently the most prolific.
Linux is a UNIX-like operating system that was designed to provide personal computer users a free or very low-cost operating
system comparable to traditional and usually more expensive UNIX systems. Linux has a reputation as a very efficient and
fast-performing system.
An internet standard that increases security by enabling a local area network (LAN) to use one set of IP addresses for internal traffic and a second set of addresses for external traffic. A NAT box located where the LAN meets the Internet makes all necessary IP address translations, this feature is often built into routers.
Any place physically located a significant distance away from the main processing environment, such as a locked box at the bank, another office several blocks or miles away from the primary site, or in another State. Magnetic media shall be maintained in a temperature-controlled offsite environment.
A type of firewall that, although fast, has little intelligence. This reduces its effectiveness and flexibility. It is a powerful tool when used in conjunction with other types of Firewall - Stateful inspection and Application Proxy.
A secret string which is known only to the user and the system which the use can enter to prove their identity and thus authenticate themselves to the system.
A patch is updated computer code that is published either as part of ongoing development, or to meet known vulnerabilities and other problems in code. Most software vendors have sites that provide patches and hot fixes. All systems should be patched to the level recommended by the vendors as unpatched systems are likely an open window into your environment. Many commercial operations and hacker sites provide online databases of known vulnerabilities and exploits.
The portion of security testing in which the testers attempts to circumvent the security features of a system. The testers sometimes use system design and implementation documentation, which may include listings of system source code, manuals, and circuits diagrams. The can also work under the same constraints applied to ordinary users. The practice is sometimes called 'ethical hacking'.
A short numeric password, normally fairly insecure in its own right but often used in conjunction with some for of authentication token such as smart card.
A PKI (public key infrastructure) enables users of a basically unsecure public network such as the Internet to securely and privately exchange data and money through the use of a public and a private cryptographic key pair that is obtained and shared through a trusted authority. The public key infrastructure provides for a digital certificate that can identify an individual or an organization and directory services that can store and, when necessary, revoke the certificates. Although the components of a PKI are generally understood, a number of different vendor approaches and services are emerging. Meanwhile, an Internet standard for PKI is being worked on.
A point-of-sale (POS) terminal is a computerized replacement for a cash register. Much more complex than the cash registers of even just a few years ago, the POS system can include the ability to record and track customer orders, process credit and debit cards, connect to other systems in a network, and manage inventory.
IT Security policy-based management is an administrative approach that is used to simplify the management of a given endeavour by establishing policies to deal with security situations that are likely to occur. Policies are operating rules that can be referred to as a means of maintaining order, security, consistency, or other ways of successfully furthering a goal or mission.
On the Internet, privacy and associated software products, a major concern of users, can be divided into these concerns:
What personal information can be shared with whom;
Whether messages can be exchanged without anyone else seeing them;
Whether and how one can send messages anonymously.
A set of rules for information to transferred over the network so that your computer will know what to do when it receives the information from another computer.
The process enabling administrators to assign system resources and privileges to users, including employees, contractors and business partners. IT managers may also enforce security policy through provisioning software.
On the Internet and in other networks, QoS (Quality of Service) is the idea that transmission rates, error rates, and other characteristics can be measured, improved, and, to some extent, guaranteed in advance. QoS is of particular concern for the continuous transmission of high-bandwidth video and multimedia information. Transmitting this kind of content dependably is difficult in public networks using ordinary "best effort" protocols.
A set of rules which is used by a security device (such as a firewall) to make decisions about what access/traffic to allow and what to block. Also known as the firewall security policy.
A condition that results from the establishment and maintenance of protective measures that ensure a state of inviolability from hostile acts or influences.
An initiative that sets the stage for training by changing organizational attitudes to realize the importance of security and the adverse consequences of security failure. Further, awareness reminds users of the importance of security and the procedures to be followed.
Any information, which through loss, unauthorized access, or modification could adversely affect the national interest, the conduct of Federal programs, or the privacy of individuals (which is protected under the Privacy Act), but which has not been specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive Order or an Act of Congress to be kept secret in the interest of national defence or foreign policy.
A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contract between a customer and the vendor of a system(s) to provide a range of support services, up to an agreed minimum standard. SLAs will usually specific precisely what the support procedures are to be and the way in which a support call will be escalated through the vendor's support organisation to achieve resolution.
A smart card is a plastic card about the size of a credit card, with an embedded microchip that can be loaded with data, used for telephone calling, electronic cash payments, and other applications, and then periodically refreshed for additional use.
Straight Through Processing (STP) defines business processes in such a way that transactional data is entered only once. Its goal is to eliminate inefficiencies in business processes, such as manual re-keying of data (for example, re-keying a purchase order into a credit verification system) or unnecessary batching of data (such as batching of transactions for periodic processing).
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is working with the securities industry to shorten the trade settlement cycle from three days to a maximum of one day through system improvements.
A security token (sometimes called an authentication token) is a small hardware device that the owner carries to authorize access to a network service. The device may be in the form of a smart card or may be embedded in a commonly used object such as a key fob.
A program that causes unexpected and usually undesirable effects when installed or run by an unsuspecting user. These effects may be immediate or wait for some predetermined time or condition before being triggered.
A name string that unique identifies an individual user. Normally accompanies by a password, or PIN and token to provide authentication. Usernames/Passwords should never be disclosed or shared as this would mean there is no accountability within the system.
An unauthorized program that replicates itself and spreads onto various data storage media (diskettes, disks, magnetic tapes, etc.) and/or across a network for malicious intent. The symptoms of virus infection include considerably slower computer response time, inexplicable loss of files, changed modification dates for files, increased file sizes, and total failure of computers.
A VPN (virtual private network) is a way to use a public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure access to their organization's network. A virtual private network can be contrasted with an expensive system of owned or leased lines that can only be used by one organization. The goal of a VPN is to provide the organization with the same capabilities, but at a much lower cost.
Systematic examination of an AIS or product to determine the adequacy of security measures, identify security deficiencies, provide data from which to predict the effectiveness of proposed security measures, and confirm the adequacy of such measures after implementation.