M-Z Flashcards
IT Support Certificate glossary M-Z
MAC(Media Access Control) address:
MAC(Media Access Control) address: A globally unique identifier attached to an individual network interface. It’s a 48-bit number normally represented by six groupings of two hexadecimal numbers
MAC address:
MAC address: A globally unique identifier attached to an individual network interface. It’s a 48-bit number normally represented by six groupings of two hexadecimal numbers
MAC filtering:
MAC filtering: Access points are configured to only allow for connections from a specific set of MAC addresses belonging to devices you trust
Mac OS:
Mac OS: Apple’s operating system
MACs (Message Authentication Codes):
MACs (Message Authentication Codes): A bit of information that allows authentication of a received message, ensuring that the message came from the alleged sender and not a third party masquerading as them
Maintenance:
Maintenance: Where software is updated and hardware issues are fixed if, and when, they occur
Malware:
Malware: A type of malicious software that can be used to obtain your sensitive information or delete or modify files
Manifest:
Manifest: A library used if an application needs to use a shared library
Master boot record (MBR):
Master boot record (MBR): a traditional partition table within a storage disk that lets you have volume sizes of 2 terabytes or less and is mostly used in the Windows OS
Master file table (MFT):
Master file table (MFT): A way NTFS stores and represents the files you?re working with on your operating system
Mb/s:
Mb/s: megabit per second, which is a unit of data transfer rate
MD5:
MD5: A popular and widely used hash function designed in the early 1990s as a cryptographic hashing function
MDM policy:
MDM policy: The profiles that contains settings for the device
MDM profile:
MDM profile: The policies that contains settings for the device
Meddler in the middle (formerly known as Man in the Middle):
Meddler in the middle (formerly known as Man in the Middle): An attack that places the attacker in the middle of two hosts that think they’re communicating directly with each other
Memory controller chip (MCC):
Memory controller chip (MCC): A bridge between the CPU and the RAM
Memory management:
Memory management: One of the functions that a kernel performs; it optimizes memory usage and make sure our applications have enough memory to run
Memory manager:
Memory manager: A Windows OS program that helps manage virtual memory
Memory usage:
Memory usage: The amount of memory available in your system as well as what memory is currently being used by other applications
Mesh networks:
Mesh networks: Like ad-hoc networks, lots of devices communicate with each other device, forming a mesh if you were to draw lines for all the links between all the nodes
Metadata:
Metadata: Tells us everything we need to know about a file, including who created it, when it was last modified, who has access to it, and what type of file it is
Metered connection:
Metered connection: An internet connection where all data transfer usage is tracked. Cell phone plans that have a limit on data usage per month or that charge based on usage are examples of metered connections
MIC (Message Integrity Check):
MIC (Message Integrity Check): It is essentially a hash digest of the message in question
Micro display port:
Micro display port: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
Micro HDMI:
Micro HDMI: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
Microsoft Install Package(.msi) and MSI files:
Microsoft Install Package(.msi) and MSI files: Microsoft Install Package is a file extension used to guide a program called Windows Installer in the installation, maintenance, and removal of programs of the windows operating systems. MSI files are a combination of of databases that contain installation instructions in different tables along with all the files
Microsoft Terminal Services Client:
Microsoft Terminal Services Client: A client program used to create RDP connections to remote computers
Micro USB:
Micro USB: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
Mini HDMI:
Mini HDMI: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
Mini USB:
Mini USB: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
Mobile applications:
Mobile applications: Software that is distributed on mobile OS devices
Mobile device management:
Mobile device management: A system used to apply and enforce rules about how the device has to be configured and used
Modify:
Modify: An umbrella permission that includes read and execute and write
Modulation:
Modulation: A way of varying the voltage of a constant electrical charge moving across a standard copper network cable
Monitor mode:
Monitor mode: It allows to scan across channels to see all wireless traffic being sent by APs and clients
Motherboard:
Motherboard: The body or circulatory system of the computer that connects all the pieces together
Mounting:
Mounting: Making a file or hard disk accessible to the computer
Multicast
Multicast: A way of addressing groups of hosts all at once
Multicast frame:
Multicast frame: If the least significant bit in the first octet of a destination address is set to one, it means you’re dealing with a multicast frame. A multicast frame is similarly set to all devices on the local network signal, and it will be accepted or discarded by each device depending on criteria aside from their own hardware MAC address
Multifactor authentication (MFA):
Multifactor authentication (MFA): A system where users are authenticated by presenting multiple pieces of information or objects
Multilingual user interface:
Multilingual user interface: Interface that offers and support different languages
Multiplexing:
Multiplexing: It means that nodes on the network have the ability to direct traffic toward many different receiving services
MX record:
MX record: It stands for mail exchange and this resource record is used in order to deliver email to the correct server
Name resolution:
Name resolution: This process of using DNS to turn a domain name into an IP address
NAS device:
NAS device: A network attached storage device that has hard drives to automatically create backups and store data
Network:
Network: The interconnection of computers
Network Address Translation (NAT):
Network Address Translation (NAT): A mitigation tool that lets organizations use one public IP address and many private IP addresses within the network
Network Address Translation (NAT):
Network Address Translation (NAT): A mitigation tool that lets organizations use one public IP address and many private IP addresses within the network
Network file system:
Network file system: A protocol that enables files to be shared over a network
Network hardening:
Network hardening: Is the process of securing a network by reducing its potential vulnerabilities through configuration changes, and taking specific steps
Networking:
Networking: Managing, building and designing networks
Networking protocols:
Networking protocols: A set of rules for how we transfer data in a network
Network layer:
Network layer: It’s the layer that allows different networks to communicate with each other through devices known as routers. It is responsible for getting data delivered across a collection of networks
Network port:
Network port: The physical connector to be able to connect a device to the network. This may be attached directly to a device on a computer network, or could also be located on a wall or on a patch panel
Network separation (network segmentation):
Network separation (network segmentation): A good security principle for an IT support specialists to implement. It permits more flexible management of the network, and provides some security benefits. This is the concept of using VLANs to create virtual networks for different device classes or types
Network software hardening
Network software hardening: Includes things like firewalls, proxies, and VPNs
Network stack:
Network stack: A set of hardware or software that provides the infrastructure for a computer
Network switch:
Network switch: It is a level 2 or data link device that can connect to many devices so they can communicate. It can inspect the contents of the Ethernet protocol data being sent around the network, determine which system the data is intended for and then only send that data to that one system
Network time protocol (NTP):
Network time protocol (NTP): A network protocol used to synchronize the time between the authenticator token and the authentication server
Next header field:
Next header field: Defines what kind of header is immediately after this current one
Next hop:
Next hop: The IP address of the next router that should receive data intended for the destination networking question or this could just state the network is directly connected and that there aren’t any additional hops needed. Defined as part of the routing table
NIST:
NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Node:
Node: Any device connected to a network. On most networks, each node will typically act as a server or a client
Non-metered connection:
Non-metered connection: A connection where your data usage is not tracked or limited, instead you are charged a flat fee for unlimited and unrestricted usage. A Wi-Fi connection is an example of a non-metered connection
Non-routable address space:
Non-routable address space: They are ranges of IPs set aside for use by anyone that cannot be routed to
Normalization:
Normalization: It’s the process of taking log data in different formats and converting it into a standardized format that’s consistent with a defined log structure
Northbridge:
Northbridge: interconnects stuff like RAM and video cards
NS record:
NS record: It indicates other name servers that may also be responsible for a particular zone
NTP:
NTP: Network Time Protocol, keeping clocks synchronized on machines connected to a network
NTP servers
NTP servers: Used to keep all computers on a network synchronized in time
NVMe (NVM Express):
NVMe (NVM Express): interface standard which allows greater throughput of data and increased efficiency
OAuth:
OAuth: An open standard that allows users to grant third-party websites and applications access to their information without sharing account credentials
Octet:
Octet: Any number that can be represented by 8 bits
One-time password (OTP):
One-time password (OTP): A short-lived token, typically a number that’s entered along with a username and password
One-time password (OTP) tokens
One-time password (OTP) tokens: Another very common method for handling multifactor
One-way cryptographic hash:
One-way cryptographic hash: The method used by AD to store passwords
OpenID:
OpenID: An open standard that allows participating sites known as Relying Parties to allow authentication of users utilizing a third party authentication service
OpenLDAP (lightweight directory access protocol):
OpenLDAP (lightweight directory access protocol): An open source and free directory service
Open source:
Open source: This means the developers will let other developers share, modify, and distribute their software for free
Open SSH:
Open SSH: The most popular program to use SSH within Linux
Operating system:
Operating system: The whole package that manages our computers resources and lets us interact with it
Optical Network Terminator:
Optical Network Terminator: Converts data from protocols the fiber network can understand to those that are more traditional twisted pair copper networks can understand
Options field:
Options field: It is sometimes used for more complicated flow control protocols
Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI):
Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI): The first three octets of a MAC address
Organizational units (OU):
Organizational units (OU): A hierarchical model of objects and containers that can contain objects or more organizational units
Organizational units (OUs):
Organizational units (OUs): Folders that let us group related objects into units like people or groups to distinguish between individual user accounts and groups that accounts can belong to
OSI model:
OSI model: A model used to define how network devices communicate. This model has seven layers that stack on top of each other: Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, and Application
OTA update:
OTA update: A type of update that is installed by the mobile device itself
Overclocking:
Overclocking: it increases the rate of your CPU clock cycles in order to perform more tasks
Packaged archives:
Packaged archives: The core or source software files that are compressed into one file
Packaged managers:
Packaged managers: An application that makes package installation and removal easier
Packet sniffing (packet capture):
Packet sniffing (packet capture): the process of intercepting network packets in their entirety for analysis
Padding field:
Padding field: A series of zeros used to ensure the header is the correct total size
Pairing:
Pairing: When a wireless peripheral connects to a mobile device, and the two devices exchange information, sometimes including a PIN or password, so that they can remember each other
Pairwise Transient Key (PTK):
Pairwise Transient Key (PTK): It is generated using the PMK, AP nonce, Client nonce, AP MAC address, and Client MAC address
Parameter:
Parameter: A value that is associated with a command
Parent directory & child directories:
Parent directory & child directories: A parent directory is a directory that houses all subsequent child directories
Parent group:
Parent group: Groups that are principal groups and contain other groups
Partition:
Partition: A logical division of a hard disk that is treated as a separate unit by operating systems and file systems
Partition table:
Partition table: How the disk is partitioned on an OS
Password attacks:
Password attacks: Utilize software like password crackers that try and guess your password
Password salt:
Password salt: Additional randomized data that’s added into the hashing function to generate the hash that’s unique to the password and salt combination
Patch panel:
Patch panel: A device containing many physical network ports
Paths:
Paths: A main directory that branches off and holds other directories and files
Payload:
Payload: The actual data being transported, which is everything that isn’t a header
Payload length field:
Payload length field: 16-bit field that defines how long the data payload section of the datagram is
PBKDF2 (Password Based Key Derivation Function 2):
PBKDF2 (Password Based Key Derivation Function 2): Password Based Key Derivation Function 2
PC:
PC: Personal computer, which technically means a computer that one person uses
PCI DSS:
PCI DSS: Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
PCI Express:
PCI Express: Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
PDA (Personal Digital Assistant):
PDA (Personal Digital Assistant): Allows computing to go mobile
Penetration testing:
Penetration testing: The practice of attempting to break into a system or network to verify the systems in place
Peripherals:
Peripherals: the external devices which we connect to our computer that add functionality, like: a mouse, a keyboard, and a monitor
Permission denied:
Permission denied: An error message you might find when accessing a protected file
Personal package archives:
Personal package archives: A software repository for uploading source packages to be built and published
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) encryption:
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) encryption: An encryption application that allows authentication of data along with privacy from third parties relying upon asymmetric encryption to achieve this
Phishing attack:
Phishing attack: It usually occurs when a malicious email is sent to a victim disguised as something legitimate
PHPLDAPadmin:
PHPLDAPadmin: A tool to manage OpenLDAP
Physical layer:
Physical layer: It represents the physical devices that interconnect computers
Physical tokens:
Physical tokens: They take a few different forms, such as a USB device with a secret token on it, a standalone device which generates a token, or even a simple key used with a traditional lock
PIN authentication method:
PIN authentication method: It uses PINs that are eight-digits long, but the last digit is a checksum that’s computed from the first seven digits
Ping flood:
Ping flood: It sends tons of ping packets to a system. If a computer can’t keep up with this, then it’s prone to being overwhelmed and taken down
Pin Grid Array (PGA):
Pin Grid Array (PGA): CPU socket where the pins are located on the processor itself
PKI system:
PKI system: A system that defines the creation, storage and distribution of digital certificates
Platform as a service:
Platform as a service: A subset of cloud computing where a platform is provided for customers to run their services
Platform key:
Platform key: It’s the public key corresponding to the private key used to sign the boot files
Platform services:
Platform services: A platform for developers to completely build and deploy software applications, without having to deal with OS maintenance, server hardware, networking or other services that are needed to use the platform tools
Plink (PuTTY Link):
Plink (PuTTY Link): A tool built into the command line after PuTTY is installed that is used to make remote SSH connections
Pointer resource record:
Pointer resource record: It resolves an IP to a name
Point-To-Point VPN:
Point-To-Point VPN: Establishes a VPN tunnel between two sites but VPN tunneling logic is handled by network devices at either side, so that users don’t all have to establish their own connections
Policies:
Policies: Settings that are reapplied every few minutes, and aren?t meant to be changed even by the local administrators
Port:
Port: It is a 16-bit number that’s used to direct traffic to specific services running on a networked computer
Portable Executable (PE) format:
Portable Executable (PE) format: Windows unique version of .exe
Port forwarding:
Port forwarding: A technique where specific destination ports can be configured to always be delivered to specific nodes
Port mirroring:
Port mirroring: Allows the switch to take all packets from a specified port, port range, or the entire VLAN and mirror the packets to a specified switch port
Port preservation
Port preservation: A technique where the source port chosen by a client, is the same port used by the router
Ports:
Ports: Connection points that we can connect devices to that extend the functionality of our computer
POST (Power On Self Test):
POST (Power On Self Test): It figures out what hardware is on the computer
Post-fail analysis:
Post-fail analysis: Investigating how a compromise happened after the breach is detected
Post mortem:
Post mortem: A way for you to document any problems you discovered along the when recovering data, and the ways you fixed them so you can make sure they don’t happen again
Powershell:
Powershell: A shell (program that interprets text commands) for Windows
Power supply:
Power supply: Converts electricity from our wall outlet onto a format that our computer can use
Power user:
Power user: Above average computer users
Preamble:
Preamble: The first part of an Ethernet frame, it is 8 bytes or 64 bits long and can itself be split into two sections
Precedence:
Precedence: When computers are processing the Group Policy Objects that apply to them, all of these policies will be applied in a specific order based on a set of precedents rules
Presentation layer:
Presentation layer: It is responsible for making sure that the unencapsulated application layer data is actually able to be understood by the application in question
Pre-shared key:
Pre-shared key: It’s the Wi-Fi password you share with people when they come over and want to use your wireless network
Preventative measures:
Preventative measures: Any procedures or systems in place that will proactively minimize the impact of a disaster
Primary account:
Primary account: The initial account you made during setup
Principle of least privilege:
Principle of least privilege: Helps to ensure that sensitive data is only accessed by people who are authorized to access it
Privacy policies:
Privacy policies: Oversees the access and use of sensitive data
Private cloud:
Private cloud: When a company owns the services and the rest of the cloud infrastructure, whether on-site or in a remote data center
Processes:
Processes: Help the computer run programs
Process Explorer:
Process Explorer: A utility Microsoft created to let IT support specialists and system administrators look at running processes
Process ID:
Process ID: Unique identifier for processes on your computer
Process management:
Process management: The capacity to manage the many programs in a system - when to run them, the order they run in, how many resources they take up, how long they run, et cetera
Process monitoring:
Process monitoring: A way of monitoring what processes are happening during installation
Process scheduler:
Process scheduler: The part of the kernel that makes multitasking possible
Procurement:
Procurement: Hardware is purchased or reused for an employee
Production:
Production: The parts of the infrastructure where certain services are executed and serve to its users production
Programming:
Programming: Coding in a programming language
Programming language:
Programming language: Special languages that software developers use to write instructions for computers to execute
Programs: ,
Programs: Basic instructions that tell the computer what to do, The applications that we can run
Promiscuous mode:
Promiscuous mode: A type of computer networking operational mode in which all network data packets can be accessed and viewed by all network adapters operating in this mode
Prompt:
Prompt: A prompt shows you which directory you?re currently in
Protocol:
Protocol: A defined set of standards that computers must follow in order to communicate properly is called a protocol
Protocol field:
Protocol field: A protocol field is an 8-bit field that contains data about what transport layer protocol is being used
Proxy:
Proxy: Can be useful to protect client devices and their traffic. They also provide secure remote access without using a VPN
Proxy server:
Proxy server: An intermediary between a company’s network and the Internet, receiving network traffic and relaying that information to the company network
Proxy service
Proxy service: A server that acts on behalf of a client in order to access another service
Pseudo-random:
Pseudo-random: Something that isn’t truly random
PSH flag:
PSH flag: One of the TCP control flags. PSH is short for push. This flag means that the transmitting device wants the receiving device to push currently- buffered data to the application on the receiving end as soon as possible
Public cloud:
Public cloud: The cloud services provided by a third party
Public cloud:
Public cloud: The cloud services provided by a third party
Public DNS servers
Public DNS servers: Name servers specifically set up so that anyone can use them for free
Public key authentication:
Public key authentication: A key pair is generated by the user who wants to authenticate
Public key signatures:
Public key signatures: Digital signature generated by composing the message and combining it with the private key
Punch cards:
Punch cards: A sequence of cards with holes in them to automatically perform calculations instead of manually entering them by hand
Quad A (AAAA) record:
Quad A (AAAA) record: It is very similar to an A record except that it returns in IPv6 address instead of an IPv4 address
Qwiklabs:
Qwiklabs: An online platform which provides training in cloud services
RA (Registration Authority):
RA (Registration Authority): It is responsible for verifying the identities of any entities requesting certificates to be signed and stored with the CA
RAID (redundant array of independent disks):
RAID (redundant array of independent disks): A method of taking multiple physical disks and combining them into one large virtual disk
Rainbow table attacks:
Rainbow table attacks: To trade computational power for disk space by pre-computing the hashes and storing them in a table
Rainbow tables:
Rainbow tables: A pre-computed table of all possible password values and their corresponding hashes
RAM:
RAM: Random Access Memory
Random numbers:
Random numbers: A very important concept in encryption because it avoids some kind of pattern that an adversary can discover through close observation and analysis of encrypted messages over time
Ransomware:
Ransomware: A type of attack that holds your data or system hostage until you pay some sort of ransom
RC4 (Rivest Cipher 4):
RC4 (Rivest Cipher 4): Asymmetric stream cipher that gained widespread adoption because of its simplicity and speed
Read and execute permission:
Read and execute permission: Permissions that grant you access to read the file that exists and execute it if its runnable
Read permission:
Read permission: Permissions that grant you access to read the file that exists
Read-write replicas:
Read-write replicas: Domain controllers in the Active Directory network that each have a complete copy of the AD database and are able to make changes to it
Receiving address:
Receiving address: The MAC address of the access point that should receive the frame
Recoverability:
Recoverability: How complicated and time-consuming the recovery effort will be
Recursive name servers:
Recursive name servers: Servers that perform full DNS resolution requests
Re-flash:
Re-flash: A way to preserve end-user data on a device that you plan on resetting
Regions:
Regions: A geographical location containing a number of data centers
Registers:
Registers: An accessible location for storing the data that our CPU works with
Registrar:
Registrar: An organization responsible for assigning individual domain names to other organizations or individuals
Regular expression:
Regular expression: A pattern matching language that describes words, phrases, or more complicated patterns; regular expressions are used to help you do advanced pattern based selection
Reimaging:
Reimaging: The process of reimaging involves wiping and reinstalling an operating system using a disk image which is a copy of an operating system
Relative path:
Relative path: It is a path from your current directory
Remote attestation:
Remote attestation: The idea of a system authenticating its software and hardware configuration to a remote system
Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service (RADIUS):
Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service (RADIUS): A protocol that provides AAA services for users on a network
Remote connection:
Remote connection: The ability to connect an authorized person to a computer or network remotely; allows us to manage multiple machines from anywhere in the world
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP): A secure network communication protocol developed by Microsoft that allows a user to connect to another device remotely
Remote wipe:
Remote wipe: A factory reset that you can trigger from your central MDM rather than having to do it in person on the device
Replication:
Replication: the store directory data is copied and distributed across a number of physically distributed servers but still appears as one unified data store for querying and administering
Replication failure:
Replication failure: A reason that a GPO might fail to apply as expected
Repository:
Repository: A server that acts like a central storage location for packages
Reproduction case:
Reproduction case: Recreating an error to test a solution to make sure the problem is gone after a fix has been applied
Reset:
Reset: When an SysAdmin restores or resets the password of a user
Resource monitoring:
Resource monitoring: The most common way to quickly take a peek at how system resources are doing
Restart:
Restart: A command that will let the machine reboot to complete a domain join
Restoration procedures:
Restoration procedures: A recovery process and process needs to be tested regularly that is documented and accessible so that anyone with the right access can restore operation when needed
Resultant set of policy (RSOP):
Resultant set of policy (RSOP): The policy that forms when all of the group policies have been grouped together for a specific machine and apply precedence rules to them
Retirement:
Retirement: Hardware becomes unusable or no longer needed, and it needs to be properly removed from the fleet
Return merchandise authorization (RMA):
Return merchandise authorization (RMA): The process of receiving returned merchandise and authorizing a refund
Reverse lookup zone files:
Reverse lookup zone files: They let DNS resolvers ask for an IP, and get the FQDN associated with it returned
Reverse proxy:
Reverse proxy: A service that might appear to be a single server to external clients, but actually represents many servers living behind it
RGB model:
RGB model: RGB or red, green, and blue model is the basic model of representing colors
Risk:
Risk: The possibility of suffering a loss in the event of an attack on the system
Risk assessment:
Risk assessment: Allows you to prioritize certain aspects of the organization that are more at risk if there?s an unforeseen event
Risk mitigation:
Risk mitigation: Understanding the risks your systems face, take measures to reduce those risks, and monitor them
Rogue Access Point (AP) Attack:
Rogue Access Point (AP) Attack: An access point that is installed on the network without the network administrator’s knowledge
Rogue DHCP server attack:
Rogue DHCP server attack: An attacker can hand out DHCP leases with whatever information they want by deploying a rogue DHCP server on your network, setting a gateway address or DNS server, that’s actually a machine within their control
Role-based access control (RBAC):
Role-based access control (RBAC): The process of changing a persons group that they are a part of when they have changed roles within a company to limit or change their access to resources
Rollback:
Rollback: Reverting to the previous state before you made changes
ROM chip (Read Only Memory):
ROM chip (Read Only Memory): A read-only memory chip where the BIOS is stored
Root cause:
Root cause: The main factor that’s causing a range of issues
Root certificate authority:
Root certificate authority: They are self signed because they are the start of the chain of trust, so there’s no higher authority that can sign on their behalf
Root directory:
Root directory: A parent directory for all other directories in a file system
Rootkit:
Rootkit: A collection of software or tools that an admin would use
Root user:
Root user: It is the first user that gets automatically created when we install a Linux OS and has all the privileges on the OS. Also called the super user. There’s technically only one superuser or root account, but anyone that’s granted access to use their powers can be called a superuser too
Round robin:
Round robin: It is a concept that involves iterating over a list of items one by one in an orderly fashion
Router:
Router: A device that knows how to forward data between independent networks
Routing protocols:
Routing protocols: Special protocols the routers use to speak to each other in order to share what information they might have
RPM:
RPM: Revolutions per minute
RSA:
RSA: One of the first practical asymmetric cryptography systems to be developed, named for the initials of the three co-inventors: Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adleman
RSOP report:
RSOP report: The process of troubleshooting group policy and comparing what you expect to be applied to a computer and the resultant set of policy report
RST flag:
RST flag: One of the TCP control flags. RST is short for reset. This flag means that one of the sides in a TCP connection hasn’t been able to properly recover from a series of missing or malformed segments
SACL?s:
SACL?s: System Access Control List
Safe operating temperature:
Safe operating temperature: The temperature range in which rechargeable batteries must be kept in order to avoid demanage
SATA:
SATA: The most popular serial ATA drive, which uses one cable for data transfers
Scalability:
Scalability: The measure of a system?s ability to increase or decrease in performance and cost in response to varying loads in system processing demands
Screen lock:
Screen lock: A security feature that helps prevent unwanted access by creating an action you have to do to gain entry
Script:
Script: It is run by an interpreter, which interprets the code into CPU instructions just in time to run them
Scripting:
Scripting: Coding in a scripting language
Scripts:
Scripts: Mainly used to perform a single or limited range task
SD devices:
SD devices: Mass storage devices like hard drives
SDRAM:
SDRAM: It stands for Synchronous DRAM, this type of RAM is synchronized to our systems’ clock speed allowing quicker processing of data
Secondary or stand-by machine:
Secondary or stand-by machine: A machine that is the same as a production machine, but won’t receive any traffic from actual users until enabled
Secure boot protocol:
Secure boot protocol: It uses public key cryptography to secure the encrypted elements of the boot process
Secure channel:
Secure channel: It is provided by IPsec, which provides confidentiality, integrity, and authentication of data being passed
Secure copy:
Secure copy: A command you can use in Linux to copy files between computers on a network
Secure element:
Secure element: It’s a tamper resistant chip often embedded in the microprocessor or integrated into the mainboard of a mobile device
Secure Shell (SSH):
Secure Shell (SSH): A secure network protocol that uses encryption to allow access to a network service over unsecured networks
Security:
Security: It’s all about determining risks or exposure understanding the likelihood of attacks; and designing defenses around these risks to minimize the impact of an attack
Security account manager (SAM):
Security account manager (SAM): A database in windows that stores user names and password
Security filtering:
Security filtering: A tool to make group policies apply more selectively
Security group:
Security group: One of the two categories that groups in Active Directories can be part of, they can contain user accounts, computer accounts or other security groups
Security information and event management systems (SIEMS):
Security information and event management systems (SIEMS): Form of centralized logging for security administration purposes
Security keys:
Security keys: Small embedded cryptoprocessors, that have secure storage of asymmetric keys and additional slots to run embedded code
Security patch:
Security patch: A piece of software that is meant to fix up a security hole
Security principal:
Security principal: Any entity that can be authenticated by the system, such as a user account, a computer account, or a thread or process that runs in the security context of a user or computer account
Security through obscurity:
Security through obscurity: The principle that if no one knows what algorithm is being used or general security practices, then one is safe from attackers
Seed value:
Seed value: A secret value that is used to initialize a process that is generated by software using one or more values
Self-signed certificate:
Self-signed certificate: This certificate has been signed by the same entity that issued the certificate
Sequence control field:
Sequence control field: A field that is 16 bits long and mainly contains a sequence number used to keep track of ordering the frames
Sequence number:
Sequence number: A 32-bit number that’s used to keep track of where in a sequence of TCP segments this one is expected to be
Serial number:
Serial number: A unique identifier for their certificate assigned by the CA which allows the CA to manage and identify individual certificates
Server:
Server: A device that provides data to another device that is requesting that data, also known as a client
Server:
Server: Software or a machine that provides services to other software or machines
Server logs:
Server logs: Text files that contains recorded information about activities performed on a specific web server in a defined period of time
Server operating systems:
Server operating systems: Regularly operating systems that are optimized for server functionality
Server or Service:
Server or Service: A program running on a computer waiting to be asked for data
Servers:
Servers: Devices that provide data to other devices that request that data, also known as a client
Service discovery:
Service discovery: One of the services that the domain controller provides to the clients
Service type field:
Service type field: A eight bit field that can be used to specify details about quality of service or QoS technologies
Session hijacking (cookie hijacking):
Session hijacking (cookie hijacking): A common meddler in the middle attack
Session key:
Session key: The shared symmetric encryption key using TLS sessions to encrypt data being sent back and forth
Session layer:
Session layer: The network layer responsible for facilitating the communication between actual applications and the transport layer
Session manager subsystem:
Session manager subsystem: Process that is in charge of setting some stuff up to work for the OS
Severity:
Severity: Includes factors like what and how many systems were compromised and how the breach affects business functions
SHA1:
SHA1: It is part of the secure hash algorithm suite of functions, designed by the NSA and published in 1995
Shannon’s maxim:
Shannon’s maxim: It states that the system should remain secure, even if your adversary knows exactly what kind of encryption systems you’re employing, as long as your keys remain secure
Shared folders:
Shared folders: A way to share files between computers on the same network on Windows
Shell:
Shell: A program that interprets text commands and sends them to the OS to execute
Shortcut:
Shortcut: An entry in the MFT that has a reference to some destination, so that when you open it up, you get taken to that destination
Short-range wireless network:
Short-range wireless network: It is what mobile devices uses to connect to their peripherals
Side-by-side assemblies:
Side-by-side assemblies: A system that manages most shared libraries and resources on Windows and supports access to multiple versions of the same shared library automatically
Side-loading:
Side-loading: A process of installing mobile apps directly without using an app store
Signal:
Signal: A way to tell a process that something has just happened
Simple authentication and security layer (SASL):
Simple authentication and security layer (SASL): The authentication method that can employ the help of security protocols like TLS, it requires the client and the directory server to authenticate using some method
Simple permissions:
Simple permissions: Special or specific permissions
Simplex communication:
Simplex communication: A form of data communication that only goes in one direction across a cable
Single point of failure:
Single point of failure: When one system in a redundant pair suffers a failure
Single sign on (SSO):
Single sign on (SSO): An account that grants you access to multiple accounts without require constant entry of a password or username
SOC (System On a Chip):
SOC (System On a Chip): Packs the CPU, Ram, and sometimes even the storage onto a single chip
Social engineering:
Social engineering: An attack method that relies heavily on interactions with humans instead of computers
Socket:
Socket: The instantiation of an endpoint in a potential TCP connection
Softlinks:
Softlinks: A shortcut in Linux, that allows us to link to another file using a file name
Software:
Software: The intangible instructions that tell the hardware what to do
Software as a Service (SaaS):
Software as a Service (SaaS): A way of licensing the use of software to others while keeping that software centrally hosted and managed
Software bug:
Software bug: An error in software that causes unexpected results
Software management:
Software management: A broad term used to refer to any and all kinds of software that are designed to manage or help manage some sort of project or task
Software services:
Software services: The services that employees use that allow them to do their daily job functions, such as word processors, Internet browsers, email clients, chat clients, and more
Software signing certificate:
Software signing certificate: Trust mechanism where a software vendor can cryptographically sign binaries they distribute using a private key
Source MAC address:
Source MAC address: The hardware address of the device that sent the ethernet frame or data packet. In the data packet it follows the destination MAC address
Source port:
Source port: A high numbered port chosen from a special section of ports known as ephemeral ports
Southbridge:
Southbridge: It maintains our IO or input/output controllers, like hard drives and USB devices that input and output data
Spear phishing:
Spear phishing: Phishing that targets individual or group - the fake emails may contain some personal information like your name, or the names of friends or family
Spoofing:
Spoofing: When a source is masquerading around as something else
Spyware:
Spyware: The type of malware that’s meant to spy on you
SQL Injection Attack:
SQL Injection Attack: An attack that targets the entire website if the website is using a SQL database
SRV record:
SRV record: A service record used to define the location of various specific services
SSD:
SSD: Solid State Drive
SSH (Secure shell)
SSH (Secure shell): A protocol implemented by other programs to securely access one computer from another
SSH authentication key:
SSH authentication key: A secure authentication method for accessing a computer from other device
SSH client:
SSH client: A program you must have installed on your device in order to establish an SSH connection with another device
SSH server:
SSH server: Software installed on a machine that allows for that device to accept an SSH connection
SSL/TLS Client Certificate:
SSL/TLS Client Certificate: Certificates that are bound to clients and are used to authenticate the client to the server, allowing access control to a SSL/TLS service
SSL 3.0:
SSL 3.0: The latest revision of SSL that was deprecated in 2015
Standard error (stderr):
Standard error (stderr): A data stream that redirects the output of error messages in a different output stream. It works both in Linux and Windows
Standard In (stdin):
Standard In (stdin): A data stream in which the input that you provide through the keyboard goes to the standard in stream of the process that you’re interacting with. It works both in Linux and Windows
Standardization:
Standardization: A systematic way of naming hosts
Standard out (stdout):
Standard out (stdout): A data stream that, when a process creates output, it adds data to the standard out stream, which flows out of the process. It works both in Linux and Windows
Standard user:
Standard user: A user who is given access to the machine but has restricted access to do thing like install software or change certain setting
Standoffs:
Standoffs: Used to raise and attach your motherboard to the case
Start Frame Delimiter (SFD):
Start Frame Delimiter (SFD): The last byte in the preamble, that signals to a receiving device that the preamble is over and that the actual frame contents will now follow
Start of authority:
Start of authority: A declaration of the zone and the name of the name server that is authoritative for it
StartTLS
StartTLS: It permits a client to communicate using LDAP v3 over TLS
Static IP address:
Static IP address: An IP address that must be manually configured on a node
Steganography:
Steganography: The practice of hiding information from observers, but not encoding it
Stream ciphers:
Stream ciphers: It takes a stream of input and encrypts the stream one character or one digit at a time, outputting one encrypted character or digit at a time
Subdirectories:
Subdirectories: A directory below or at a deeper level in the directory hierarchy
Subject:
Subject: This field contains identifying information about the entity the certificate was issued to
Subject Public Key Info:
Subject Public Key Info: These two subfields define the algorithm of the public key along with the public key itself
Subnet mask:
Subnet mask: 32-bit numbers that are normally written as four octets of decimal numbers
Subnetting:
Subnetting: The process of taking a large network and splitting it up into many individual smaller sub networks or subnets
Substitution cipher:
Substitution cipher: An encryption mechanism that replaces parts of your plaintext with ciphertext
Suspended apps:
Suspended apps: A command that will tell the OS to suspend background mobile apps
Swap space:
Swap space: The allocated space where the virtual memory is stored on the hard drive when the amount of physical memory space is used up or full
Switches:
Switches: Devices that help our data travel
Symbolic links:
Symbolic links: Work similarly to shortcuts, but at the file system level. The key difference is that the operating system treats them like substitutes for the file they’re linked to in almost every meaningful way
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL):
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL): A device that establishes data connections across phone lines and has upload and download speeds that are the same
Symmetric key algorithm:
Symmetric key algorithm: Encryption algorithms that use the same key to encrypt and decrypt messages
SYN_RECEIVED:
SYN_RECEIVED: A TCP socket state that means that a socket previously in a listener state, has received a synchronization request and sent a SYN_ACK back
SYN_SENT:
SYN_SENT: A TCP socket state that means that a synchronization request has been sent, but the connection hasn’t been established yet
SYN flag:
SYN flag: One of the TCP flags. SYN stands for synchronize. This flag is used when first establishing a TCP connection and make sure the receiving end knows to examine the sequence number field
SYN flood:
SYN flood: The server is bombarded with SYN packets
Sysinternals package:
Sysinternals package: A set of tools released by Microsoft that can help you troubleshoot
System:
System: A group of hardware components and software components that work together to fun the programs or processes in the computer
System Administration:
System Administration: The field in IT that is responsible for maintaining reliable computer systems, in a Multi-user environment
System properties:
System properties: A control panel applet that allows you to edit the size and number and location of paging files
Systems administrator (sysadmin):
Systems administrator (sysadmin): A person who works only in system administration, configuring servers, monitoring the network, provisioning, or setting up new users in computers and taking responsibility of systems
System settings:
System settings: Settings like display resolution, user accounts, network, devices, etc
System software:
System software: Software used to keep our core system running, like operating system tools and utilities
Tab completion:
Tab completion: A way to auto-complete a command or file names and directories
TACACS+:
TACACS+: It is a device access AAA system that manages who has access to your network devices and what they do on them
Tailgating:
Tailgating: Gaining access into a restricted area or building by following a real employee in
Task bar:
Task bar: It gives us quick options and shows us information like network connectivity, the date, system notifications, sound etc
Task Manager:
Task Manager: A Windows utility that allows you to gain information about what tasks you have running in the background
T-Carrier technologies:
T-Carrier technologies: Technologies Invented to transmit multiple phone calls over a single link. Eventually, they also became common transmission systems to transfer data much faster than any dial-up connection could handle
TCP checksum:
TCP checksum: A mechanism that makes sure that no data is lost or corrupted during a transfer
Tcpdump:
Tcpdump: It’s a super popular, lightweight command-line based utility that you can use to capture and analyze packets
TCP segment:
TCP segment: A payload section of an IP datagram made up of a TCP header and a data section
TCP window:
TCP window: The range of sequence numbers that might be sent before an acknowledgement is required
Terminal:
Terminal: A text based interface to the computer
Termination signal:
Termination signal: A kill command that will stop whatever process you tell it to
Test environment:
Test environment: A virtual machine running the same configuration as a production environment, but isn’t actually serving any users of the service
Thermal paste:
Thermal paste: A substance used to better connect our CPU and heat sink, so the heat transfers from to the other better
Threat:
Threat: The possibility of danger that could exploit a vulnerability
Threats & password policies:
Threats & password policies: Protects Data & IP, Data Protection, Infrastructure Defense, Identity Management, and users
Ticket granting service (TGS):
Ticket granting service (TGS): It decrypts the Ticket Granting Ticket using the Ticket Granting Service secret key, which provides the Ticket Granting Service with the client Ticket Granting Service session key
Time-based token (TOTP):
Time-based token (TOTP): A One-Time-Password that’s rotated periodically
Time slice:
Time slice: A very short interval of time that gets allocated to a process for CPU execution
Time-To-Live field (TTL):
Time-To-Live field (TTL): An 8-bit field that indicates how many router hops a datagram can traverse before it’s thrown away
TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol):
TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol): To address the shortcomings of WEP security
TLS 1.2:
TLS 1.2: The current recommended revision of SSL
TLS 1.2 with AES GCM:
TLS 1.2 with AES GCM: A specific mode of operation for the AES block cipher that essentially turns it into a stream cipher
TLS Handshake:
TLS Handshake: A mechanism to initially establish a channel for an application to communicate with a service
Top Level Domain (TLD):
Top Level Domain (TLD): The top level of the DNS or the last part of a domain name. For example, the ?com? in www.weather.com
Total hops:
Total hops: The total number of devices data passes through to get from its source to its destination. Routers try to choose the shortest path, so fewest hops possible. The routing table is used to keep track of this
Total length field:
Total length field: A 16-bit field that indicates the total length of the IP datagram it’s attached to
TPM (Trusted Platform Module):
TPM (Trusted Platform Module): This is a hardware device that’s typically integrated into the hardware of a computer, that’s a dedicated crypto processor
Traffic class field:
Traffic class field: An 8-bit field that defines the type of traffic contained within the IP datagram and allows for different classes of traffic to receive different priorities
Transfer Control Protocol (TCP):
Transfer Control Protocol (TCP): A protocol that handles reliable delivery of information from one network to another
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP):
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): The data transfer protocol most commonly used in the fourth layer. This protocol requires an established connection between the client and server
Transmitter address:
Transmitter address: The MAC address of whatever has just transmitted the frame
Transport layer:
Transport layer: The network layer that sorts out which client and server programs are supposed to get the data
Transport mode:
Transport mode: One of the two modes of operations supported by IPsec. When used, only the payload of the IP packet is encrypted, leaving the IP headers untouched
Trim:
Trim: A command to delete unused data blocks so the space can be used for the computer?s storage needs
Trojan:
Trojan: Malware that disguises itself as one thing but does something else
Troubleshooting:
Troubleshooting: The ability to diagnose and resolve a problem
Trusted execution environment (TEE):
Trusted execution environment (TEE): It provides a full-blown isolated execution environment that runs alongside the main OS
TTL:
TTL: The lifetime limit of data given in seconds. This number can be configured by the owner of a domain name for how long a name server is allowed to cache in entry before it should discard it and perform a full resolution again
Tunnel:
Tunnel: It is provided by L2TP, which permits the passing of unmodified packets from one network to another
??Tunnel mode:
??Tunnel mode: One of the two modes of operations supported by IPsec. When used, the entire IP packet, header, payload, and all, is encrypted and encapsulated inside a new IP packet with new headers
Twisted pair cable:
Twisted pair cable: The most common type of cabling used for connecting computing devices. It features pairs of copper wires that are twisted together
Two-factor authentication:
Two-factor authentication: A technique where more than just a username and password are required to authenticate. Usually, a short-lived numerical token is generated by the user through a specialized piece of hardware or software
TXT record:
TXT record: It stands for text and was originally intended to be used only for associating some descriptive text with a domain name for human consumption
Type-C connector:
Type-C connector: A type of USB connector meant to replace many peripheral connections
Types of DNS servers:
Types of DNS servers: There are five primary types of DNS servers; caching name servers, recursive name servers, root name servers, TLD name servers, and authoritative name servers
U2F (Universal 2nd Factor):
U2F (Universal 2nd Factor): It’s a standard developed jointly by Google, Yubico and NXP Semiconductors that incorporates a challenge-response mechanism, along with public key cryptography to implement a more secure and more convenient second-factor authentication solution
Ubuntu:
Ubuntu: The most popular Linux consumer distribution
UEFI:
UEFI: United Extensible Firmware Interface, a new standard for BIOS
Unbind:
Unbind: It closes the connection to the LDAP server
Unicast transmission:
Unicast transmission: A unicast transmission is always meant for just one receiving address
Uniform Resource Locator (URL):
Uniform Resource Locator (URL): A web address similar to a home address
Universal:
Universal: The tool that is used to group global roles in a forest
Unix epoch:
Unix epoch: It is the number of seconds since midnight on January first, 1970. It’s a ‘Zero Hour’ for Unix based computers to anchor their concept of time
Urgent pointer field:
Urgent pointer field: A field used in conjunction with one of the TCP control flags to point out particular segments that might be more important than others
URG flag:
URG flag: One of the TCP control flags. URG is short for urgent. A value of one here indicates that the segment is considered urgent and that the urgent pointer field has more data about this
USB (Universal Serial Bus):
USB (Universal Serial Bus): A connection standard for connecting peripherals to devices such as computers
USB-C adapter:
USB-C adapter: One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
User configuration:
User configuration: Contained within a Group Policy Object (GPO)
User Datagram Protocol (UDP):
User Datagram Protocol (UDP): A transfer protocol that does not rely on connections. This protocol does not support the concept of an acknowledgement. With UDP, you just set a destination port and send the data packet
User Groups:
User Groups: The management of resources on a computer and on a network through organizing user accounts into various groups
User name:
User name: A unique identifier for a user account
Username and password authentication:
Username and password authentication: Can be used in conjunction with certificate authentication, providing additional layers of security
User space:
User space: The aspect of an operating system that humans interact with directly like programs, such as text editors, music players, system settings, user interfaces, et cetera
UTF-8:
UTF-8: The most prevalent encoding standard used today
UUID:
UUID: Universally Unique ID
Validity:
Validity: This field contains two subfields, Not Before and Not After, which define the dates when the certificate is valid for
Variable:
Variable: Files that constantly change
Vendor risk review:
Vendor risk review: Questionnaire that covers different aspects of their security policies procedures and defenses
Version:
Version: What version of the X.509 standard certificate adheres to
Version field:
Version field: First field in an IP header that specifies the version of IP
Virtual Box:
Virtual Box: An application you can use to install Linux and have it completely isolated from your machine
Virtual instance:
Virtual instance: A single virtual machine
Virtualization:
Virtualization: A single physical machine called a host runs many individual virtual instances called guests
Virtual LAN (VLAN):
Virtual LAN (VLAN): It is a technique that lets you have multiple logical LANs operating on the same physical equipment
Virtual machine (VM):
Virtual machine (VM): An application that uses physical resources like memory, CPU and storage, but they offer the added benefit of running multiple operating systems at once
Virtual memory:
Virtual memory: A combination of hard drive space and RAM that acts like memory which our processes can use
Viruses:
Viruses: The best known type of malware
VLAN header:
VLAN header: A piece of data that indicates what the frame itself is. In a data packet it is followed by the EtherType
Volume:
Volume: A format for a filesystem on a partition
VPN (Virtual Private Network):
VPN (Virtual Private Network): A secure method of connecting a device to a private network over the internet
Vulnerability:
Vulnerability: A flaw in the system that could be exploited to compromise the system
Vulnerability scanner:
Vulnerability scanner: Detect lots of things, ranging from misconfigured services that represent potential risks, to detecting the presence of back doors and systems
WannaCry Attack:
WannaCry Attack: A cyber attack that started in Europe and infected hundreds of thousands of computers across the world
Web of trust:
Web of trust: It is where individuals instead of certificate authorities sign other individuals’ public keys
Web server:
Web server: A web server stores and serves content to clients through the Internet.
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy):
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy): First security protocol introduced for Wi-FI networks
Wide area network:
Wide area network: Acts like a single network but spans across multiple physical locations. WAN technologies usually require that you contract a link across the Internet with your ISP
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA):
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA): A security program that uses a 128-bit key to protect wireless computer networks, which makes it more difficult to crack than WEP
Wildcard:
Wildcard: A character that is used to help select files based on a certain pattern
Windows domain:
Windows domain: A network of computers and users that are added to a central database
Windows management instrumentation (WMI):
Windows management instrumentation (WMI): The container that is used to define powerful targeting rules for your GPO
Windows registry:
Windows registry: A hierarchical database of settings that Windows, and Windows applications, use for storing configuration data
Windows Search service:
Windows Search service: A service that indexes files on your computer by looking through them on a schedule
Windows store:
Windows store: A Windows store is an application repository or warehouse where you can download and instal universal Windows platform apps
Windows update client service:
Windows update client service: System that runs in the background on your computer to download and install updates and patches for your operating system
Wired Equivalence Privacy (WEP):
Wired Equivalence Privacy (WEP): An encryption technology that provides a very low level of privacy. WEP should really only be seen as being as safe as sending unencrypted data over a wired connection
Wireless access point:
Wireless access point: A device that bridges the wireless and wired portions of a network
Wireless LANS (WLANS):
Wireless LANS (WLANS): One or more access points act as a bridge between a wireless and a wired network
Wireless networking:
Wireless networking: Networks you connect to through radios and antennas
Wireshark:
Wireshark: It’s another packet capture and analysis tool that you can use, but it’s way more powerful when it comes to application and packet analysis, compared to tcpdump
WMI filter:
WMI filter: A tool to make group policies apply more selectively on the configuration of the computer
Work group computer:
Work group computer: A Windows computer that isn’t joined to a domain
World Wide Web (WWW):
World Wide Web (WWW): The information system that enables documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet
Worms:
Worms: They are similar to viruses except that instead of having to attach themselves onto something to spread, worms can live on their own and spread through channels like the network
WPA (Wi-fi protected access):
WPA (Wi-fi protected access): Designed as a short-term replacement that would be compatible with older WEP-enabled hardware with a simple firmware update
WPA2 Enterprise:
WPA2 Enterprise: It’s an 802.1x authentication to Wi-Fi networks
WPS (Wifi Protected Setup):
WPS (Wifi Protected Setup): It’s a convenience feature designed to make it easier for clients to join a WPA-PSK protected network
Write permission:
Write permission: A permission that allows you to make changes to a file
X.500 directory:
X.500 directory: The agreed upon directory standard that wa approved in 1988 that includes, DAP, DSP, DISP, DOP, DAP, and LDAP
X.509 standard:
X.509 standard: It is what defines the format of digital certificates, as well as a certificate revocation list or CRL
XTACACS:
XTACACS: It stands for Extended TACACS, which was a Cisco proprietary extension on top of TACACS
Zone Files:
Zone Files: Simple configuration files that declare all resource records for a particular zone
0-Day Vulnerability (Zero Day):
0-Day Vulnerability (Zero Day): A vulnerability that is not known to the software developer or vendor, but is known to an attacker
