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activity Any action a user undertakes.

ad hoc radio frequency network A network created when two RF-capable devices are brought within transmission range of each other. (RF stands for radio frequency.)

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) Protocol used to map known IP addresses to unknown physical addresses.

AD-IDS Anomaly-detection intrusion detection system. An AD-IDS works by looking for deviations from a pattern of normal network traffic.

administrative policies A set of rules that govern administrative usage of a system.

administrator The user who is accountable and responsible for the network.

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) A FIPS publication that specifies a cryptographic algorithm for use by the U.S. government. See also Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS).

adware Software that gathers information to pass on to marketers or intercepts personal data such as credit card numbers and makes them available to third parties.

AES See Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

AES256 An implementation of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) that uses 256-bit encryption.

ALE See annual loss expectancy (ALE).

alert A notification that an unusual condition exists and should be investigated.

algorithm The series of steps/formulas/processes that is followed to arrive at a result.

analyzer The component or process that analyzes the data collected by the sensor.

annual loss expectancy (ALE) A calculation that is used to identify risks and calculate the expected loss each year.

annualized rate of occurrence (ARO) A calculation of how often a threat will occur. For example, a threat that occurs once every five years has an annualized rate of occurrence of 1/5, or 0.2.

anomaly detection The act of looking for variations from normal operations (anomalies) and reacting to them.

anonymous authentication Authentication that doesn’t require a user to provide a username, password, or any other identification before accessing resources.

antivirus A category of software that uses various methods to prevent and eliminate viruses in a computer. It typically also protects against future infection. See also virus.

antivirus engine The core program that runs the virus-scanning process.

antivirus software Software that identifies the presence of a virus and is capable of removing or quarantining the virus.

API See application programming interface (API).

AppleTalk A networking capability included with all Macintosh computers.

appliance A freestanding device that operates in a largely self-contained manner.

Application layer The seventh layer of the Open Systems terconnection (OSI) model. This layer deals with how applications access the network and describes application functionality, such as file transfer, messaging, and so on.

application programming interface (API) An abstract interface to the services and protocols provided by an operating system.

armored virus A virus that is protected in a way that makes disassembling it difficult. The difficulty makes it “armored” against antivirus programs that have trouble getting to, and understanding, its code.

ARO See annualized rate of occurrence (ARO).

ARP See Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).

ARP table The table that the Address Resolution Protocol uses. Contains a list of known TCP/IP addresses and their associated physical addresses. The table is cached in memory so that ARP lookups don’t have to be performed for frequently accessed addresses. See also Media Access Control (MAC).

asset Any resource of value that you want to secure and protect.

asymmetric algorithm An algorithm that utilizes two keys.

asymmetric encryption Encryption in which two keys must be used. One key is used to encrypt data, and the other is needed to decrypt the data. Asymmetric encryption is the opposite of symmetric encryption, where a single key serves both purposes.

attack Any unauthorized intrusion into the normal operations of a computer or computer network. The attack can be carried out to gain access to the system