Cybersecurity Glossary

Authentication is the process of proving an individual's claimed identity. It involves providing one or more authentication factors, such as something you know, something you have, or something you are.

Authorization is the process of determining what authenticated users are allowed to do within a computer system. There are three predominant forms of authorization: DAC, MAC, and RBAC. DAC uses ACL to manage access, MAC uses labels of classification or clearance, and RBAC uses labels of a job role.

BCP or Business Continuity Management is a plan used to prevent the failure of important business processes during a breach or accident. Its goal is to stabilize core business tasks and return the environment back to normal conditions. BCP is implemented when the security policy fails to prevent harm but before it reaches the level of fully interrupting mission-critical processes that would trigger the Disaster Recovery Process (DRP).

A BYOD policy outlines rules for using personal devices on company property and connecting them to the company network. It typically restricts access to sensitive network resources and addresses concerns such as data ownership, security, and legal issues.

Creating regular backups of data is crucial for data loss prevention. Backups can be stored on different types of media, such as physical storage devices or cloud solutions, and should be kept offsite to ensure disaster recovery. The 3-2-1 rule is a common strategy that involves creating three copies of data (the original and 2 backups) on 2 different types of media, and storing them offsite. Onsite backups can also be retained for minor issues.