Acronym Glossary

Security, without the alphabet soup.

Every acronym we use on this site, with what it stands for and what it actually means for you. The same definitions appear wherever you hover an acronym in our text.

Simple. Transparent. Scientific. That’s Sciber.

72 acronyms shown

A

AI

Artificial Intelligence

Software that reasons over data to draft findings a specialist then reviews.

At Sciber, AI is used inside a controlled method: agents triage, correlate and document, and a named specialist owns every decision that reaches you.

Where we use it

API

Application Programming Interface

A defined way for two systems to exchange data automatically.

Integrations between your security tooling and ours are built on APIs, so telemetry, cases and context move without manual export.

APT

Advanced Persistent Threat

A well-resourced attacker that stays hidden in an environment over time.

APT activity is quiet by design. It is found by hunting for behaviour rather than by waiting for an alert.

Where we use it

ASM

Attack Surface Management

Continuously finding everything of yours that is reachable from the internet.

Attack surface management discovers exposed assets, services and shadow IT, then prioritises what an attacker would reach first.

Where we use it

B

BEC

Business Email Compromise

Fraud where an attacker abuses a trusted mailbox to redirect money or data.

BEC rarely involves malware. It relies on a hijacked or spoofed identity and a convincing message, which is why identity signals and email security matter together.

Where we use it

C

CASB

Cloud Access Security Broker

A control point between users and cloud services that enforces policy.

A CASB gives visibility into sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud use and applies data and access rules to it. It is normally delivered as part of a wider SSE platform.

Where we use it

CIS

Center for Internet Security

The organisation behind widely used hardening benchmarks and controls.

CIS benchmarks give concrete, testable configuration baselines, which makes them a practical yardstick in improvement work.

CISO

Chief Information Security Officer

The person accountable for security strategy and risk in an organisation.

Where we use it

CMDB

Configuration Management Database

The register of your assets and how they relate to each other.

A CMDB is only useful when it matches reality. Asset security work compares it against what is actually observed in the environment.

Where we use it

CSIRT

Computer Security Incident Response Team

The team that takes over when an incident needs hands-on containment.

Our CSIRT handles confirmed intrusions end to end: containment, eradication, recovery and a written account of what happened.

Where we use it

CST

Continuous Security Testing

Ongoing offensive testing built into how your applications are developed.

CTEM

Continuous Threat Exposure Management

Working through exposure continuously instead of in yearly cycles.

CTEM ties discovery, validation and remediation into one loop, so the list you act on reflects this week rather than last year's report.

Where we use it

CVE

Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures

The public identifier given to a specific known vulnerability.

A CVE number lets everyone refer to the same flaw. Our advisories use them so you can match findings against your own inventory.

Where we use it

CVSS

Common Vulnerability Scoring System

A 0–10 score for how severe a vulnerability is.

CVSS describes technical severity, not your risk. We pair the score with exposure and exploitation data before deciding urgency.

Where we use it

D

DKIM

DomainKeys Identified Mail

A signature that proves an email really came from your domain.

Where we use it

DLP

Data Loss Prevention

Controls that stop sensitive data leaving where it should not.

Where we use it

DMARC

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance

The policy that tells receivers what to do with mail failing your checks.

DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM. Without it, anyone can send mail that looks like it comes from your domain.

Where we use it

DNS

Domain Name System

The internet's address book, translating names into addresses.

DNS is both an attack path and a rich detection source: malicious infrastructure has to be looked up before it can be reached.

DORA

Digital Operational Resilience Act

EU regulation on operational and cyber resilience for financial entities.

DORA sets requirements for incident reporting, testing and third-party risk across the EU financial sector.

DRP

Digital Risk Protection

Monitoring the open, deep and dark web for threats to your brand, people and data.

E

EASM

External Attack Surface Management

Attack surface management seen strictly from the outside, as an attacker sees it.

Where we use it

EDR

Endpoint Detection and Response

Software on laptops and servers that detects attacks and can isolate the machine.

EDR is the sensor closest to the attacker. It supplies the process and identity detail our investigations depend on.

Where we use it

G

GDPR

General Data Protection Regulation

EU law governing how personal data is handled and protected.

I

IAM

Identity and Access Management

Controlling who can sign in and what they are allowed to reach.

Where we use it

ICS

Industrial Control System

The control systems that operate industrial processes and machinery.

ICS environments prioritise availability and safety, so security has to be introduced without interrupting production.

Where we use it

IEC 62443

IEC 62443 industrial automation security standard

The international standard series for securing industrial automation.

IEC 62443 structures OT security into zones and conduits with defined security levels, which gives segmentation work a recognised frame.

Where we use it

IOC

Indicator of Compromise

A concrete trace — a hash, domain or address — that points to an intrusion.

Where we use it

IPS

Intrusion Prevention System

Network control that detects and blocks known attack patterns in traffic.

Where we use it

IR

Incident Response

The work of containing, eradicating and recovering from a security incident.

Incident response is judged on preparation. We run readiness assessments and exercises so the real event follows a rehearsed path.

Where we use it

ISO 27001

ISO/IEC 27001 information security standard

The international standard for running an information security management system.

ISO 27001 is about governance: documented risk decisions, controls and evidence that they are followed.

IT

Information Technology

The office and business systems side of your environment, as opposed to OT.

ITSM

IT Service Management

The ticketing and workflow system your IT team uses to handle requests and incidents.

K

KQL

Kusto Query Language

The query language used to hunt and detect in Microsoft security data.

Our hunts and detections ship as readable KQL, documented in your playbooks so your own team can run and adapt them.

Where we use it

L

LLM

Large Language Model

The type of AI model that reads and writes natural language.

LLMs are useful for summarising and documenting security work. Which model runs where, and on whose data, is a governance decision.

Where we use it

M

M365

Microsoft

Microsoft's cloud suite for identity, mail, files and collaboration.

M365 holds identity, mail and documents in one place, which makes both its configuration and its security signals central to detection.

Where we use it

MDR

Managed Detection and Response

A 24/7 service that detects, investigates and responds to threats in your environment.

Sciber MDR combines AI SOC agents with named specialists. Every case is investigated with a documented method, and the result is written down in language your board can read. MDR+ adds proactive threat hunting and continuous improvement on top.

Where we use it

MFA

Multi-Factor Authentication

Requiring more than a password to prove who is signing in.

Where we use it

MITRE ATT&CK

MITRE Adversarial Tactics, Techniques and Common Knowledge

A public catalogue of how attackers actually behave, step by step.

We map detections, hunts and test results to ATT&CK so coverage gaps are visible rather than assumed.

Where we use it

MSSP

Managed Security Service Provider

A supplier that operates security tooling on your behalf.

The classic MSSP forwards alerts. An MDR provider owns the investigation and the response, which is the difference we build on.

Where we use it

MTTD

Mean Time To Detect

How long it takes on average before an attack is noticed.

Where we use it

MTTR

Mean Time To Respond

How long it takes on average from detection to containment.

Where we use it

N

NDR

Network Detection and Response

Detecting attacks from network traffic rather than from the endpoint.

Where we use it

NGAV

Next-Generation Antivirus

Endpoint prevention that uses machine learning to stop known and unknown malware.

NIS2

Network and Information Security Directive 2

EU directive raising security and reporting duties for essential sectors.

NIS2 widens both the sectors in scope and management accountability, with short deadlines for incident notification.

NIST

National Institute of Standards and Technology

The US body behind widely used security frameworks.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a common language for describing maturity: identify, protect, detect, respond, recover.

O

OT

Operational Technology

The systems that run physical production — machines, lines and plants.

OT cannot simply be patched or rebooted. Security there starts with visibility and segmentation, and with detection that does not disturb production.

Where we use it

OWASP

Open Worldwide Application Security Project

The community behind the best known list of application security risks.

OWASP methodology underpins how application testing is scoped and reported.

Where we use it

P

PAM

Privileged Access Management

Controlling and recording the accounts that can change everything.

Where we use it

PCI DSS

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

The security requirements that apply when you handle card data.

PII

Personally Identifiable Information

Data that can identify a person, such as a name, email address or ID number.

R

RaaS

Ransomware as a Service

Ransomware sold as a product, with affiliates running the intrusions.

RaaS is why ransomware is so common: the tooling, negotiation and infrastructure are supplied, so the attacker only needs access.

Where we use it

S

SaaS

Software as a Service

Applications delivered over the internet rather than installed by you.

SASE

Secure Access Service Edge

Networking and security delivered together from the cloud.

SASE combines network connectivity with SSE security controls. We focus on the security half and keep it vendor-realistic.

Where we use it

SBOM

Software Bill of Materials

A list of the components a piece of software is built from.

When a component turns out to be vulnerable, an SBOM answers the only question that matters: where do we have it?

SCADA

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

The systems that monitor and control industrial processes centrally.

Where we use it

SDLC

Software Development Life Cycle

The stages software goes through, from design and coding to release and maintenance.

SIEM

Security Information and Event Management

The platform where security logs are collected, searched and alerted on.

A SIEM is only as good as what you send it. Telemetry pipelines decide which data belongs there and which belongs in cheaper storage.

Where we use it

SLA

Service Level Agreement

The response and delivery times we commit to in writing.

SOAR

Security Orchestration, Automation and Response

Automating repeatable response steps across your security tools.

Where we use it

SOC

Security Operations Centre

The team and tooling that watch your environment around the clock.

Our SOC pairs AI agents with Nordic specialists on a continuous shift, so detection, investigation and response happen in one place.

Where we use it

SOC 2

SOC 2 service organisation control report

An audited report on how a service provider handles security and data.

SPF

Sender Policy Framework

A record listing which servers may send mail for your domain.

Where we use it

SSE

Security Service Edge

Cloud-delivered security that protects users wherever they work.

SSE brings secure web access, private application access and cloud data control into one service instead of a stack of appliances.

Where we use it

SSO

Single Sign-On

Signing in once to reach many applications.

SSO concentrates access in one identity. That is good for control and makes that identity a prime target.

Where we use it

SWG

Secure Web Gateway

A filter between users and the web that blocks malicious destinations.

Where we use it

T

TLS

Transport Layer Security

The encryption that protects data while it travels between systems.

TTP

Tactics, Techniques and Procedures

The repeatable behaviour that identifies a particular attacker.

Where we use it

U

UEBA

User and Entity Behaviour Analytics

Detection based on what is unusual for a given user or system.

Where we use it

V

VPN

Virtual Private Network

An encrypted tunnel into a network — historically the default remote access.

A VPN grants broad network access once the tunnel is up, which is exactly what zero trust replaces with per-application access.

Where we use it

W

WAF

Web Application Firewall

A filter in front of web applications that blocks malicious requests.

A WAF can act as a compensating control, shielding a critical vulnerability until it can be patched.

X

XDR

Extended Detection and Response

Detection that correlates endpoint, identity, email and cloud signals together.

XDR gives one case instead of four separate alerts. Our agents work directly inside Microsoft Defender XDR.

Where we use it

Z

ZTNA

Zero Trust Network Access

Giving access to one application at a time, never the whole network.

Where we use it

Missing a term? Tell us and we will add it.

We would rather explain a word twice than have you nod along to it once.