Security terms starting with C

91 terms

CA (certification authority) An entity responsible for establishing and vouching for the authenticity of public keys belonging to subjects (usually users or computers) or other…
Capture The method of taking a biometric sample from an end user. Source: FIPS 201
Cardholder An individual possessing an issued Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card. Source: FIPS 201
CATS Computer Aided Test System.
CBC/MAC SEE Cipher Block Chaining-Message Authentication Code
CBEFF (Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework) A standard that provides the ability for a system to identify, and interface with, multiple biometric systems, and to exchange data between system…
CCM Counter-Countermeasures.
certificate Digital signature combining data verification and encryption key. See PKI Digital Signature.
Certificate Management Authority (CMA) A Certification Authority (CA) or a Registration Authority (RA).
Certificate Policy (CP) A Certificate Policy is a specialized form of administrative policy tuned to electronic transactions performed during certificate management.
Certificate Status Authority A trusted entity that provides on-line verification to a Relying Party of a subject certificate's trustworthiness, and may also provide additional…
Certificate-Related Information Information, such as a subscriber's postal address, that is not included in a certificate.
Certification Certification means the approval by a certifying official that a labor condition application is complete and does not contain obvious inaccuracies.
Certification Agent The individual, group, or organization responsible for conducting a security certification.
Certification and Accreditation (C&A) A comprehensive assessment of the management, operational, and technical security controls in an information system, made in support of security…
Certification Authority Facility The collection of equipment, personnel, procedures and structures that are used by a Certification Authority to perform certificate issuance and…
Certification Practice Statement (CPS) A statement of the practices that a Certification Authority employs in issuing, suspending, revoking and renewing certificates and providing access to…
Chain of Custody A process used to maintain and document the chronological history of electronic evidence.
Challenge Response A method used to confirm the presence of a person by eliciting direct responses from the individual. Responses can be either voluntary or involuntary.
Challenge-Response Protocol An authentication protocol where the verifier sends the claimant a challenge (usually a random value or a nonce) that the claimant combines with a shared…
Chief Information Officer (CIO) Agency official responsible for: 1) Providing advice and other assistance to the head of the executive agency and other senior management personnel of the…
Chief Information Security Officer SEE Senior Agency Information Security Officer.
Cipher Series of transformations that converts plaintext to ciphertext using the Cipher Key.
Cipher Block Chaining-Message Authentication Code (CBC-MAC) A secret-key block-cipher algorithm used to encrypt data and to generate a Message Authentication Code (MAC) to provide assurance that the payload and the…
Cipher Key Secret, cryptographic key that is used by the Key Expansion routine to generate a set of Round Keys; can be pictured as a rectangular array of bytes…
Cipher Suite Negotiated algorithm identifiers. Cipher suites are identified in human readable form using a pneumonic code.
Ciphertext Unintelligible text or signals produced through the use of cipher systems.
Claim of identity A statement that a person is or is not the source of a reference in a database.
Claimant A person who makes an insurance claim.
Classified Information Information that has been determined pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13292 or any predecessor order to require protection against unauthorized…
Client (Application) A system entity, usually a computer process acting on behalf of a human user, that makes use of a service provided by a server.
Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 Also known as Information Technology Management Reform Act. A statute that substantially revised the way that IT resources are managed and procured…
Closed-set Identification A biometric task where an unidentified individual is known to be in the database and the system attempts to determine his/her identity.
Cold Site An alternative facility that is void of any resources or equipment and that can be used as a backup site for disaster recovery See also hot site and warm…
Collision This benefit pays to repair damage to your car as a result of an accident. Most banks or lenders require you to buy this coverage to receive a car loan.
Common Security Control Security control that can be applied to one or more agency information systems and has the following properties: 1) the development, implementation, and…
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) A dictionary of common names for publicly known IT system vulnerabilities.
Comparison The process of comparing a biometric with a previously stored reference template or templates.
Compensating Controls The management, operational, and technical controls (i.e., safeguards or countermeasures) employed by an organization in lieu of the recommended controls…
Compensating Security Controls The management, operational, and technical controls (i.e., safeguards or countermeasures) employed by an organization in lieu of the recommended controls…
Compromise Disclosure of information to unauthorized persons, or a violation of the security policy of a system in which unauthorized intentional or unintentional…
Computer Forensics Computer Forensics (in the context of this document, forensic analysis) is the use of specialized techniques for recovery, authentication and analysis of…
Computer Security Incident A violation or imminent threat of violation of computer security policies, acceptable use policies, or standard computer security practices.
Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) A capability set up for the purpose of assisting in responding to computer security-related incidents; also called a Computer Incident Response Team…
Computer Security Object (CSO) A resource, tool, or mechanism used to maintain a condition of security in a computerized environment.
Computer Security Objects Register A collection of Computer Security Object names and definitions kept by a registration authority.
Computer Virus A computer virus is similar to a Trojan horse because it is a program that contains hidden code, which usually performs some unwanted function as a side…
Confidentiality In genetics, the expectation that genetic material and the information gained from testing that material will not be available without the donor's consent.
Configuration Control One of the Configuration Management tasks that involves the systematic evaluation, coordination, approval, or disapproval of proposed changes to the…
Contingency Plan Management policy and procedures designed to maintain or restore business operations, including computer operations, possibly at an alternate location, in…
Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) A predetermined set of instructions or procedures that describe how an organizations essential functions will be sustained for up to 30 days as a result…
Continuity of Support Plan The documentation of a predetermined set of instructions or procedures mandated by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) A-130 that describe how to…
Control Information Information that is entered into a cryptographic module for the purposes of directing the operation of the module.
Controlled Interface Mechanism that facilitates the adjudication of different interconnected system security policies (e.g.
Cookie A message given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message in a text file.
Cooperative User An individual that willingly provides his/her biometric to the biometric system for capture.
Core Point The "center(s)" of a fingerprint. In a whorl pattern, the core point is found in the middle of the spiral/circles.
Counter with Cipher Block Chaining-Message Authentication Code (CCM) A mode of operation for a symmetric key block cipher algorithm. It combines the techniques of the Counter (CTR) mode and the Cipher Block Chaining-Message…
Countermeasures Actions, devices, procedures, techniques, or other measures that reduce the vulnerability of an information system.
Covert An instance in which biometric samples are being collected at a location that is not known to bystanders.
Cracking (also Crackers) Discovering passwords by various methods; more generally gaining unauthorized access to secured computers or data.
credential Detailed information, which is acquired during authentication, that describes the user, any group associations, and other security-related identity…
Credentials Service Provider (CSP) A trusted entity that issues or registers subscriber tokens and issues electronic credentials to subscribers.
Critical Security Parameter Security-related information (e.g., secret and private cryptographic keys, and authentication data such as passwords and Personal Identification Numbers…
Criticality Level Refers to the (consequences of) incorrect behavior of a system. The more serious the expected direct and indirect effects of incorrect behavior, the…
CRL (Certificate Revocation List) A list of Internet certificates that have been revoked. CRLs are issued regularly by Internet certifiers.
Cross-Certificate Domino uses two types of cross-certificates: Notes and Internet. Notes cross-certificates allow users in different hierarchically certified organizations…
Crossover Error Rate (CER) See equal error rate (EER).
Cryptanalysis 1) Operations performed in defeating cryptographic protection without an initial knowledge of the key employed in providing the protection.
Crypto Officer An operator or process (subject), acting on behalf of the operator, performing cryptographic initialization or management functions.
Cryptographic Algorithm A mathematical function used for encryption and decryption. Most cryptographic algorithms are based on a substitution cipher, a transposition cipher, or a…
Cryptographic Boundary An explicitly defined continuous perimeter that establishes the physical bounds of a cryptographic module and contains all the hardware, software, and/or…
Cryptographic Hash Function A function that maps a bit string of arbitrary length to a fixed length bit string.
Cryptographic Key A value used to control cryptographic operations, such as decryption, encryption, signature generation or signature verification.
Cryptographic Module The set of hardware, software, firmware, or some combination thereof that implements cryptographic logic or processes, including cryptographic algorithms…
Cryptographic Module Security Policy A precise specification of the security rules under which a cryptographic module will operate, including the rules derived from the requirements of this…
Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) Validates cryptographic modules to Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 and other cryptography based standards.
Cryptographic Strength A measure of the expected number of operations required to defeat a cryptographic mechanism.
Cryptographic Token A token where the secret is a cryptographic key.
Cryptography Technique to scramble data to preserve confidentiality or authenticity.
Cryptology The science that deals with hidden, disguised, or encrypted communications. It includes communications security and communications intelligence.
Cryptoperiod Time span during which each key setting remains in effect.
Cumulative Match Characteristic (CMC) A method of showing measured accuracy performance of a biometric system operating in the closed-set identification task.
CVE SEE Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures.
Cyber Command The U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy run independent centers to protect assets and track attacks, including those by foreign governments and entities.
Cyber Crime Computer crime, or cybercrime, refers to any crime that involves a computer and/or a network, where the computers may or may not have played an…
Cyber warfare Using computers and the Internet to attack others via their computer systems. Targets may include military computer networks, power grids, banks, and…
Cyber warriors Military specialists, law enforcement officials, computer forensics experts and civil engineers who defend national and economic security assets.
Cybersecurity Measures taken to protect computers or critical infrastructure, although some experts suggest that it is about protecting everything of value.
Cyberspace An environment in which digitized information is distributed on networks of computers.
Cyclical Redundancy Check (CRC) A method to ensure data has not been altered after being sent through a communication channel.