September 02, 2021 6m read

26 Cybersecurity Acronyms and Abbreviations You Should Get to Know

Eyal Webber Zvik
Eyal Webber Zvik
26 Cybersecurity Acronyms and Abbreviations You Should Get to Know

Table of Contents

Wondering where to begin your SASE journey?

We've got you covered!
Listen to post:
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

We’ve all heard of AV and VPN, but there are many more cybersecurity-related acronyms and abbreviations that are worth taking note of. We gathered a list of the key acronyms to help you keep up with the constantly evolving cybersecurity landscape.

SASE

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a cloud-based solution that converges network and security functionalities. SASE’s built-in SD-WAN functionality offers network optimization, while the integrated security stack – including Next Generation Firewall (NGFW), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and more – secures traffic over the corporate WAN. According to Gartner (that coined the term), SASE is “the future of network security.”

Cato SSE 360 | Get the White Paper

CASB

Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) sits between cloud applications and users. It monitors all interactions with cloud-based applications and enforces corporate security policies. As cloud adoption grows, CASB (which is natively integrated into SASE solutions) becomes an essential component of a corporate security policy.

ZTNA

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), also called a software-defined perimeter (SDP), is an alternative to Virtual Private Network (VPN) for secure remote access. Unlike VPN, ZTNA provides access to corporate resources on a case-by-case basis in compliance with zero trust security policies. ZTNA can be deployed as part of a SASE solution to support the remote workforce of the modern distributed enterprise.

SDP

Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) is another name for ZTNA. It is a secure remote access solution that enforces zero trust principles, unlike legacy remote access solutions.

ZTE

Zero Trust Edge (ZTE) is Forrester’s version of SASE and uses ZTNA to provide a more secure Internet on-ramp for remote sites and workers. A ZTE model is best implemented with SASE, which distributes security functionality at the network edge and enforce zero trust principles across the corporate WAN.

DPI

Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) involves looking at the contents of network packets rather than just their headers. This capability is essential to detecting cyberattacks that occur at the application layer. SASE solutions use DPI to support its integrated security functions.

NGFW

Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) uses deep packet inspection to perform Layer 7 application traffic analysis and intrusion detection. NGFW also has the ability to consume threat intelligence to make informed threat decisions and may include other advanced features beyond those of the port/protocol inspection of the traditional firewall.

FWaaS

Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) delivers the capabilities of NGFW as a cloud-based service. FWaaS is one of the foundational security capabilities of a SASE solution.

IPS

Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is designed to detect and block attempted attacks against a network or system. In addition to generating alerts, like an intrusion detection system (IDS) would, an IPS can update firewall rules or take other actions to block malicious traffic.

SWG

Secure Web Gateway (SWG) is designed to protect against Internet-borne threats such as phishing or malware and enforce corporate policies for Internet surfing. SWG is a built-in capability of a SASE solution, providing secure browsing to all enterprise employees.

NG-AM

Next Generation Anti-Malware (NG-AM) uses advanced techniques, such as machine learning and anomaly detection to identify potential malware. This allows detecting modern malware, which is designed to evade traditional, signature-based detection schemes.

UTM

Unified Threat Management (UTM) is a term for security solutions that provide a number of different network security functions. SASE delivers all network security needs from a cloud service, eliminating the hassle of dealing with appliance life-cycle management of UTM.

DLP

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions are designed to identify and respond to attempted data exfiltration, whether intentional or accidental. The deep network visibility of SASE enables providing DLP capabilities across the entire corporate WAN.

WAF

Web Application Firewall (WAF) monitors and filters traffic to web applications to block attempted exploitation or abuse of web applications. SASE includes WAF functionality to protect web applications both in on-premises data centers and cloud deployments.

SIEM

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) collects, aggregates, and analyzes data from security appliances to provide contextual data and alerts to security teams. This functionality is necessary for legacy security deployments relying on an array of standalone solutions rather than a converged network security infrastructure (i.e. SASE).

SOC

Security Operations Center (SOC) is responsible for protecting enterprises against cyberattacks. Security analysts investigate alerts to determine if they are real incidents, and, if so, perform incident response and remediation.

MDR

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is a managed security service model that provides ongoing threat detection and response by using AI and machine learning to investigate, alert, and contain threats. When MDR is incorporated into a SASE solution, SOC teams have immediate, full visibility into all traffic, eliminating the need for additional network probes or software agents.

TLS

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a network protocol that wraps traffic in a layer of encryption and provides authentication of the server to the client. TLS is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS for web browsing.

SSL

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a predecessor to TLS. Often, the protocol is referred to as SSL/TLS.

TI

Threat Intelligence (TI) is information designed to help with detecting and preventing cyberattacks. TI can include malware signatures, known-bad IP addresses and domain names, and information about current cyberattack campaigns.

CVE

Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure (CVE) is a list of publicly disclosed computer security flaws. . Authorities like MITRE will assign a CVE to a newly-discovered vulnerability to make it easier to track and collate information about vulnerabilities across multiple sources that might otherwise name and describe it in different ways.

APT

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is a sophisticated cyber threat actor typically funded by nation-states or organized crime. These actors get their name from the fact that they have the resources and capabilities required to pose a sustained threat to enterprise cybersecurity.

DDoS

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks involve multiple compromised systems sending spam requests to a target service. The objective of these attacks is to overwhelm the target system, leaving it unable to respond to legitimate user requests.

XDR

Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is a cloud-based solution that integrates multiple different security functions to provide more comprehensive and cohesive protection against cyber threats. It delivers proactive protection against attacks by identifying and blocking advanced and stealthy cyberattacks.

SSE

Security Service Edge (SSE) moves security functionality from the network perimeter to the network edge. This is the underlying principle behind SASE solutions.

IoC

Indicators of Compromise (IoC) is data that can be used to determine if a system has been compromised by a cyberattack such as malware signatures or known-based IP addresses or domains. IOCs are commonly distributed as part of a threat intelligence feed.

 

Related Topics

Wondering where to begin your SASE journey?

We've got you covered!
Eyal Webber Zvik

Eyal Webber Zvik

Eyal Webber-Zvik is Cato’s Vice President of Product Marketing. In his role, Eyal manages a global team of product marketing directors that are tasked driving the company's messaging, position, press and media relations, and more. Previously, Eyal ran Cato's product management organization, translating Cato's SASE vision into a global, successful cloud service. Throughout his years at Cato Networks, Eyal has been involved in dozens of SASE projects across various enterprises and markets. Eyal has more than 20 years of ICT experience in engineering, product management and product marketing.

Read More