Glossary of Cyber Security Terms

Network Address Translation (NAT)

Network Address Translation is the digital equivalent of a private-party guest list. It allows a larger number of hosts, assigned private IP addresses, to share one or a few publicly routable IP addresses. It's about translating private IP addresses into public ones when accessing the wider internet.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

NIST, or the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is like the gold standard for measurements. This US Commerce Department unit sets and upholds measurement standards, ensuring accuracy and consistency in the world of tech.

Natural Disaster

Natural disasters are acts of nature, like fires, floods, earthquakes, lightning, or wind, that can knock out system components, leading to potential data loss and system downtime.

Netmask

A netmask is a 32-bit number that denotes the range of IP addresses residing on a single IP network, subnet, or supernet. It's like the postal code for a neighborhood of IP addresses.

Network Access Control (NAC)

NAC is like a bouncer for a network, limiting network resource availability to endpoint devices that adhere to a defined security policy.

Network Mapping

Network mapping is the digital equivalent of taking inventory, compiling a record of systems and services on your network for a complete and up-to-date understanding of your digital environment.

Network Taps

Network taps are the CCTV cameras of the digital world. They are hardware devices that hook directly onto the network cable and send a copy of all passing traffic to one or more networked devices.

Network-Based IDS

A network-based IDS is the watchdog of your network segment, monitoring its traffic for signs of malicious activity. It captures all network traffic that crosses its network segment, often by setting the network interface card in promiscuous mode.

Non-Printable Character

Non-printable characters are the mimes of the digital world. They represent actions or commands rather than traditional characters. Examples include Linefeed (ASCII code 10 decimal), Carriage Return (13 decimal), and bell sound (7 decimal).

Non-Repudiation

Non-repudiation is the digital proof of a sender's identity. It's a system's ability to verify that a specific user sent a message, and that the message hasn't been altered.

Null Session

A null session, or Anonymous Logon, is like a window into a network that allows an anonymous user to fetch information, such as usernames and shares, or connect without authentication.

NX Bit

The No eXecute (NX) bit is a technological sentinel within CPUs, segregating memory areas for specific use — either for code storage or data storage. It's a feature often used to help guard against damage from malicious software.

Nmap

Nmap is a versatile open-source tool for network exploration and security auditing. Like a Swiss Army knife for network administrators, it uses raw IP packets in novel ways to determine network host availability, the services they offer, operating systems in use, firewall types, and many other characteristics.