Training & Professional Development

hacker

Historically, a technology enthusiast who does not have malicious intent. Many authors and the media often use the term when they are actually discussing issues relating to crackers or criminal hackers.

halon

A fire-suppressant material that converts to toxic gases at 900 degrees Fahrenheit and depletes the ozone layer of the atmosphere and is therefore usually replaced by an alternative material.

hand geometry

A type of biometric control that recognizes the physical dimensions of a hand. This includes width and length of the palm and fingers. It can be a mechanical or image-edge (in other words, visual silhouette) graphical solution.

handshake

A three-way process utilized by the TCP/IP protocol stack to set up connections between two hosts.

hardware

An actual physical device, such as a hard drive, LAN card, printer, and so on.

hardware security module (HSM)

A cryptoprocessor used to manage/store digital encryption keys, accelerate crypto operations, support faster digital signatures, and improve authentication.

hardware segmentation

A technique that implements process isolation at the hardware level by enforcing memory access constraints.

hash

A number known as a message digest generated from a hash function. Also see hash function.

hash function

The process of taking a full message and generating a unique output value derived from the content of the message. This value is commonly referred to as the message digest.

hash total

A checksum used to verify the integrity of a transmission. See also cyclic redundancy check (CRC).

hash value

A number that is generated from a string of text and that is substantially smaller than the text itself. A formula creates a hash value in such a way that it is extremely unlikely any other text will produce the same hash value.

Hashed Message Authentication Code (HMAC)

An algorithm that implements a partial digital signature-it guarantees the integrity of a message during transmission, but it does not provide for nonrepudiation.

header

Information added by a protocol to the front of a payload received from a higher- layer protocol.

Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH)

In 2009, Congress amended HIPAA by passing the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. This law updated many of HIPAA's privacy and security requirements and was implemented through the HIPAA Omnibus Rule in 2013. One of the changes mandated by the new regulations is a change in the way the law treats business associates (BAs), organizations that handle protected health information (PHI) on behalf of a HIPAA-covered entity. HITECH also introduced new data breach notification requirements.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

A law passed in 1996 that made numerous changes to the laws governing health insurance and health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Among the provisions of HIPAA are privacy regulations requiring strict security measures for hospitals, physicians, insurance companies, and other organizations that process or store private medical information about individuals.

hearsay evidence

Evidence consisting of statements made to a witness by someone else outside of court. Computer log files that are not authenticated by a system administrator can also be considered hearsay evidence.

heart/pulse pattern

An example of a biometric factor, which is a behavioral or physiological characteristic that is unique to a subject. The heart/pulse pattern of a person is used to establish identity or provide authentication.

heuristics-based detection

See behavior-based detection.

hierarchical

A form of MAC environment. Hierarchical environments relate the various classification labels in an ordered structure from low security to medium security to high security. Each level or classification label in the structure is related. Clearance in a level grants the subject access to objects in that level as well as to all objects in all lower levels but prohibits access to all objects in higher levels.

hierarchical data model

A form of database that combines records and fields that are related in a logical tree structure. This is done so that each field can have one child or many or no children but each field can have only a single parent. Therefore, the data mapping relationship is one-to-many.

High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC)

A layer 2 protocol used to transmit data over synchronous communication lines. HDLC is an ISO standard based on IBM's SDLC. HDLC supports full-duplex communications, supports both point-to-point and multipoint connections, offers flow control, and includes error detection and correction.

high-level languages

Programming languages that are not machine languages or assembly languages. These languages are not hardware dependent and are moreProgramming languages that are not machine languages or assembly languages. These languages are not hardware dependent and are more understandable by humans. Such languages must be converted to machine language before or during execution.

High-Speed Serial Interface (HSSI)

A layer 1 protocol used to connect routers and multiplexers to ATM or Frame Relay connection devices.

hijack attack

An attack in which a malicious user is positioned between a client and server and then interrupts the session and takes it over. Often, the malicious userAn attack in which a malicious user is positioned between a client and server and then interrupts the session and takes it over. Often, the malicious user impersonates the client so they can extract data from the server. The server is unaware that any change in the communication partner has occurred.

hoax (aka virus hoax)

A form of social engineering attack that uses the specter of malicious code to trick users into damaging their own system.

honeynet/honeypot

A honeypot is an individual computer created to serve as a snare for intruders. An entire network created for this purpose is known as a honeynet. The honeynet/honeypot looks and acts like a legitimate system, but it is 100 percent fake. Honeynets/honeypots tempt intruders with unpatched and unprotected security vulnerabilities as well as hosting attractive, tantalizing, but faux data. Honeynets/ honeypots are designed to grab an intruder's attention and direct them into the restricted playground while keeping them away from the legitimate network and confidential resources.

host-based IDS (HIDS)

An intrusion detection system (IDS) that is installed on a single computer and can monitor the activities on that computer. A host-based IDS is able to pinpoint the files and processes compromised or employed by a malicious user to perform unauthorized activity.

hostile applet

Any piece of mobile code that attempts to perform unwanted or malicious activities.

hot site

A configuration in which a backup facility is maintained in constant working order, with a full complement of servers, workstations, and communications links ready to assume primary operations responsibilities.

hub

A network device used to connect multiple systems together in a star topology. Hubs repeat inbound traffic over all outbound ports.

hybrid attack

A form of password attack in which a dictionary attack is first attempted and then a type of brute-force attack is performed. The follow-up brute-force attack is used to add prefix or suffix characters to passwords from the dictionary in order to discover one- upped constructed passwords, two-upped constructed passwords, and so on.

hybrid cloud

A mixed deployment of a public and private cloud.

hybrid MAC

A type of MAC environment. A hybrid environment combines the hierarchical and compartmentalized concepts so that each hierarchical level can contain numerous subcompartments that are isolated from the rest of the security domain. A subject must have not only the correct clearance but also the need to know for the specific compartment in order to have access to the compartmentalized object.

hyperlink spoofing

An attack used to redirect traffic to a rogue or imposterAn attack used to redirect traffic to a rogue or imposter system or to simply divert traffic away from its intended destination, often through the malicious alteration of the hyperlink URLs in the HTML code of documents sent to clients.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

The protocol used to transmit web page elementsThe protocol used to transmit web page elements from a web server to web browsers (over the well-known service TCP/UDP port address 80).

Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Sockets Layer (HTTPS)

A standard that uses port 443 to negotiate encrypted communications sessions between web servers and browser clients.