IT Acronym Dictionary
Cybersecurity, Identity, and Risk Management Acronyms

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CISO (Chief Information Security Officer):
The senior leader responsible for cybersecurity strategy, risk management, security operations, and information protection

EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response):
Security technology that monitors endpoints, detects suspicious activity, and supports investigation and response

IAM (Identity and Access Management):
Processes and technologies for managing users, permissions, authentication, and access to systems and data

MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication):
A security control requiring users to verify identity using more than one factor, such as a password plus a mobile approval or token

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management):
A security platform that collects, correlates, and analyzes logs and alerts to detect threats and support incident response

SOC (Security Operations Center):
A team or function responsible for monitoring, detecting, investigating, and responding to cybersecurity threats

SSO (Single Sign-On):
An identity capability that lets users access multiple systems with one authenticated login experience

VPN (Virtual Private Network):
A secure connection method that allows users or locations to access private networks over the internet

WAF (Web Application Firewall):
A security control that protects web applications by filtering and monitoring traffic for malicious activity

XDR (Extended Detection and Response):
A security approach that correlates threat detection and response across endpoints, networks, cloud, identity, and other sources

Zero Trust (Zero Trust Security):
A security model based on continuous verification, least privilege access, and the assumption that no user, device, or network is automatically trusted

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