M
MaaS - Malware-as-a-Service (Malware delivery model involving a malicious code developer who writes and sells or rents code to hackers, on the dark web. MaaS can involve varying levels of sophistication, including user-friendly dashboards along with instructions, and customized malware for targeting specific types of organizations or delivery of different types of attacks, such as Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks.)
MAC - mandatory access control (Access model/framework which allows only users meeting specific, assigned criteria access - considered the most secure model, and is used by the U.S. military and federal government to protect classified data. Enforced by the use of a trusted computer base (TCB), a protected area of the operating system.)
MAC - media access control (Permanent hardware address identifier burned into a network interface card (NIC) when it is manufactured.)
MAC - Message Authentication Code (A message authentication and integrity verification mechanism which uses a certain value produced by an encrypted message, but unrelated to the encryption, such as message length or a hash value (unique random identifier produced from processing) which indicates that a message has or has not been changed.)
MAE - Mission Assurance Engineering (Analytical approach to system or cyber defense design and development intended to anticipate possible problems and incorporate solutions into the final product.)
MAID - massive array of idle (inactive) disks (Storage method for medium-scale storage using arrays of rack-mounted disks. Better suited to situations where fewer drives need to be active at any one time. Inactive disks can be powered down and the drive with the needed data is only powered up when data is needed, then powered down after the data has been accessed and transferred. (Appears to be more of a proposal, or in a development stage.))
MAN - metropolitan area network (A network which interconnec ts locations scattered throughout a metropolitan area or large city.)
MARS - Monitoring, Analysis and Response System (Cisco Systems early generation of security information and event management (SIEM) products, which promised to detect network threats and intrusions, as well as providing a faster (real-time) method of analyzing large volumes of log information (monitoring data recorded or logged by the system).)
MAU - media access unit (multistation access unit) (A device which serves a collection of computers connected to the MAU, as in a star or ring topology (method of communication).)
MAU - multistation access unit (media access unit) (A device which serves a collection of computers connected to the MAU, as in a star or ring topology (method of communication).)
MDM - Mobile Device Management (Security platform used to secure mobile devices. MDM usually involves one of two approaches: 1) Sandbox - mobile devices mobile devices can only access systems through an isolated environment which limits access; or 2) Endpoint management, which involves the installation of an agent on the mobile device, which controls applications. )
MDR - managed detection and response (A third party service provider focused on providing threat detection, incident response, and continuous monitoring.)
MEF - Mission Essential Function (In the governmental arena, functions or services that are considered vital or central to an organization's purpose and therefore require uninterrupted operation.)
MFA - Multi-Factor Authentication (A process which requires a user to confirm their identity through the use of two or more authentication factors (methods), such as a password (something you know), a smart ID card (something you have), or a thumbprint or iris scan (something you are, in the biometrics area).)
MGCP - Media Gateway Control Protocol (Used as a call control and communication protocol for Voice over IP (VoIP).)
MIB - Management Information Base (A logical grouping of managed "objects" that contain data used for specific management tasks and status checks. An object is a passive entity that containns information or needed functionality. An object can be a computer, database, file, computer program, directory, or field contained in a table within a database.)
MIB - Management Information Database (A database, called a Management Information Base, which stores information to be available for use by a device or program.)
MIME - Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (A technical specification indicating how multimedia data, such as an audio clip or graphic, and e-mail binary attachments, are to be transferred,)
MIMO - multiple input, multiple output (Wireless standard requiring the use of two receive and two transmit antennas to broadcast.)
MitB - Man-in-the-Browser attack (Eavesdropping attack at the application level or at the browser level. This is in contrast to Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks which occur at the network level.)
MitM - Man-in-the-Middle attack (Attack in which a third-party surreptitiously inserts himself or herself into a network conversation between two hosts, covertly intercepts traffic, gathers information, such as logon passwords, and pretending to be the intended recipient or sender, relays information back-and-forth between the client and the server.)
MITRE - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research and Engineering (Said not to be an acronym, but seems to be a close coincidence. Nonprofit organization founded in 1958 to conduct research and development projects for various government agencies. Developed the ATT&CK (Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge) framework for analyzing cybersecurity attacks and improving defense strategies.)
MO - modus operandi (Mode of operating or method of working. A method of operation, repetitive signature behaviors, or patterns of activity, favored by attackers or computer criminals, such as the use of specific hacking tools or types of organizations attacked, which can be used by investigators or analysts, to identify attackers or the source of attack.)
MOC - mission operations center (A place or location where many people of different skills and focus sets come together for a single purpose or event, such as a NASA space shuttle launch. Normally might be disbanded or left with only a core crew to maintain ongoing operations, once the event is over or the mission accomplished.)
MOD - Ministry of Defence (British ministry with responsibility for national defence, military matters, and oversight of the armed services.)
MODAF - Ministry of Defence Architecture Framework (Enterprise architecture framework developed by the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) intended to integrate different systems into a single system capable of understanding different data formats and communicating information quickly across multiple system components. While originally developed to support military missions, has served as a framework for general business enterprise environments.)
MOM - message-oriented middleware (Type of technology used in a distributed environment which provides interprocess communication (communication involving different processes within one application or between different applications on the same computer system.))
MOU - memorandum of understanding (A document, often used within a large business or government agency, where a legal contract is not necessary or appropriate, such as where both parties work for the same overall organization, which outlines or details the terms of an agreement. The MOU would document the purpose of the agreement, the services to be provided, the responsibilities of each party, and guidelines relating to performance.)
MPLS - Multiprotocol Label Switching (Networking technology which allows for setting transmission priorities, such as meeting level of service (Quality of Service) (QoS) requirements for time-sensitive traffic, such as video conferencing, where the labeling (destination and priority instructions) can be included in a "tag," or attachment which can be appended to a packet, and later removed. The "switching," in essence, relates to the temporary switching between normal transmission and higher priority transmission.)
MPPE - Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (Microsoft technology which encrypts traffic payloads traveling between points using Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). PPP involves a connection between one device (point) and another device (point).)
MPTD - maximum period time of disruption (The total amount of time an organization can be without the department or business function before irreparable harm is done to the organization or the point after which the survivability of the business is in question. May be referred to as maximum tolerable downtime (MTD) or maximum tolerable period of disruption (MTPoD).)
MQV - Menezes-Qu-Vanstone (Authentication key agreement cryptography function involving the exchange of user public keys to create session keys.)
MS-CHAP - Microsoft Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (Microsoft-enhanced version of CHAP, a version of the three-way handshake, which involves a challenge message to the user or host, who inputs their password, which is hashed by the system, forwarded by the host to the authentication server, which compares the value to its own hashed value and authenticates the user if the hashed values match. Similar to the three-way handshake used in the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), using the SYN/ACK flags to authenticate hosts and establish connections beginning communication sessions.)
MSL - Master Station Log (The official event log, or narrative record maintained by a Security Operations Center (SOC) or security staff to document and communicate significant system events. The MSL can be maintained in different formats, such as a manual entry log, text format, a workgroup-based website, or a formal software application installed on a server. (Sometimes referred to as an analyst log.))
MSP - managed security provider (Term used to refer to a contractor or contracted services to provide security services.)
MSP - managed services provider (A third-party company that delivers IT services to customers on a subscription basis.)
MSS - managed security services (Seurity services offered by a third-party contractor on an outsourced basis.)
MSSP - Managed Security Service Provider (Third-party company which manages/provides security services, such as monitoring and managing security devices and systems on behalf of their customers, normally on a subscription basis.)
MTBF - mean time between failures (A numerical estimate for a piece of hardware or equipment that indicates how much time will likely pass between major failures of that hardware or equipment.)
MTD - Maximum Tolerable Downtime (The total amount of time an organization can be without the department or business function before irreparable harm is done to the organization or the point after which the survivability of the business is in question. May be referred to as maximum period time of disruption (MPTD) or maximum tolerable period of disruption (MTPoD).)
MTIPS - Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Services (Federal program intended to consolidate network services and reduce vulnerabilities.)
MTPoD - maximum tolerable period of disruption (same as maximum tolerable downtime) (The total amount of time an organization can be without the department or business function before irreparable harm is done to the organization.)
MTTF - mean time to failure (A numerical estimate for a piece of hardware or equipment that indicates the length of time the hardware or equipment is expected to last in operation before it needs to be replaced.)
MTTR - mean time to recovery (A numerical estimate for a piece of hardware or equipment, which indicates the likely time between the time a component fails, and the time it can be recovered, either through repair or replacement.)
MTTR - Mean Time to Repair (The expected amount of time it will take to get a device fixed and back into production after its failure.)
MTU - maximum transmission unit (In the area of network communications, a parameter (limit) that indicates how much data a frame/packet can carry on a specific network. An MTU will vary in size, depending on the configuration and carrying capacity of the Internet Protocol (IP) version.)
MX record - Mail Exchange record (A record type within a Domain Name System (DNS) which maps a domain name to an e-mail (or message transfer agent) server for that domain.)