Computer/System Terms - M
machine-to-machine (M2M) -
Macintosh (Mac) - (Nickname for the Apple Macintosh personal computer.)
Macintosh operating system (macOS) - (UNIX-based operating system used on Apple Macintosh computers since 2002.)
magneto-resistive/resistant (MR) - (read/write head design)
mail exchange (MX) -
Mail Exchange record (MX 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.)
Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) - (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.)
Man-in-the-Browser attack (MitB) - (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.)
Man-in-the-Middle attack (MitM) - (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.)
managed detection and response (MDR) - (A third party service provider focused on providing threat detection, incident response, and continuous monitoring.)
managed security provider (MSP) - (Term used to refer to a contractor, or contracted services, engaged to provide security services.)
managed security services (MSS) - (Seurity services offered by a third-party contractor on an outsourced basis.)
Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) - (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.)
managed services provider (MSP) - (A third-party company that delivers IT services to customers on a subscription basis.)
Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Services (MTIPS) - (Federal program intended to consolidate network services and reduce vulnerabilities.)
Management Information Base (MIB) - (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.)
Management Information Database (MIB) - (A database, called a Management Information Base, which stores information to be available for use by a device or program.)
management information systems (MIS) -
mandatory access control (MAC) - (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.)
Mandatory Integrity Control (MIC) - (Windows process control)
manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) -
massive array of idle (inactive) disks (MAID) - (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.))
massive multiplayer online (MMO) - (gaming software)
massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) - (gaming software)
Massively Multiplayer Online Real-Time Strategy (MMORTS) - (online games)
master boot record (MBR) - (A program software routine embedded in the ROM BIOS (read-only memory basic input/output system) motherboard chip (or chips) which contains instructions for booting (starting) the startup programs and drivers to get the system running.)
Master Station Log (MSL) - (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.))
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) - (chemical safety)
Mathematics Markup Language (MathML) - (An extension of HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) designed to facilitate the display of mathematical expressions.)
matrix math extensions (MMX) - (video improvement add-on)
maximum period time of disruption (MPTD) - (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).)
Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD) - (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).)
maximum tolerable period of disruption (MTPoD) - (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.)
maximum transmission unit (MTU) - (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.)
mean time between failures (MTBF) - (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.)
mean time to failure (MTTF) - (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.)
mean time to recovery (MTTR) - (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.)
Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) - (The expected amount of time it will take to get a device fixed and back into production after its failure.)
mebibyte (MiB) - (1,048,576 bytes = 1,024 kilobytes)
media access control (MAC) - (Permanent hardware address identifier burned into a network interface card (NIC) when it is manufactured.)
Media Access Control address (MAC address) - (A unique physical hardware address burned into the ROM chips on the network interface card (NIC) by the manufacturer when the chips are produced. The MAC address identifies the manufacturer and the unique serial number assigned to the chip.)
media access unit (MAU) - (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).)
Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) - (Used as a call control and communication protocol for Voice over IP (VoIP).)
Megabits per second (Mbps) - (Measure of data transfer speed, roughly a million bits per second.)
megabyte (million bytes) (meg) (MB) - (Unit of computer memory, although it is used in two different contexts. For a computer's internal RAM and solid state storage devices, such as USB memory sticks, a kilobyte is 1024 bytes (a byte is 8 bits, usually enough to form a character) or 2(10) (2 to the power of 10), usually expressed in terms of a megabyte (MB), or 1,024 kilobytes, which is 2(20) or (1024X1024) or 1,048,576 bytes. When dealing with hard disk storage capacity, expressed in megabytes, calculated as 2(30) or (1024X1024X1024) which comes out to 1,073,741,824 bytes.)
Megabytes per second (MBps) - (Measure of data transfer speed, roughly a million bytes per second.)
megahertz (MHz) - (million hertz - million cycles per second) (computer clock speed)
mega-octet (MO) - (megabyte - French)
megapixel (MP) - (one million pixels)
memorandum of understanding (MOU) - (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.)
Memory Controller Hub (or I/O Hub (IOB)) (MCH) - (Name used by Intel hub architectures for motherboard chipsets manuufactured beginning in 1999, replacing the North Bridge chip.)
memory manager (MM) - (system architecture)
Menezes-Qu-Vanstone (MQV) - (Authentication key agreement cryptography function involving the exchange of user public keys to create session keys.)
Message Authentication Code (MAC) - (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.)
Message Authentication Code Security standard (MACSec) - (Standard, formalized as IEEE 802.1AE, which provides standards for data encryption functions for session keys to ensure encryption, integrity, and origin authentication functionality. MAC is the 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.)
message digest (MD) - (hashing algorithm)
Message Digest 4 (MD4) - (hashing algorithm)
Message Digest 5 (MD5) - (hashing algorithm)
message integrity code (MIC) - (hashing algorithm)
message-oriented middleware (MOM) - (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).)
Metal-as-a-Service (MaaS) - (Unique Ubuntu Linux term for high-performance computing services.)
Metal-In-Gap (MIG) - (composite heads)
metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) - (semiconductor composition)
metal oxide varistor (MOV) - (surge protection)
metropolitan (or municipal) area network (MAN) - (A network which interconnects locations scattered throughout a metropolitan area or large city.)
MicroChannel Architecture (MCA) - (Type of I/O (input/output) bus developed by IBM, but phased out in 1996.)
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems, Inc. (MITS, Inc.) - (former company)
micro secure digital card (microSD) -
Microsoft (MS) - (company)
Microsoft Certified Software Engineer (MCSE) - (certification)
Microsoft Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (MS-CHAP) - (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.)
Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) -
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) - (Windows utility)
Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE) - (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).)
milliampere (mA) - (1/1000 of an ampere)
milliampere-hour (mAH) - (A unit of battery capacity - 1/1000 of an ampere-hour - 1 ampere for 1 hour)
Million Instructions Per Second (MIPS) - (computer program speed)
Million transfers per second (MTps) - (computer speed)
millisecond (ms) - (one thousandth of a second)
Mini-SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) (mSATA) - (small SSD (solid-state drives) )
Ministry of Defence (MOD) - (British ministry with responsibility for national defence, military matters, and oversight of the armed services.)
Ministry of Defence Architecture Framework (MODAF) - (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.)
mint in box (MIB) - (sale item description)
Mission Assurance Engineering (MAE) - (Analytical approach to system or cyber defense design and development intended to anticipate possible problems and incorporate solutions into the final product.)
Mission Essential Function (MEF) - (In the governmental arena, functions or services that are considered vital or central to an organization's purpose and therefore require uninterrupted operation.)
mission operations center (MOC) - (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.)
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.)
Mobile Application Part (MAP) - (Function supporting Short Message Service (SMS) "texting" on mobile devices within the SS7 (Signaling System No. 7) protocol. SS7 is a set of telephony signaling protocols developed in 1975, used to set up and tear down telephone calls in most parts of the worldwide public switched telephone network.)
mobile country code (MCC) - (First three digits of the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number, the number used to uniquely identify a mobile phone, which identify the country.)
Mobile Device Management (MDM) - (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. )
Mobile Node (MN) - (mobile network addressing)
mobile subscription identifier number (MSIN) - (phone network identification)
Mobile Switching Center (MSC) - (Switching network for cell phones, particularly in 3G (3rd Generation) or in Globl System for Mobile Communications (GSM), commonly referred to as 2G. The MSC processes all the connections from both mobile devices and landline calls.)
modification (mod) -
Modified Frequency Modulation (MFM) - (disk recording)
modulator-demodulator (modem) - (tranmission device)
modus operandi (MO) - (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.)
Monitoring, Analysis and Response System (MARS) - (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).)
Monitoring-as-a-Service (MaaS) - (Service providing continuous tracking of the status and operation of online services used by an organization, such as systems, instances, networks, and applications.)
most recently used (MRU) -
Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) - (audio/video compression standard)
Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG), Layer 3 (MP3) - (music file compression format)
move (MOV) - (Assembly language instruction)
multichip module (MCM) - (Physical processor design structure used by Intel in its Pentium Pro processor chips introduced in 1995, containing the Pentium Pro processor in one side and a momory cache in the other side.)
multidomain vertical alignment (MVA) - (computer screens)
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) - (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).)
Multi-Function Printer (MFP) -
multilevel cell (MLC) - (flash-based SSD (solid state drive))
MultiMediaCard (MMC) - (low voltage flash memory)
MultiMediaCard Association (MMCA) -
Multimedia Devices Application Programming Interface (MMDevice API) - (audio endpoint devices)
multimedia extensions (MMX) - (microprocessor instructions)
multimedia extensions Streaming SIMD (single instruction, multiple data) Extensions (MMX/SSE) - (math coprocessor)
Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) - (texting and pictures)
multimedia personal computer (MPC) - (CD, sound, graphics capabilities)
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) - (computer games)
multiple document interface (MDI) - (Windows file editing)
multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) - (Wireless standard requiring the use of two receive and two transmit antennas to broadcast.)
Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS) - (mainframe operating system)
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) - (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.)
multipurpose input/output (MIO) - (graphics display device)
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) - (A technical specification indicating how multimedia data, such as an audio clip or graphic, and e-mail binary attachments, are to be transferred,)
multistation access unit (MAU) (MSAU) - (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).)
multi-user domain/dimension (MUD) - (real-time Internet conferencing)
municipal (or metropolitan) area network (MAN) - (Network which connects two or more locations in the same city using wide area network (WAN) technologies.)
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) -