Symantec 10521146 - Network Security 7120, Administration Manual

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355 Glossary
physical exposure A rating used to calculate vulnerability that is based on whether a threat must have
physical access to your system to exploit a vulnerability.
PIN (personal
identification number) In computer security, a number used during the authentication process that is known only
to the user.
ping (Packet Internet
Groper) A program that security administrators and hackers or crackers use to determine whether
a specific computer is currently online and accessible. Pinging works by sending a packet
to the specified IP address and waiting for a reply; if a reply is received, the computer is
deemed to be online and accessible.
platform attack An attack that focuses on vulnerabilities in the operating system that is hosting the
firewall.
policy 1. A document (hardcopy or electronic) that outlines specific requirements or rules that
must be met. 2. The activities or states that are allowed, required, or forbidden within a
specific environment. See
response policy .
policy management The creation, configuration, and monitoring of security assets and information to ensure
that they are compliant with policies.
POP (Post Office
Protocol) A protocol that allows clients to retrieve email from a mail server.
POP3 (Post Office
Protocol 3) An email protocol used to retrieve email from a remote server over an Internet connection.
port 1. A hardware location for passing data into and out of a computing device. Personal
computers have various types of ports, including internal ports for connecting disk drives,
monitors, and keyboards, and external ports, for connecting modems, printers, mouse
devices, and other peripheral devices. 2. In TCP/IP and UDP networks, the name given to
an endpoint of a logical connection. Port numbers identify types of ports. For example,
both TCP and UDP use port 80 for transporting HTTP data.
port scan An intrusion method in which hackers use software tools called port scanners to find
services currently running on target systems. This is done by scanning the target for open
ports, usually by sending a connection request to each port and waiting for a response. If a
response is received, the port is known to be open.
PPP (Point-to-Point
Protocol) A protocol used for communication between two computers. This is most commonly seen
with dial-up accounts to an ISP. However, Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE)
has now become more popular with many DSL providers.
priority A number between 1 and 5 (inclusive) that is assigned to an incident. The number is
assigned based on signature attributes, system attributes, organization attributes, and
vulnerability attributes.