Engineering Glossary

A range of radio frequencies, approximately 5.1 to 5.8 gigahertz, used for wireless communication, most notably for Wi-Fi. It is known for providing faster data speeds and having less interference than the 2.4GHz band, but at the cost of a shorter effective range and poorer obstacle penetration.

5G Security encompasses the standards, technologies, and practices designed to protect 5th generation mobile networks, including their infrastructure, connected devices, and the data transmitted over them. It represents a significant evolution from previous generations, adopting a 'security-by-design' approach to address new threats arising from virtualization, network slicing, and the massive scale of the Internet of Things (IoT). Key features include stronger encryption, enhanced subscriber privacy, and a flexible, service-oriented security architecture.

The 6GHz band is a segment of the radio spectrum, typically from 5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz, designated for unlicensed use in wireless communications. It is primarily utilized by modern Wi-Fi standards like Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. This band offers a large, contiguous block of clean spectrum, enabling wider channels, higher speeds, lower latency, and significantly reduced interference compared to the crowded 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

The process by which a wireless client (station) formally establishes a data link with an access point (AP). It is the second and final step in connecting to a Wi-Fi network, occurring after successful authentication, allowing the client to send and receive data.

The process by which a wireless client device proves its identity to an access point (AP) to gain access to a Wi-Fi network. It is the first step in the two-step process of connecting to a wireless network, followed by association. This procedure is fundamental to network security, ensuring that only authorized devices can connect.

802.1D is an IEEE standard for Media Access Control (MAC) Bridges. It is most famous for defining the original Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), an essential network protocol that prevents broadcast storms and MAC table instability by creating a loop-free logical topology in Ethernet networks with redundant physical links.

An IEEE standard that defines a system for VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) tagging on Ethernet networks. It allows multiple VLANs to share a single physical link by inserting a tag into Ethernet frames, which identifies the VLAN the frame belongs to. This enables network segmentation, traffic isolation, and efficient use of infrastructure.

802.1s is the IEEE standard for the Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP). It is an advanced network protocol that prevents Layer 2 loops in Ethernet networks by creating multiple spanning tree instances. This allows different VLANs to be mapped to different instances, enabling traffic load balancing across redundant paths while maintaining fast network convergence.

An IEEE standard for network protocols, 802.1w is also known as Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP). It is an enhancement of the original Spanning Tree Protocol (802.1D) designed to provide significantly faster network convergence after a topology change, thereby minimizing downtime.

802.1X is an IEEE standard for Port-Based Network Access Control (PNAC). It provides a robust authentication mechanism for devices seeking to connect to a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wireless LAN (WLAN). It authenticates a user or device before granting access to the network, acting as a gatekeeper at the physical connection point, such as a switch port or a wireless access point.

An IEEE standard for Port-Based Network Access Control (PNAC) that provides a robust authentication mechanism for devices connecting to a LAN or WLAN. It acts as a gatekeeper, preventing access to the network until a device's identity has been verified by a central authentication server.

AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) is a security framework for intelligently controlling access to computer resources. It enforces policies, audits usage, and provides the information necessary for billing and security analysis. It is a fundamental concept in network security and management.

ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control) is an authorization model that grants access to resources based on a combination of attributes associated with the user, the resource being accessed, and the environment. Instead of assigning static permissions, ABAC uses flexible policies and rules that evaluate these attributes in real-time to make dynamic access decisions.

A/B testing is a method of comparing two versions of a webpage, app, or other digital asset to determine which one performs better. Users are randomly shown either version A (the control) or version B (the variation), and data is collected to see which version better achieves a specific goal, such as increasing clicks or sales.

The level of potential loss or harm that an organization or individual is willing to tolerate in a given situation after security controls and mitigation strategies have been implemented. It represents a conscious decision to accept the remaining, or residual, risk to achieve a specific benefit or objective.

A document outlining the rules and guidelines that users must agree to in order to use a network, website, or service. It defines what is considered acceptable and unacceptable behavior, protecting the service provider and its users from potential misuse.

Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD) is a collaborative software development practice where the team defines acceptance criteria for a feature before implementation. These criteria are turned into automated tests that guide development and verify the feature meets business requirements.

Acceptance Testing is a formal testing process where a software system is evaluated against business requirements to determine if it is acceptable for delivery. Typically performed by end-users or clients, it is the final phase of testing before the software is released to production.

A general term for any software, hardware, or system component that restricts or prevents access to a resource. It operates based on a predefined set of rules to enforce security policies, control user permissions, or filter content. Examples range from network firewalls to application-level permission managers.

A security technique that regulates who or what can view or use resources in a computing environment. It is a fundamental concept in security that minimizes risk by ensuring users are who they say they are and have the appropriate permissions to access data and perform actions.

A list of permissions attached to an object. An ACL specifies which users or system processes are granted access to objects, as well as what operations are allowed on given objects. It's a fundamental concept in computer security for managing resource access.

A conceptual model in computer security that defines access rights. It's a table where rows represent subjects (like users or processes) and columns represent objects (like files or devices). Each cell specifies the access rights a subject has for a particular object, such as read, write, or execute.

An Access Control Policy is a foundational set of rules in information security that dictates who or what is allowed to access specific resources and what actions they are permitted to perform. It defines permissions for subjects (like users or processes) over objects (like files or applications), forming the basis for system authorization and enforcing the principle of least privilege.

A system that manages and restricts who or what can view, use, or access a resource in a computing environment. It is a fundamental security concept that minimizes risk to an organization by enforcing policies through authentication and authorization.