The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

EFTA (European Free Trade Association): The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. It operates in parallel with the European Union (EU) and participates in the European Single Market while remaining outside of the EU. EFTA facilitates free trade and economic cooperation between its members and also manages a network of trade relations around the world through its own international trade agreements.

EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer): Refers to the digital transfer of money from one bank account to another, either within the same financial institution or across different institutions, via computer-based systems. EFTs include a variety of financial transactions, such as direct deposits, wire transfers, direct debits, online bill payments, and transactions initiated through credit or debit cards. EFTs enable quick and secure movement of funds, reducing the need for paper checks and cash handling. They are widely used for both personal and business financial transactions.

Egress: In networking, egress refers specifically to traffic that is exiting a network. When data packets leave a network boundary en route to their destination, such as traffic departing from a private local area network (LAN) to the Internet, it is referred to as egress traffic. Egress control, including egress filtering and monitoring, is essential for network security to prevent unauthorized data transmission and ensure compliance with network policies.

Egress Filter: A network security measure that monitors and restricts the flow of outbound traffic from one network to another. Typically implemented in firewalls or routers, egress filtering rules ensure that only authorized data leaves the network, helping to prevent data exfiltration and stop the spread of malware. It's essential for enforcing network security policies and ensuring that only legitimate, necessary traffic is allowed out.

Egress Monitoring: The process of continuously checking data leaving an organization's network for the purpose of detecting and preventing unauthorized data transfer. Through egress monitoring, organizations aim to protect sensitive information from leakage, theft, or misuse by insiders or compromised systems. This practice is a critical component of a comprehensive data loss prevention (DLP) strategy.

EKMS (Electronic Key Management System): A system designed to handle the generation, distribution, accounting, and destruction of cryptographic keys. As part of a robust encryption strategy, the EKMS ensures that the necessary cryptographic keys are available when needed and are kept secure at all times to prevent unauthorized access to encrypted data.