The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (US): A US law passed in 1996 that sets standards for the protection of certain health information. The Privacy Rule, a key component of HIPAA, protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information, and the Security Rule, another key component, sets national standards for the security of electronically protected health information. Compliance with HIPAA requirements ensures that a patient's health information is properly protected while allowing the necessary information to be disclosed for patient care and other important purposes.

Hearsay evidence: Any statement made outside of the courtroom that is presented in court to prove the truth of the matter asserted. In cybersecurity, it may refer to a third-party report or statement about a cyber incident, attack, or vulnerability. This evidence is typically inadmissible in court due to its unverifiable nature, except under specific exceptions, highlighting the importance of forensic techniques and chain-of-custody in cyber incident investigations.

Heating, Ventilating, And Air Conditioning (HVAC): The technology and systems used to regulate temperature, air quality, and humidity in a building or space. It is used to ensure the comfort and health of building occupants and to protect sensitive equipment from environmental threats. Examples include thermostats, air filters, and ventilation systems.

Help desk: A service provided by an organization to assist users with technical or other issues. It is used to provide support to users who are experiencing problems with their computer systems or software. Examples include providing assistance with password resets, troubleshooting network connectivity issues, and providing guidance on how to use specific software applications.

Heuristic Filter: A program that identifies threats or unwanted content based on general rules and observations rather than specific threat signatures. Unlike traditional filters that rely on a database of known threats, heuristic filters evaluate content based on patterns, behaviors, or certain attributes, making them effective at identifying previously unknown threats or variants of existing threats. These are commonly used in antivirus programs, spam filters, and intrusion detection systems to provide an additional layer of protection.

Hexadecimal: A numerical system that uses 16 symbols (0-9 and A-F) to represent numbers. It is commonly used in computer programming to represent values in memory or to specify color values in web design. Examples include using hexadecimal to specify the RGB color value for a specific shade of blue (#0000FF) or using hexadecimal to represent the memory address of a specific data value in a computer program.