The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Electronic vaulting (e-vaulting): The transfer of backup data to an off-site storage system using network connections. This method is usually automated and occurs at pre-scheduled times to ensure data availability in case of unexpected events. Its purpose is to protect critical data from site-specific disasters and improve recovery time while maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data through encryption and other means, for example.

Elevation of privilege: A scenario where a user or process gains higher access rights or permissions than they're intended to have, typically resulting in unauthorized control over system resources. It often constitutes a serious security flaw, as it allows the individual or process to bypass restrictions, potentially leading to information theft, data corruption, or additional harmful activities.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC): A public key encryption technique based on elliptic curve theory that can be used to create faster, smaller, and more efficient cryptographic keys. ECC generates keys through the properties of the elliptic curve equation instead of the traditional method of generation as the product of very large prime numbers, offering equivalent security with lower computing power and battery resource usage.

ELSEC (Electronic Security): The range of methods and practices designed to protect electronic systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction. ELSEC involves safeguarding computing, telecommunications, and any electronic data storage and transmission, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and preserving the functionality of electronic services and infrastructure. It is a vital component of cybersecurity strategies in both private and public sectors.

Email spoofing: A malicious practice where the headers of an email are manipulated to make it appear as though the message originated from a different sender. This is often used in phishing and spam campaigns, where the attacker aims to trick the recipient into trusting the false sender, potentially leading to data breaches, financial loss, or other forms of harm.

Embedded System: A dedicated computer system with a specific function within a larger mechanical or electrical system, often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device, often including hardware and mechanical parts. Embedded systems control many devices in common use today and are typically designed for specific control tasks with varying degrees of complexity. They range from simple microcontroller-based systems to complex systems-on-chips (SoCs) and are found in numerous applications, including consumer electronics, automobiles, medical devices, industrial controls, and aerospace.