The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Cables: The physical paths used to transmit data between devices. They come in various types, including Ethernet cables, coaxial cables, and fiber optic cables, each with different data transmission speeds, noise resistance, and physical reach. Ensuring the appropriate selection and proper maintenance of cables is crucial for network efficiency and reliability.

Cache memory: A type of computer memory that temporarily stores frequently used data for quick access. By leveraging cache memory, a system can significantly improve its performance and efficiency, as fetching data from the cache (located close to the processor) is faster than obtaining it from primary memory locations. Cache memory management is essential to avoid possible vulnerabilities, such as cache-based side-channel attacks.

Cache-timing Attack: A side-channel attack that exploits the timing information of a system's cache to gain insights into the data and operations processed by the system. Attackers measure the time it takes to perform certain operations to make inferences about the data, such as cryptographic keys, in the cache. These attacks are sophisticated and rely on understanding the timing discrepancies caused by cache hits and misses.

Callback: In the context of secure communications, callback is a method of authenticating a user where a server initiates a new connection to the user's registered contact information (e.g., phone number or IP address) after receiving a request. This ensures that the access request is indeed coming from a trusted source. This method, though not widely used today due to more advanced techniques, adds an extra layer of security to verify the user's identity.

Capability: In a broader sense, capability refers to the set of functionalities or features a system, device, or software possesses that enable it to perform its tasks or roles effectively. This could include computational power, access permissions, and other software or hardware features. From a security standpoint, understanding a system's capabilities helps identify potential weak points and areas for improvement.

Capability Table: A security tool used in certain computer systems to define the access rights a certain user, process or a piece of software has over specific resources in the system. The table lists out the objects and the corresponding actions that can be performed on those objects, providing a comprehensive view of what is and isn't permitted, thereby assisting in the enforcement of a secure environment.