The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Data at Rest: Refers to inactive data that is stored physically in any digital form, such as databases, data warehouses, spreadsheets, archives, tapes, or off-site backups. It contrasts with data in transit or data in use. Protecting data at rest typically involves encryption and access controls to mitigate the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.

Database: A structured set of data. It's a collection of schemas, tables, queries, reports, views, and other objects used to manage and organize information efficiently. Databases are essential in many environments as they provide an efficient way to store, retrieve and manipulate data, and can be protected by various security measures like encryption and access controls.

Database Administrator (DBA): A professional responsible for the installation, configuration, upgrade, administration, monitoring, and maintenance of databases in an organization. The DBA ensures data availability, security, and integrity and is often involved in disaster recovery, performance analysis, and optimization, along with managing database access roles and permissions.

Data Breaches: Incidents where information security is compromised, leading to the unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, destruction, or loss of protected, sensitive, or confidential data. Breaches can affect personal data, intellectual property, and trade secrets and can result from cyberattacks like hacking, malware, and phishing due to negligence or insider threats. They often lead to significant financial, reputational, and legal consequences.

Data Bus: A communication system within a computer or device consisting of various wires or traces on a circuit board, which transmits data between components. It allows the transfer of data and instructions from one part of the computer to another, and its width (in bits) determines how much information can be transmitted at once.

Data Center Power Redundancy: The implementation of backup power sources and systems within a data center to ensure its continuous operation, even during power failures or disruptions. Power redundancy can include multiple power feeds, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, and backup generators.