The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Metadata-based discovery: Metadata-based discovery involves analyzing data descriptors to gain insights about stored information without accessing the data itself. It is a method used in cybersecurity to quickly assess system configurations, data usage, and changes over time, aiding in vulnerability assessments and security monitoring. For instance, metadata could reveal the creation date of files, their last access times, and modifications, which is beneficial in incident investigations.

Metric: A quantifiable measure used to track and assess the status of a specific process. In the context of secure operations, metrics can be used to determine the effectiveness of various security measures, track incident response times, measure compliance with security policies or evaluate the success of awareness programs, among others. They provide key insights for decision-makers and help inform strategic planning.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): A computer network that covers a large geographic area, such as a city or town. It is used to connect multiple local area networks (LANs) within a metropolitan area. Examples include campus networks, city-wide networks, and regional networks.

Microkernel architecture: A computer architecture that uses a small, highly modular kernel to provide basic services, such as memory management and task scheduling. It is used in operating systems to improve performance and security by limiting the scope of the kernel. Examples include Mach and QNX.

Microsegmentation: A security technique that enables fine-grained security policies to be assigned to data center applications down to the workload level. This approach enables security controls to be more precisely applied to protect against lateral threats inside a network, and it reduces the network attack surface. If a system component is compromised, the potential for lateral movement of threats is minimized, as each segment is isolated from the others.

Micro training: Micro training refers to short, focused educational or training sessions designed to quickly convey important information or skills. In cybersecurity, microtraining can be used to efficiently address specific threats, educate employees on security best practices, or update teams on new policies, all with the goal of promoting security awareness in a time-effective manner.