The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Mandatory vacations: Mandatory vacations are a security and administrative control requiring employees to take uninterrupted time away from their specific job responsibilities. This policy is designed to help detect any fraudulent activities or inconsistencies in their absence, which might be concealed by their continuous presence. It's often used in conjunction with job rotation and cross-training to strengthen internal controls and reduce the risk of fraud or error within an organization.

Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack: A form of eavesdropping where communication between two users is monitored and modified by an unauthorized party. Typically, the attacker will intercept the traffic between the two targets, making them believe they are talking directly to each other over a private connection when, in fact, the entire conversation is being controlled by the attacker.

Manipulative Communications: The deceptive methods used to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information or to influence their actions, often for malicious purposes. Techniques could include phishing, spear-phishing, or social engineering tactics, which are designed to exploit human vulnerabilities and bypass conventional security measures.

Mantrap: A physical security access control system comprising a small space having two sets of interlocking doors such that the first set of doors must close before the second set opens. Mantraps ensure that only one person can pass through at a time, and they provide an effective mechanism for controlling and monitoring access to secure environments.

Masking: A process used to protect sensitive data by replacing it with random characters or other dummy information. It enables users to carry out operations without exposing the actual data, thus preserving confidentiality. It's a technique often used in environments where data needs to be used for testing or analysis but where the original data contains sensitive details.

Masqueraders: Individuals who pretend to be another user or entity to gain unauthorized access to systems or data. They might employ a range of techniques, from simple password guessing to sophisticated social engineering, in order to mislead systems or people into granting them access. Masquerading is a significant threat to both the integrity and confidentiality of data.