The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Master Boot Record (MBR): The first sector of a hard drive that contains the bootloader program and the partition table. It is used to boot the operating system on a computer. Examples -A computer's BIOS uses the MBR to boot the operating system, a bootable USB drive contains an MBR, and a disk repair utility can fix a corrupted MBR.

Materiality: A concept used in risk assessment and audit planning to define the significance of a risk or a discrepancy. If the effect of a risk or discrepancy is large enough to impact decisions made based on the outcome, it is considered material. This principle guides the identification of relevant issues and ensures that time and resources are allocated to manage the most impactful risks.

Mathematical Attack: A method used to decipher encrypted data by exploiting weaknesses in the mathematical algorithms used in the encryption process. This method relies on computational techniques and mathematical theories, such as factoring large numbers or calculating discrete logarithms, to reverse-engineer or break the encryption algorithm and gain access to the encrypted data.

Maturity: The development and refinement level of processes, procedures, or technologies within an organization. In this context, maturity typically describes the extent to which an organization has formalized its procedures and practices and the extent to which these procedures are followed. High maturity levels often correlate with more efficient operations and better overall security posture.

Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD) / Maximum Allowable Downtime (MAD): The longest period of time that a system or network can be down (unavailable or not operational) before the impact becomes unacceptable to the organization. This is a crucial concept in business continuity planning and disaster recovery, as it helps determine appropriate strategies to minimize downtime and its associated costs.

Maximum Tolerable Outages (MTO): The maximum duration that an organization's key products or services can be unavailable or undeliverable before stakeholders deem the situation intolerable. It's a critical measure in business continuity and disaster recovery planning, used to inform recovery strategies and ensure timely restoration of functions following an outage.