The FREE Cybersecurity Glossary by Thor Pedersen!

Media Oxidation: Media oxidation is a form of deterioration that affects magnetic media when it reacts with oxygen in the environment, leading to data loss or degradation over time. Steps such as proper environmental control and storage conditions are essential to mitigate the effects of media oxidation on important data storage mediums like magnetic tapes and hard disk drives.

Meet-In-The-Middle Attack: A cryptanalytic technique where the attacker attempts to break a cipher by essentially meeting in the middle of the encryption process. The attacker independently computes both the plaintext-to-ciphertext and ciphertext-to-plaintext transformations for a range of values and then matches them to uncover the cryptographic key. This type of attack often requires significant computational resources, but it can effectively reduce the security of a cipher.

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA): A written agreement between two or more parties detailing the cooperative relationship to be undertaken. This often involves the delineation of responsibilities, sharing of resources, and defining the terms for data sharing or processing, which is critical for maintaining data integrity and security.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): A formal document that outlines mutual goals, expectations, and responsibilities between two or more parties, often used to establish partnerships. It serves as a framework for cooperation, ensuring clarity and mutual understanding, especially in contexts involving data sharing or collaborative projects.

Memory cards: Portable storage devices used for saving, transferring, and transporting data files. Memory cards are commonly used in digital cameras, mobile phones, and other electronic devices for expandable and removable data storage solutions.

Memory Dump: A process in which the contents of memory are displayed and stored in case of an application or system crash. This information can be used to diagnose and identify the cause of a failure. However, these files may contain sensitive data and, if not managed properly, could present an avenue for data leakage.