🦠
Malware
Threats
Software designed for unauthorized or harmful actions.
spyware
trojan
ransomware
Glossary
Privacy terms glossary
Plain-language explanations for encryption, tracking, compliance, and security concepts.
16 terms
🕵️
Man‑in‑the‑Middle (MITM) Attack
Threats
On-path interception and manipulation of traffic.
tls
https
certificate authority
👁️
Mass Surveillance
Privacy
Broad collection and analysis of data about populations for intelligence or control purposes.
metadata
patriot act
fisa
🧾
Metadata
Data Management
Ancillary data describing communications/events (e.g., timestamps, identifiers, routing).
tracking pixel
ip address
data minimization
🔎
Metasearch Engine
Privacy
Search service that aggregates results from multiple upstream sources.
search engine
analytics
tracking
😵
MFA Fatigue
Authentication
Attack technique abusing repeated MFA push prompts to induce user acceptance; often paired with social engineering.
multi factor authentication
push notification mfa
social engineering
🎙️
Microphone Permission
Privacy
OS permission gating access to audio capture APIs.
app permissions
mobile permissions
voice assistant
⚠️
Misconfiguration
Security
Security control failure due to incorrect configuration.
data leak
secure storage
cloud encryption
🧩
Mixed Content
Web Security
Secure origin embedding insecure subresources.
https
tls
security headers
📱
Mobile Permissions
Privacy
Mobile OS runtime authorization to protected resources.
app permissions
location tracking
microphone
📱
Mobile Privacy
Privacy
Privacy risks and controls specific to mobile OS ecosystems and app behavior.
mobile permissions
location data
advertising id
👀
Monitoring
Data Management
Continuous observation of systems using metrics, logs, traces, and alerts to detect anomalies and incidents.
logging
siem
incident response
📨
MTA-STS
Security
Email security mechanism allowing domains to publish policy requiring TLS for SMTP delivery and preventing downgrade attacks.
tls
data in transit
phishing
🛡️
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Authentication
Authentication using multiple factor categories.
two factor authentication
totp
biometric authentication
🧭
Multihop VPN
Network Privacy
Chained VPN routing through multiple gateways.
vpn
double vpn
dedicated ip
🤝
Mutual TLS (mTLS)
Encryption
TLS configuration requiring client certificates, providing strong transport-layer mutual authentication.
tls
certificate authority
pki