Symantec 10521146 Administration Guide - Page 355

Glossary 355 physical exposure A rating used to calculate vulnerability that is based on whether a threat must have physical access to your system to exploit a vulnerability. PIN (personal In computer security, a number used during the authentication process that is known only identification number) to the user. ping (Packet Internet Groper) A program that security administrators and hackers or crackers use to determine whether a specific computer is currently online and accessible. Pinging works by sending a packet to the specified IP address and waiting for a reply; if a reply is received, the computer is deemed to be online and accessible. platform attack An attack that focuses on vulnerabilities in the operating system that is hosting the firewall. policy 1. A document (hardcopy or electronic) that outlines specific requirements or rules that must be met. 2. The activities or states that are allowed, required, or forbidden within a specific environment. See response policy. policy management The creation, configuration, and monitoring of security assets and information to ensure that they are compliant with policies. POP (Post Office Protocol) A protocol that allows clients to retrieve email from a mail server. POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) An email protocol used to retrieve email from a remote server over an Internet connection. port 1. A hardware location for passing data into and out of a computing device. Personal computers have various types of ports, including internal ports for connecting disk drives, monitors, and keyboards, and external ports, for connecting modems, printers, mouse devices, and other peripheral devices. 2. In TCP/IP and UDP networks, the name given to an endpoint of a logical connection. Port numbers identify types of ports. For example, both TCP and UDP use port 80 for transporting HTTP data. port scan An intrusion method in which hackers use software tools called port scanners to find services currently running on target systems. This is done by scanning the target for open ports, usually by sending a connection request to each port and waiting for a response. If a response is received, the port is known to be open. PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) A protocol used for communication between two computers. This is most commonly seen with dial-up accounts to an ISP. However, Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) has now become more popular with many DSL providers. priority A number between 1 and 5 (inclusive) that is assigned to an incident. The number is assigned based on signature attributes, system attributes, organization attributes, and vulnerability attributes.