Acronym study
Terms 91–120 of 135 PT0-002 acronyms and key terms. Each entry includes a plain-English definition and a link to the full 800-word glossary page with exam context and practice questions.
Term 91
A PMKID attack is a wireless network attack that exploits a vulnerability in the RSN IE (Robust Security Network Information Element) of Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2) networks to recover the Pre-Shared Key (PSK) without needing to capture the full four-way handshake.
Term 92
Port scanning is the process of probing a computer or network device to discover which network ports are open, closed, or filtered, revealing potential entry points for services and applications.
Term 93
Post-exploitation is the phase of a penetration test that begins after an attacker has gained initial access to a system, focusing on maintaining access, escalating privileges, moving laterally, and achieving the test's objectives.
Term 94
Pretexting is a social engineering attack where the attacker fabricates a believable scenario or false identity to trick a victim into revealing sensitive information or performing an action.
Term 95
Privilege escalation is when a user or attacker gains more access or control over a system than they are supposed to have.
Term 96
A proof of concept is a small, informal test to see if an idea, technology, or method can actually work in the real world before you commit major time or money to it.
Term 97
A purple team is a collaborative approach in cybersecurity where the offensive (red) and defensive (blue) teams work together to improve an organization's security posture by sharing insights and tactics.
Term 98
A rainbow table is a precomputed list of password hashes used to reverse weak passwords quickly without guessing each one live.
Term 99
A red team is a group of security professionals who simulate real-world attacks on an organization's systems, people, and facilities to test the effectiveness of its defenses.
Term 100
Remediation is the process of fixing or eliminating vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or security weaknesses in an IT environment.
Term 101
A remediation recommendation is a prioritized, actionable suggestion for fixing a security vulnerability, misconfiguration, or compliance gap identified during an assessment or scan.
Term 102
A reverse shell is a type of remote access attack where the target machine initiates an outbound connection back to the attacker, allowing the attacker to execute commands on the compromised system.
Term 103
A risk rating is a score or label assigned to a potential security threat or vulnerability that indicates how likely it is to cause harm and how severe that harm would be.
Term 104
Risk-based vulnerability management is a cybersecurity approach that prioritizes the fixing of security weaknesses based on the level of risk they pose to an organization's specific environment, rather than just addressing all vulnerabilities in the order they are found.
Term 105
Rules of engagement are the documented guidelines that define the scope, boundaries, and authorized actions a security tester may take during a penetration test or security assessment.
Term 106
Static Application Security Testing is a white-box method of analyzing source code, bytecode, or compiled binaries for security vulnerabilities without executing the program.
Term 107
An SBOM is a formal, machine-readable inventory of all software components and dependencies used in a software application or system.
Term 108
SCA (Software Composition Analysis) is a security testing method that automatically identifies open-source components, libraries, and dependencies in software to find known vulnerabilities and license compliance issues.
Term 109
In IT, scope defines the boundaries, goals, and deliverables of a project, assessment, or engagement, specifying what is included and what is excluded.
Term 110
Scope creep is the gradual, unplanned expansion of a project's objectives and deliverables beyond its original requirements, often leading to budget overruns, missed deadlines, and compromised quality.
Term 111
Secrets scanning is the automated process of detecting accidentally exposed sensitive information, such as passwords, API keys, and tokens, in code repositories and other digital environments.
Term 112
Service discovery is the process by which networked services automatically locate each other to communicate, without needing manual configuration of network addresses.
Term 113
Shellcode is a small piece of code used as a payload in the exploitation of a software vulnerability, typically giving an attacker a command shell on the target machine.
Term 114
Shodan is a search engine that lets you find specific types of internet-connected devices, such as webcams, routers, and servers, by scanning the internet and indexing their services and banners.
Term 115
A forged Kerberos service ticket that grants access to a specific service in a Windows domain without requiring the user's password.
Term 116
Smishing is a social engineering attack that uses deceptive text messages to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or installing malware.
Term 117
Spear phishing is a targeted cyberattack in which a criminal sends a fraudulent email that appears to come from a trusted source, aiming to trick a specific person or organization into revealing sensitive data or installing malware.
Term 118
SQL injection is a web security vulnerability that allows an attacker to interfere with the queries an application makes to its database, often to read, modify, or destroy data.
Term 119
A Statement of work (SOW) is a formal document that defines the scope, deliverables, timeline, and terms of a project or service engagement between a vendor and a client.
Term 120
The Target of Evaluation (TOE) is the specific system, product, or component that is formally assessed against a set of security requirements during a security evaluation or certification process.