Terms
Alphabetical index of published term entries. Use the letter rail to jump.
- C1 or C2 computer systemUpdated Jan 06, 2026
See: Tutorial under "Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria".
- CA certificateUpdated Jan 06, 2026
"A [digital] certificate for one CA issued by another CA." [X509]
- CA domainUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A security policy domain that "consists of a CA and its subjects [i.e., the entities named in the certificates issued by the CA]. Sometimes referred to as a PKI domain." [PAG] (See: domain.)
- Caesar cipherUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A cipher that is defined for an alphabet of N characters, A(1), A(2), ..., A(N), and creates cipher text by replacing each plaintext character A(i) by A(i+K, mod N) for some 0<K<N+1. [Schn]
- Calendar EntriesUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Adversaries may utilize standard operating system APIs to gather calendar entry data. On Android, this can be accomplished using the Calendar Content Provider. On iOS, this can be accomplished using the framework.
- call backUpdated Jan 06, 2026
An authentication technique for terminals that remotely access a computer via telephone lines; the host system disconnects the caller and then reconnects on a telephone number that was previously authorized for that terminal.
- Call ControlUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Adversaries may make, forward, or block phone calls without user authorization. This could be used for adversary goals such as audio surveillance, blocking or forwarding calls from the device owner, or C2 communication.
- Call LogUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Adversaries may utilize standard operating system APIs to gather call log data. On Android, this can be accomplished using the Call Log Content Provider. iOS provides no standard API to access the call log.
- capabilityUpdated Jan 06, 2026
The means to accomplish a mission, function, or objective.
- capability listUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A mechanism that implements access control for a system entity by enumerating the system resources that the entity is permitted to access and, either implicitly or explicitly, the access modes granted for each resource. (Compare:
- Capability Maturity ModelUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Method for judging the maturity of software processes in an organization and for identifying crucial practices needed to increase process maturity. [Chris] (Compare: Common Criteria.)
- capability tokenUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A token (usually an unforgeable data object) that gives the bearer or holder the right to access a system resource. Possession of the token is accepted by a system as proof that the holder has been authorized to access the resource indicated by the token. (See: attribute certificate, capability list, credential, digital certificate, ticket, token.)
- cardholderUpdated Jan 06, 2026
An entity to whom or to which a card has been issued.
- cardholder certificateUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A digital certificate that is issued to a cardholder upon approval of the cardholder's issuing financial institution and that is transmitted to merchants with purchase requests and encrypted payment instructions, carrying assurance that the account number has been validated by the issuing financial institution and cannot be altered by a third party. [SET1]
- cardholder certification authorityUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A CA responsible for issuing digital certificates to cardholders and operated on behalf of a payment card brand, an issuer, or another party according to brand rules. A CCA maintains relationships with card issuers to allow for the verification of cardholder accounts. A CCA does not issue a CRL but does distribute CRLs issued by root CAs, brand CAs, geopolitical CAs, and payment gateway CAs. [SET2]
- categoryUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A grouping of sensitive information items to which a non hierarchical restrictive security label is applied to increase protection of the data. (See: formal access approval. Compare: compartment, classification.)
- CatphishUpdated Jan 06, 2026
the fabrication of a false online identity by a cybercriminal for the purposes of deception, fraud, or exploitation
- certificateUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A document that attests to the truth of something or the ownership of something.
- Certificate Arbitrator ModuleUpdated Jan 06, 2026
An open source software module that is designed to be integrated with an application for routing, replying to, and otherwise managing and meditating certificate validation requests between that application and the CAs in the ACES PKI.
- certificate authorityUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Synonym for "certification authority".
- certificate chainUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Synonym for "certification path". (See: trust chain.)
- certificate chain validationUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Synonym for "certificate validation" or "path validation".
- certificate creationUpdated Jan 06, 2026
The act or process by which a CA sets the values of a digital certificate's data fields and signs it. (See: issue.)
- certificate expirationUpdated Jan 06, 2026
The event that occurs when a certificate ceases to be valid because its assigned lifetime has been exceeded. (See: certificate revocation, expire.)
- certificate extensionUpdated Jan 06, 2026
See: extension.
- certificate holderUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Synonym for the "subject" of a digital certificate. (Compare: certificate owner, certificate user.)
- certificate managementUpdated Jan 06, 2026
The functions that a CA may perform during the lifecycle of a digital certificate, including the following: Acquire and verify data items to bind into the certificate. Encode and sign the certificate. Store the certificate in a directory or repository. Renew, rekey, and update the certificate. Revoke the certificate and issue a CRL. (See: archive management, certificate management, key management, security architecture, token management.)
- certificate management authorityUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Used to mean either a CA or an RA. [DoD7, SP32]
- certificate ownerUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Synonym for the "subject" of a digital certificate. (Compare: certificate holder, certificate user.)
- certificate pathUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Synonym for "certification path".
- certificate policyUpdated Jan 06, 2026
"A named set of rules that indicates the applicability of a certificate to a particular community and/or class of application with common security requirements." [X509] (Compare: CPS, security policy.)
- certificate policy qualifierUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Information that pertains to a certificate policy and is included in a "certificatePolicies" extension in a v3 X.509 public key certificate.
- certificate profileUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A specification (e.g., [DoD7, R3280]) of the format and semantics of public key certificates or attribute certificates, constructed for use in a specific application context by selecting from among options offered by a broader standard. (Compare: protection profile.)
- certificate reactivationUpdated Jan 06, 2026
The act or process by which a digital certificate, that a CA has designated for revocation but not yet listed on a CRL, is returned to the valid state.
- certificate rekeyUpdated Jan 06, 2026
The act or process by which an existing public key certificate has its key value changed by issuing a new certificate with a different (usually new) public key. (See: certificate renewal, certificate update, rekey.)
- certificate renewalUpdated Jan 06, 2026
The act or process by which the validity of the binding asserted by an existing public key certificate is extended in time by issuing a new certificate. (See: certificate rekey, certificate update.)
- certificate requestUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Synonym for "certification request".
- certificate revocationUpdated Jan 06, 2026
The event that occurs when a CA declares that a previously valid digital certificate issued by that CA has become invalid; usually stated with an effective date.
- certificate revocation listUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A data structure that enumerates digital certificates that have been invalidated by their issuer prior to when they were scheduled to expire. (See: certificate expiration, delta CRL, X.509 certificate revocation list.)
- certificate revocation treeUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A mechanism for distributing notices of certificate revocations; uses a tree of hash results that is signed by the tree's issuer. Offers an alternative to issuing a CRL, but is not supported in X.509. (See: certificate status responder.)
- certificate serial numberUpdated Jan 06, 2026
An integer value that (a) is associated with, and may be carried in, a digital certificate; (b) is assigned to the certificate by the certificate's issuer; and (c) is unique among all the certificates produced by that issuer.
- certificate status authorityUpdated Jan 06, 2026
"A trusted entity that provides on line verification to a Relying Party of a subject certificate's trustworthiness [should instead say 'validity'], and may also provide additional attribute information for the subject certificate." [DoD7]
- certificate status responderUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A trusted online server that acts for a CA to provide authenticated certificate status information to certificate users [FPKI]. Offers an alternative to issuing a CR. (See: certificate revocation tree, OCSP.)
- certificate updateUpdated Jan 06, 2026
The act or process by which non key data items bound in an existing public key certificate, especially authorizations granted
- certificate userUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A system entity that depends on the validity of information (such as another entity's public key value) provided by a digital certificate. (See: relying party. Compare: /digital certificate/ subject.)
- certificate validationUpdated Jan 06, 2026
An act or process by which a certificate user establishes that the assertions made by a digital certificate can be trusted. (See: valid certificate, validate vs. verify.)
- certificationUpdated Jan 06, 2026
Comprehensive evaluation (usually made in support of an accreditation action) of an information system's technical security features and other safeguards to establish the extent to which the system's design and implementation meet a set of specified security requirements. [C4009, FP102, SP37] (See: accreditation. Compare: evaluation.)
- certification authorityUpdated Jan 06, 2026
An entity that issues digital certificates (especially X.509 certificates) and vouches for the binding between the data items in a certificate.
- certification authority workstationUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A computer system that enables a CA to issue digital certificates and supports other certificate management functions as required.
- certification hierarchyUpdated Jan 06, 2026
A tree structured (loop free) topology of relationships between CAs and the entities to whom the CAs issue public key certificates. (See: hierarchical PKI, hierarchy management.)