Thales | Security for What Matters Most
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Thales | Security for What Matters Most
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As technology and risk evolve, they bring new terms and acronyms into our lives just as fast. It can be challenging to stay up-to-date, yet it is essential to stay informed. Here is a list of some of the key cybersecurity abbreviations industry professionals need to lock into their lexicon in 2026.
Being fluent in these security definitions will enable security leaders to stay informed about industry changes, understand their implications, and recognize their significance.
General Cybersecurity Acronyms
- Al: Artificial Intelligence | AI is the application of computer systems to simulate aspects of human intelligence such as reasoning, pattern recognition, and language understanding, typically by applying force-multiplying automation and machine learning techniques.
- API: Application Programming Interface | APIs serve as a connecting hub between computers or programs that facilitate easy communication and functionality sharing between software applications.
- CASB: Cloud Access Security Broker | A CASB is a piece of hardware or software that sits between users and cloud services, enforcing security policies that protect cloud app data.
- CNAPP: Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform | A CNAPP unifies multiple cloud security solutions in a single platform that simplifies cloud-native app and API protection across their entire lifecycle.
- DAM: Database Activity Monitoring | DAM refers to a suite of security tools used to monitor, analyze, and report on unauthorized, fraudulent, or illegal database activity.
- DDoS: Distributed Denial of Service | A DDoS attack is a DoS attack originating from more than one source with the intention of overwhelming a website or server until it becomes unavailable.
- DDR: Data Detection and Response | DDR is a security solution that detects and responds to data threats in real-time, protecting data in any format across on-prem, cloud, and multi-cloud environments.
- DevSecOps: Development, Security, Operations | DevSecOps is an approach that emphasizes integration of automation and continuous security controls throughout every phase of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
- EDR: Endpoint Detection and Response | EDR is a cybersecurity solution that uses automation and AI to monitor, detect, and respond to threats on network endpoints.
- GenAI: Generative AI | GenAI is a type of AI that uses foundation Large Language Models (LLMs) and large training datasets to generate content, mimicking human creative output.
- IRM: Insider RiskManagement | Insider risk management is a preventive and behavioral process of addressing security risks caused either intentionally or unintentionally by employees with legitimate access.
- ITM: Insider Threat Management | Insider threat management is a reactive and incident-focused process that addresses insider security risks that can impact the organization in a negative way.
- LLM: Large Language Models | LLMs are AI models that train on vast amounts of text and leverage deep learning to produce and generate human language.
- ML: Machine Learning | Machine learning is a type of AI that uses algorithms to learn, predict, and make decisions without being programmed.
- NLP: Natural Language Processing | NLP is a branch of AI that uses ML to enable computers to understand and generate human language; LLMs are a powerful NLP tool.
- NGFW: Next-Generation Firewall | A next-generation firewall performs standard firewall capabilities but also includes advanced features like intrusion prevention, application-layer attack prevention, threat intelligence, and more.
- MCP: Model Context Protocol | MCP is an open standard, open-source framework that standardizes how AI models can interact with external systems, tools, and data sources to reduce the risk introduced by unsafe agentic integrations.
- SASE: Secure Access Service Edge | SASE is a cloud-native architecture that combines security and networking capabilities in a single platform for increased efficacy in securing distributed environments.
- SBOM: Software Bill of Materials | An SBOM is a list of components, libraries, and modules that make up a piece of software. It is designed to improve security by increasing visibility.
- SIEM: Security Information and Event Management | A SIEM is a tool that centralizes security data (logs and events) across an IT environment to facilitate faster incident response.
- SOAR: Security, Orchestration, Automation, and Response | SOAR platforms integrate multiple security tools and automate incident response workflows across them using standardized playbooks.
- SOC: Security Operations Center | A SOC is a specialized group dedicated to real-time, immediate threat detection and response, and is a subset of the broader security team.
- UEBA: User Entity and Behavior Analytics | UEBA is a security tool that uses AI and ML to baseline secure user behavior, then monitor when that behavior deviates from the norm.
- WAF: Web Application Firewall | A WAF is a security tool that filters out malicious network traffic to mitigate OWASP Top 10 threats.
- XDR: Extended Detection and Response | XDR is a security tool that uses AI to aggregate and analyze telemetry across multiple security layers, providing comprehensive visibility and automated response.
Acronyms Shaping Trusted Access, Cryptography, and Data Protection
- BYOK: Bring Your Own Key | BYOK is a security model that allows organizations to generate and manage their own encryption keys while using third-party cloud services, ensuring greater control over data protection and regulatory compliance.
- CCKM: CipherTrust Control Key Management | CCKM by Thales enables organizations to maintain ownership and control of encryption keys used in cloud services, supporting customer-managed keys and external key management for regulatory compliance and data sovereignty.
- CIAM: Customer Identity and Access Management | CIAM focuses on managing and securing customer identities at scale, enabling secure authentication, consent management, and seamless digital experiences while protecting personal data and privacy.
- DLP: Data Loss Prevention | DLP is a combination of security practices, processes, and tools that control and enforce mechanisms to prevent sensitive information from leaving the organization’s control via unauthorized means.
- DPoD: Data Protection on Demand | DPoD is a cloud-delivered service model by Thales that provides on-demand encryption, key management, and access control, allowing organizations to protect sensitive data without managing underlying infrastructure.
- DSP: Data Security Platform | A data security platform is an umbrella platform of tools that simplify the discovery, protection, and management of sensitive data within modern environments.
- DSPM: Data Security Posture Management | DSPM is a data-first solution that discovers, classifies, and identifies data risk across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.
- EKM: External Key Management | EKM refers to the use of externally managed encryption keys—often stored in on-premises or customer-controlled HSMs—to secure data in cloud services, enabling centralized key governance and separation of data and key control.
- FAM: File Activity Monitoring | FAM is a data security capability that monitors, analyzes, and alerts on file access and usage activity across on-premises and cloud environments, helping organizations detect insider threats, compromised accounts, and anomalous behavior involving sensitive files in structured and unstructured data.
- FIDO: Fast IDentity Online | FIDO is a collection of authentication protocols that enable users to sign in to apps and websites using phishing-resistant cryptographic passkeys.
- FIPS: Federal Information Processing Standards | FIPS are U.S. government standards that define security and cryptographic requirements for systems protecting sensitive information, commonly used as a benchmark for trusted encryption, key management, and hardware security modules.
- HSM: Hardware Security Module | HSMs are physical hardware devices that serve as the root of trust, safeguarding, generating, and managing cryptographic keys for increased authentication security.
- HYOK: Hold Your Own Key | HYOK is an advanced key-ownership model in which encryption keys are generated, stored, and controlled entirely outside the cloud provider’s environment, preventing the provider from accessing protected data and supporting strict data sovereignty requirements.
- IAM: Identity and Access Management | IAM is a security framework that ensures the right people have access to the right resources at the right times across cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments.
- MFA: Multi-Factor Authentication | MFA is a secure authentication method that combines credentials with additional factors, such as tokens and biometrics, to enhance the integrity of logins.
- OTP: One-Time Password | OTP is an authentication mechanism that uses a single-use, time-bound password—often delivered via hardware token, mobile app, or SMS—to reduce the risk of credential replay and unauthorized access.
- PAM: Privileged Access Management | PAM is an identity security tool that manages the way human and non-human identities with elevated access interact with critical systems and data.
- PKI: Public Key Infrastructure | PKI is a cryptographic framework that uses digital certificates and public-private key pairs to enable secure communication, authentication, and data integrity across users, devices, applications, and machines.
- PQC: Post-Quantum Cryptography | PQC focuses on quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms to mitigate the risks introduced to current encryption schemes by quantum computers.
- QKD: Quantum Key Distribution | QKD is an emerging cryptographic technique that uses the principles of quantum mechanics to securely exchange encryption keys, offering future-facing protection against threats posed by quantum computing.
- SSO: Single Sign-On | Single Sign-On is an authentication process that allows users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple cloud and enterprise applications.
- STA: SafeNet Trusted Access | STA is a cloud-based access management service offered by Thales that enables secure authentication, adaptive access control, and centralized policy enforcement for workforce, partners, and customers across cloud and hybrid environments.
- ZTNA: Zero Trust Network Access | ZTNA is a security framework that replaces implicit network trust with identity-centric, context-aware access controls, granting users and devices access only to the specific applications and resources they are authorized to use.
As the industry evolves, this list will only grow and evolve with it. Security changemakers carry incredible weight as we head into 2026, as our roles increasingly intertwine with transformational business priorities. These are exciting times that require us to stay on the cutting edge of technology, risks, and, yes—even acronyms.