Acronyms and abbreviations are the cornerstones of modern
technology. This growing list will mostly concentrate on those relating
to security, information technology, and some dealing with the University
itself.
NOTE: Definitions labeled with an
asterisk (*) may also be capitalized when referring to an official title.
| 3DES |
Triple DES |
| AAA |
authentication, authorization, accounting |
| ACL |
access control list |
| ADC |
analog-to-digital converter |
| ADSL |
asymmetric digital subscriber line |
| AES |
Advanced Encryption Standard |
| AHIMA |
Americal Health Information Management Association |
| AIM |
AOL Instant Messenger |
| AIS |
automated information system |
| AOL |
America Online |
| AP |
access point |
| API |
application programming interface |
| ARIN |
American Registry for Internet Numbers |
| ARP |
address resolution protocol |
| ARPA |
Advanced Research Projects Agency |
| ASC |
Accredited Standards Committee |
| ASIC |
application specific integrated circuit |
| ASIS |
American Society for Industrial Security |
| ASP |
active server page
application service provider |
| ASR |
application specific router |
| AV |
anti-virus |
| BA |
business associate * |
| BCP |
business continuity plan * |
| BGP |
Border Gateway Protocol |
| BIOS |
basic input/output system |
| BSoD |
blue screen of death (Microsoft) |
| C4ISR |
Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance,
and Reconnaissance |
| CA |
certificate authority * |
| CAIDA |
Cooperative Association for Internet Data
Analysis |
| CALEA |
Communications Assistance
to Law Enforcement Act |
| CAN |
campus area network |
| CBCP |
Certified Business Continuity Professional |
| CCNA |
Cisco Certified Network Administrator |
| CCSE |
Checkpoint Certified Security Engineer
Cisco Certified Systems Engineer |
| CD |
compact disk |
| CD-R |
compact disk - recordable |
| CD-RW |
compact disk - rewritable |
| CDT |
Central Daylight Time |
| CE |
covered entity * |
| CERT |
Computer Emergency Response Team® |
| CFE |
Certified Fraud Examiner
Certified Forensic Examiner |
| CGI |
common gateway interface |
| CHAP |
challenge-handshake authentication protocol * |
| CIA |
Central Intelligence Agency
confidentiality, integrity, and availability |
| CIAO |
Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office |
| CIO |
chief information officer * |
| CIPA |
Children's Internet Protection Act (of 1999) |
| CIRT |
Computer Incident Response Team |
| CISA |
Certified Information Systems Auditor |
| CISSP |
Certified Information Systems Security Professional |
| CIW |
Certified Internet Webmaster |
| CMS |
Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
| CNE |
Certified NetWare Engineer
Certified Network Engineer
Certified Novell Engineer |
| COBIT |
Control Objectives for Information
and related Technology |
| COM |
Component Object Model |
| .com |
URL designation for a commercial Internet
address |
| CPP |
Certified Protection Professional (ASIS) |
| CPR |
computer-based patient records |
| CPRI |
Computer-Based Patient Record Institute |
| CPU |
central processing unit |
| CRC |
cyclic redundancy check
Computing Resources Committee (UTHSCSA) |
| CSA |
Computer Security Act (of
1987) |
| CSE |
Center for Security Evaluation |
| CSMA/CD |
carrier sense multiple access/collision detect(ion) |
| CSR |
customer service representative * |
| CVE |
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures |
| DAC |
discretionary access control
digital-to-analog converter |
| DARPA |
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency |
| DDN |
Defense Data Network |
| DDoS |
distributed denial of
service |
| DDR |
double data rate (SDRAM) |
| DES |
Data Encryption Standard |
| DESX |
DES eXtended |
| DHCP |
dynamic host configuration protocol |
| DHS |
Department of Homeland Security |
| DIMM |
dual in-line memory module |
| DIR |
Department of Information Resources |
| DLL |
dynamic linked library |
| DLT |
digital linear tape |
| DMCA |
Digital Millenium
Copyright Act |
| DMZ |
demilitarized zone |
| DNS |
domain name service |
| DOD/DoD |
Department of Defense |
| DoS |
denial of service |
| DOS |
disk operating system * |
| DR |
disaster recovery |
| DRP |
disaster recovery plan* |
| DSA |
Digital Signature Algorithm |
| DSL |
digital subscriber line |
| DSS |
Digital Signature Standard |
| DVD |
digital video disk |
| DVD-R |
digital video disk - recordable |
| DVD-RAM |
digital video disk - random access memory |
| DVD-ROM |
digital video disk - read-only memory |
| DVD-RW |
digital video disk - rewritable |
| ECPA |
Electronic
Communications Privacy Act 1986 |
| EDI |
electronic data interchange |
| .edu |
URL designation for an educational Internet
address |
| EIN |
Employer Identification Number |
| EPROM |
erasable programmable read-only memory |
| ESD |
electrostatic discharge |
| EWSCP |
Enterprise and Web Security Certified Professional |
| FAQ |
frequently asked question |
| FBI |
Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| FDDI |
fiber distributed data interface |
| FERPA |
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (aka the Buckley Amendment) |
| FIFO |
first in, first out |
| FISMA |
Federal Information Security Management Act |
| FQDN |
fully-qualified domain name |
| FTE |
full-time equivalent |
| FTP |
file transfer protocol |
| FUD |
fear, uncertainty, and doubt |
| Gb |
gigabit |
| GB |
gigabyte |
| GHz |
gigahertz |
| GIAC |
Global Information Assurance Certification (SANS
Institute) |
| GIGO |
garbage in, garbage (gospel) out |
| GISRA |
Government Information Security Reform Act (of 2000) |
| GUI |
graphical user interface |
| HCFA |
Health Care Financing Administration |
| HCPCS |
HCFA Common Procedure Coding System |
| HIDS |
host-based IDS |
| HIPAA |
Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (of 1996) |
| HTML |
hypertext markup language |
| HTTP |
hypertext transfer protocol |
| IA |
Internet appliance |
| IAB |
Internet Advisory Board |
| IAIP |
Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection |
| IANA |
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority |
| IAVA |
Information Assurance & Vulnerability Assessment
Information Assurance Vulnerability Alert |
| ICANN |
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers |
| ICD |
interface control diagram/document |
| IM CSS |
Information Management Client Support Services, a department of Information Management and Services |
| ICMP |
Internet Control Message Protocol |
| ICF |
Internet connection firewall |
| ICS |
Internet connection sharing * |
| ICSA |
International Computer Security Association |
| IDEA |
International Data Encryption Algorithm |
| IDS |
intrusion detection system |
| IE |
Internet Explorer (Microsoft) |
| IETF |
Internet Engineering Task Force |
| IIHI |
Individually Identifiable Health Information |
| IIS |
Internet Information Server |
| IMS |
Information Management
& Services |
| InfoSec |
Information Security |
| IOS |
Internetworking Operating System |
| IOTP |
Internet Open Trading Protocol |
| IP |
Internet Protocol |
| IPS |
intrusion prevention system * |
| IPSec |
IP Security Protocol |
| IRM |
Information Resource Management/Manager |
| IS |
information system(s)/service(s) |
| ISACA |
Information Systems Audit and Control Association |
| ISC |
Information Security Council (UTHSCSA)
Internet
Storm Center (SANS) |
| (ISC)2 |
International Information Systems Security Certifications Consortium |
| ISDN |
Integrated Services Digital Network |
| ISO |
Information Security Officer
International
Organization for Standardization |
| ISP |
Internet service provider |
| ISSA |
Information Systems Security Association |
| IT |
information technology |
| L2F |
Layer 2 Forwarding |
| L2TP |
Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol |
| LAN |
local area network |
| LBA |
Logical Block Addressing |
| LCD |
liquid crystal display |
| LDAP |
lightweight directory access protocol |
| LEAP |
lightweight extensible authentication protocol |
| LED |
light emitting diode |
| LKM |
loadable kernel module |
| MAC |
media access control
mandatory access control |
| MAN |
metropolitan area network |
| Mb |
megabit |
| MB |
megabyte |
| MBCP |
Master Business Continuity Professional |
| Mbps |
megabits per second |
| MBps |
megabytes per second |
| MBSA |
Microsoft
Baseline Security Analyzer |
| MCP |
Microsoft Certified Professional |
| MCSE |
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer |
| MD5 |
Message Digest (version) 5 |
| MHz |
megahertz |
| MIME |
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions |
| MOSS |
MIME Object Security Services |
| MPSA |
Microsoft Personal
Security Advisor |
| MRI |
magnetic resonance imaging
machine readable information |
| MSDE |
Microsoft Data Engine |
| NAT |
network address translation |
| NCPDP |
National Council for Prescription Drug Programs |
| NCVHS |
National Committee on Vital Health Statistics |
| NDC |
National Drug Code |
| .net |
URL designation originally reserved for Internet service
provider Internet address |
| NIC |
network interface card |
| NIDS |
network-based IDS |
| NIPC |
National Infrastructure Protection Center
(FBI) |
| NIST |
National Institute for Standards and Technology |
| NMG |
Network
Management Group |
| NPI |
National Provider Identifier |
| NPRM |
Notice for Proposed Rule Making |
| NSA |
National Security Agency |
| NSCP |
Network Security Certified Professional |
| OBE |
overcome by events |
| ODBC |
open database connectivity |
| OEM |
original equipment manufacturer * |
| OLE |
object linking and embedding |
| .org |
URL designation for an organizational Internet
address; previously reserved for non-profit organizations |
| OS |
operating system |
| OSI |
Open Systems Interconnection |
| OSPF |
open shortest path first |
| P2P |
peer-to-peer |
| P3P |
Platform for Privacy Preferences Project |
| PAN |
personal area network |
| PAP |
password authentication protocol * |
| PBX |
private branch exchange * |
| PDA |
personal digital assistant |
| PDF |
portable document format * |
| PEM |
privacy enhanced mail |
| PGP |
Pretty Good Privacy |
| PHI |
protected health information |
| PII |
patient identifiable information |
| PIN |
personal identification number |
| PKCS |
public key cryptographic system * |
| PKI |
Public Key Infrastructure |
| PlanID |
(National) Plan Identifier |
| PMI |
preventive maintenance inspection * |
| PnP |
plug and play |
| PPP |
point-to-point protocol * |
| PPTP |
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol |
| PROM |
programmable read-only memory |
| POC |
point of contact * |
| POTS |
plain old telephone service |
| PSDN |
public switched data network |
| PSN |
packet switched network
public switched network |
| QoS |
quality of service |
| RADIUS |
Remote Authentication Dial-In User Server/Service |
| RAHC |
Regional Academic Health Center |
| RAM |
random access memory |
| RAS |
remote access service(s) |
| RBAC |
role-based access control |
| RFC |
request for comment |
| RFP |
request for proposal |
| RIP |
Routing Information Protocol |
| RISC |
reduced instruction set computer/chip |
| ROI |
return on investment |
| ROM |
read-only memory |
| RPC |
remote procedure call |
| RSA |
Rivest, Shamir, & Adleman |
| SA |
system administrator |
| SANS |
SysAdmin, Auditing, Networking, and Security |
| SBBoD |
spinning beach ball of death (Macintosh) |
| SCNA |
Security Certified Network Architect |
| SCNP |
Security Certified Network Professional |
| SDRAM |
synchronous dynamic random access memory |
| SDSL |
synchronous digital subscriber line |
| SEI |
Software Engineering Institute (Carnegie Mellon University) |
| SET |
secure electronic transaction |
| SHA |
Secure Hash Algorithm |
| SHS |
Secure Hash Standard |
| SIG |
special interest group |
| SIMM |
single in-line memory module |
| SMART |
Smart Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology |
| S/MIME |
Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions |
| SMS |
Systems Management Server |
| SMTP |
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol |
| SNMP |
Simple Network Management Protocol |
| SNO |
Systems and Network Operations, a department of Information Management and Services |
| SOHO |
small office-home office |
| SOL |
Sorry, out of luck (or something like that) |
| SQL |
structured query language |
| SRF |
service request form |
| SRM |
secure relationship manager |
| SSCP |
Systems Security Certified Practitioner |
| SSH |
secure shell |
| SSID |
Service Set IDentifier |
| SSL |
secure sockets layer |
| STP |
shielded twisted pair |
| SysAdmin |
system administrator |
| TAC |
Texas Administrative Code |
| TACACS |
Terminal Access Controller Access Control System |
| Tb |
terabit |
| TB |
terabyte |
| TB2 |
Timbuktu |
| TCP |
Transport Control Protocol |
| TICSA |
TruSecure ICSA Certified Security Associate |
| TLS |
transport layer security |
| TSR |
technical
support representative * |
| UCE |
unsolicited commercial e-mail |
| UDP |
user datagram protocol |
| UNC |
uniform naming convention |
| UPS |
uninterruptible power supply |
| URL |
uniform resource locator |
| USAPA |
USA PATRIOT
Act |
| USB |
universal serial bus |
| UTHSCSA |
University of Texas Health Science
Center at San Antonio |
| UTP |
unshielded twisted pair |
| VLAN |
virtual local area network |
| VNC |
virtual network connection |
| VoIP |
Voice over IP |
| VPN |
virtual private network |
| W3 |
world-wide web * |
| WAE |
Wireless Application Environment (WAP) |
| WAN |
wide area network |
| WAP |
wireless application protocol |
| WASP |
wireless application service provider |
| WDP |
Wireless Datagram Protocol (WAP) |
| WEP |
Wired Equivalent Privacy |
| WLAN |
wireless local area network |
| WML |
Wireless Markup Language |
| WSP |
Wireless Session Protocol (WAP) |
| WTLS |
Wireless Transport Layer Security |
| WTP |
Wireless Transport Protocol |
| WWW |
world-wide web * |
| XML |
extensible markup language |
| Y2K |
Year 2000 |