Piggybacking, data frames
Electronic piggybacking is a technique of temporarily delaying outgoing acknowledgements of data frames so that they can be attached to the next outgoing data frames.
Piggybacking entry
Unauthorized physical access gained to a facility or a computer system via another user’s legitimate entry or system connection. It is same as tailgating.
Pilot testing
Using a limited version of software in restricted conditions to discover if the programs operate as intended.
Ping-of-Death attack
Sends a series of oversized packets via the ping command. The ping server reassembles the packets at the host machine. The result is that the attack could hang, crash, or reboot the system. This is an example of buffer overflow attack.
PIV issuer
An authorized identity card creator that procures blank identity cards, initializes them with appropriate software and data elements for the requested identity verification and access control application, personalizes the cards with the identity credentials of the authorized subjects, and delivers the personalized cards to the authorized subjects along with appropriate instructions for protection and use.
PIV registrar
An entity that establishes and vouches for the identity of an applicant to a PIV issuer. The PIV registrar authenticates the applicant’s identity by checking identity source documents and identity proofing, and ensures a proper background check has been completed, before the credential is issued.
PIV sponsor
An individual who can act on behalf of a department or organization to request a PIV card for an applicant.
Plain old telephone service (POTS)
A basic and conventional voice telephone system with a wireline (wired) telecommunication connection. POTS contains a POTS coder decoder (CODEC) as a digital audio device and a POTS filter (DSL filter). Three major components of POTS include local loops (analog twisted pairs going into houses and businesses), trunks (digital fiber optics connecting the switching offices), and switching offices (where calls are moved from one trunk to another). A potential risk or disadvantage of POTS is eavesdropping due to physical access to tap a telephone line or penetration of a switch. An advantage of POTS or mobile phone is that they can serve as a backup for PBX and VoIP system during a cable modem outage or DSL line outage.
Plaintext
(1) Data input to the cipher or output from the inverse cipher. (2) Intelligible data that has meaning and can be read, understood, or acted upon without the application of decryption (i.e., plain, clear text, unencrypted text, or usable data). (3) Usable data that is formatted as input to a mode of operation.
Plaintext key
An unencrypted cryptographic key.
Plan of action and milestones (POA&M)
A document that identifies tasks needing to be accomplished. It details resources required to accomplish the elements of the plan, any milestones in meeting the tasks, and scheduled completion dates for the milestones.
Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle
The PDCA cycle is a core management tool for problem solving and quality improvement. The “plan” calls for developing an implementation plan for initial effort followed by organization-wide effort. The “do” part carries out the plan on a small scale using a pilot organization, and later on a large scale. The “check” part evaluates lessons learned by pilot organization. The “act” part uses lessons learned to improve the implementation.
Platform
(1) A combination of hardware and the most prevalent operating system for that hardware. (2) It is the hardware and systems software on which applications software is developed and operated. (3) It is the hardware, software, and communications required to provide the processing environments to support one or more application software systems. (4) It is the foundation technology (bottom-most layer) of a computer system. (5) It is also referred to the type of computer (hardware) or operating system (software) being used.
Point-to-point network
Adjacent nodes communicating with one another.
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) is a character-oriented protocol. It is a data-link framing protocol used to frame data packets on point-to-point lines. It is used to connect a remote workstation over a phone line and to connect home computers to the Internet. The Internet needs PPP for router-to-router traffic and for home user-to-ISP traffic. PPP provides features such as link control protocol (LCP) and network control protocol (NCP). PPP is a multiprotocol framing mechanism for use over modems, HDLC bit-serial lines, and SONET networks. PPP supports error detection, option negotiation, header compression, and reliable transmission using an HDLC. PPP uses byte stuffing on dial-up modem lines, so all frames are an integral number of bytes. PPP is a variant of the HDLC data-link framing protocol and includes PAP, CHAP, and others.
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)
A protocol that provides encryption and authentication services for remote dial-up and LAN-to-LAN connections. It has a control session and a data session.
Policy
A document that delineates the security management structure and clearly assigns security responsibilities and lays the foundation necessary to reliably measure progress and compliance.
Policy- Based Access Control (PBAC)
A form of access control that uses an authorization policy that is flexible in the types of evaluated parameters (e.g., identity, role, clearance, operational need, risk, and heuristics).
Policy decision point (PDP)
Mechanism that examines requests to access resources, and compares them to the policy that applies to all requests for accessing that resource to determine whether specific access should be granted to the particular requester who issued the request under consideration.
Policy enforcement point (PEP)
Mechanism (e.g., access control mechanism of a file system or Web server) that actually protects (in terms of controlling access to) the resources exposed by Web services.
Polyinstantiation
Polyinstantiation allows a relation to contain multiple rows with the same primary key; the multiple instances are distinguished by their security levels.
Polymorphism
Polymorphism refers to being able to apply a generic operation to data of different types. For each type, a different piece of code is defined to execute the operation. In the context of object systems, polymorphism means that an object’s response to a message is determined by the class to which it belongs.
Pop-up window
A standalone Web browser pane that opens automatically when a Web page is loaded or a user performs an action designed to trigger a pop-up window.
Port
(1) A physical entry or exit point of a cryptographic module that provides access to the module for physical signals represented by logical information flows (physically separated ports do not share the same physical pin or wire). (2) An interface mechanism (e.g., a connector, a pin, or a cable) between a peripheral device (e.g., terminal) and the CPU.
Port protection device (PPD)
A port protection device is fitted to a communication port of a host computer and authorizes access to the port itself, prior to and independent of the computer’s own access control functions.