August 2025

Glossary of Cybersecurity Acronyms Every Leader Should Know

Empowering Boards and Business Leaders with Essential Cybersecurity Terminology

In today’s threat landscape, cybersecurity is no longer just an IT concern - it’s a boardroom priority. Executives and stakeholders are expected to navigate risk, compliance, and business continuity conversations that increasingly involve technical cybersecurity concepts. Unfortunately, this dialogue often gets lost in translation because of jargon and acronyms.

To bridge that gap, we've compiled a business-friendly glossary of the most important cybersecurity acronyms - the kind of terms that appear in executive reports, board briefings, vendor assessments, and post-incident reviews.

Whether you're a CEO, CFO, board director, or business leader, this list is your quick reference guide to understanding what your cybersecurity team is talking about - and what it means for your business.

Core Cybersecurity Acronyms Explained

EPP – Endpoint Protection Platform

A software solution that prevents malware and other threats from infecting endpoints (like laptops, desktops, and servers).
Think: Antivirus on steroids.

EDR – Endpoint Detection and Response

Goes beyond prevention to detect, investigate, and respond to suspicious activity on endpoints.
Why it matters: Most breaches start at the endpoint.

XDR – Extended Detection and Response

An integrated approach that pulls together data from endpoints, networks, identities, and cloud to give a broader view of threats.
Exec benefit: Centralised visibility and faster incident response.

NDR – Network Detection and Response

Monitors traffic across your network to detect lateral movement, command-and-control (C2), and policy violations—even in systems where EDR can’t be deployed (e.g., firewalls, hypervisors).
Example: Spotting attacker activity that avoids endpoint detection, such as in UNC3886-style attacks.

SIEM – Security Information and Event Management

Collects and correlates logs from across your environment to help detect and respond to threats.
Good to know: Often the foundation of compliance reporting and incident detection.

SOAR – Security Orchestration, Automation and Response

Automates repetitive tasks and integrates security tools to streamline response processes.
Board-level impact: Reduces mean time to respond (MTTR) and dependence on scarce security talent.

MITRE ATT&CK – Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge

A framework that maps how real-world attackers operate—from initial access to data exfiltration.
Use case: Benchmark your detection and defence capabilities against real adversary behaviours.

IOC – Indicator of Compromise

A piece of evidence (like a malicious IP or file hash) that suggests a breach or attack has occurred.
Useful but limited: Only effective for known threats - not zero-days or custom malware.

TTP – Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures

Describes how attackers behave, not just what tools they use.
Modern security focuses on detecting TTPs - making them resilient to constantly evolving threats.

ITDR – Identity Threat Detection and Response

A new frontier in security that monitors user identities, accounts, and authentication activity to detect misuse or compromise.
Example: Catching an attacker misusing admin credentials after breaching a vCenter server.

VIB – vSphere Installation Bundle

A packaging format used to install software onto VMware ESXi hosts.
Risk: Attackers like UNC3886 have used malicious VIBs to implant backdoors into virtual infrastructure.

C2 – Command and Control

The communication channel between a compromised system and the attacker's infrastructure.
Detection priority: Hidden C2 is how attackers steal data, issue commands, or pivot laterally.

Bonus Acronyms Worth Knowing

Final Thoughts

Acronyms like XDR, NDR, CDR, ITDR, and SOAR aren't just buzzwords - they're building blocks of modern cyber defence. Understanding them empowers leaders to:

• Ask smarter questions

• Hold vendors accountable

• Support cybersecurity investments

• Respond effectively when incidents occur

Want to see these acronyms in action? Contact Matrium today.