Reference Cheatsheet
Quick reference for acronyms and TCP/UDP ports you need to know for the CPSA exam.
Showing 125 of 125 acronyms
| Acronym | Full Name | Mod |
|---|---|---|
| CMA | Computer Misuse ActUK law criminalising unauthorised computer access (1990) | A |
| DPA | Data Protection ActUK legislation governing processing of personal data (1998/2018) | A |
| HRA | Human Rights ActUK law — Article 8 right to privacy relevant to testing (1998) | A |
| PJA | Police and Justice ActUK amendment to CMA adding DoS offences (2006) | A |
| ROE | Rules of EngagementDocument defining scope, boundaries, and authorisations for a pen test | A |
| NDA | Non-Disclosure AgreementLegal contract protecting confidential information during assessments | A |
| TCP | Transmission Control ProtocolConnection-oriented, reliable Layer 4 protocol with three-way handshake | B |
| UDP | User Datagram ProtocolConnectionless, unreliable Layer 4 protocol — faster but no delivery guarantee | B |
| ICMP | Internet Control Message ProtocolUsed for diagnostics (ping, traceroute) and error reporting | B |
| IP | Internet ProtocolLayer 3 protocol responsible for addressing and routing packets | B |
| IPv4 | Internet Protocol version 432-bit addressing (4.3 billion addresses), dotted-decimal notation | B |
| IPv6 | Internet Protocol version 6128-bit addressing, hexadecimal colon notation, designed to replace IPv4 | B |
| ARP | Address Resolution ProtocolMaps IP addresses to MAC addresses on local network segments | B |
| VLAN | Virtual Local Area NetworkLogical network segmentation at Layer 2 using 802.1Q tagging | B |
| NAT | Network Address TranslationTranslates private IPs to public IPs for internet access | B |
| ACL | Access Control ListRules on firewalls/routers that permit or deny traffic based on criteria | B |
| OSI | Open Systems InterconnectionSeven-layer network reference model (Physical through Application) | B |
| TTL | Time to LiveIP header field decremented at each hop — used for OS fingerprinting | B |
| MTU | Maximum Transmission UnitLargest packet size a network link can carry (typically 1500 bytes for Ethernet) | B |
| DES | Data Encryption StandardLegacy 56-bit symmetric cipher — considered insecure, replaced by AES | B |
| 3DES | Triple Data Encryption StandardApplies DES three times (168-bit effective) — deprecated but still found | B |
| AES | Advanced Encryption StandardCurrent standard symmetric cipher: 128/192/256-bit key lengths | B |
| RSA | Rivest-Shamir-AdlemanAsymmetric (public key) cryptosystem for encryption and digital signatures | B |
| RC4 | Rivest Cipher 4Stream cipher — deprecated due to known biases, formerly used in WEP/SSL | B |
| SHA | Secure Hash AlgorithmFamily of cryptographic hash functions: SHA-1 (160-bit, deprecated), SHA-256/512 | B |
| MD5 | Message Digest 5128-bit hash — broken for collision resistance, still used for checksums | B |
| HMAC | Hash-based Message Authentication CodeUses a hash function with a secret key for message integrity verification | B |
| SSL | Secure Sockets LayerDeprecated predecessor to TLS — SSLv2 and SSLv3 are insecure | B |
| TLS | Transport Layer SecuritySuccessor to SSL — provides encryption, integrity, and authentication for network traffic | B |
| IPsec | IP SecuritySuite of protocols securing IP communications (AH for integrity, ESP for encryption) | B |
| SSH | Secure ShellEncrypted remote access protocol — replaces Telnet, rlogin, rsh (port 22) | B |
| PGP | Pretty Good PrivacyEmail encryption using public key cryptography | B |
| WEP | Wired Equivalent PrivacyBroken wireless encryption using RC4 — trivially crackable, never use | B |
| WPA | Wi-Fi Protected AccessInterim wireless security standard using TKIP — superseded by WPA2 | B |
| WPA2 | Wi-Fi Protected Access 2Current wireless security standard using AES-CCMP | B |
| TKIP | Temporal Key Integrity ProtocolWPA encryption protocol — has weaknesses, replaced by CCMP in WPA2 | B |
| IDS | Intrusion Detection SystemMonitors network traffic for suspicious activity — passive alerting | B |
| IPS | Intrusion Prevention SystemActive version of IDS that can block malicious traffic inline | B |
| PKI | Public Key InfrastructureFramework for managing digital certificates and public key encryption | B |
| CA | Certificate AuthorityTrusted entity that issues and signs digital certificates | B |
| OSINT | Open Source IntelligenceGathering information from publicly available sources | C |
| DNS | Domain Name SystemTranslates domain names to IP addresses (hierarchical naming system) | C |
| WHOIS | WHOIS (not an acronym)Protocol/database for querying domain registration and IP allocation data | C |
| SOA | Start of AuthorityDNS record defining the authoritative nameserver and zone parameters | C |
| MX | Mail ExchangeDNS record specifying mail servers responsible for a domain | C |
| NS | Name ServerDNS record delegating a zone to an authoritative nameserver | C |
| PTR | Pointer RecordDNS record for reverse DNS lookups (IP to hostname) | C |
| CNAME | Canonical NameDNS alias record pointing one domain name to another | C |
| TXT | Text RecordDNS record for arbitrary text — used for SPF, DKIM, domain verification | C |
| AXFR | Authoritative Zone TransferDNS mechanism to replicate zone data — security risk if publicly accessible | C |
| SPF | Sender Policy FrameworkDNS TXT record defining authorised email sending servers for a domain | C |
| DKIM | DomainKeys Identified MailEmail authentication using digital signatures in DNS TXT records | C |
| RIR | Regional Internet RegistryOrganisation managing IP address allocation (ARIN, RIPE, APNIC, etc.) | C |
| SNMP | Simple Network Management ProtocolUsed to manage/monitor network devices — community strings act as passwords | D |
| TFTP | Trivial File Transfer ProtocolSimple file transfer with no authentication (UDP port 69) — used for firmware/config | D |
| NTP | Network Time ProtocolTime synchronisation protocol — can be abused for amplification attacks | D |
| CDP | Cisco Discovery ProtocolCisco proprietary Layer 2 protocol leaking device info — should be disabled on edge ports | D |
| HSRP | Hot Standby Router ProtocolCisco redundancy protocol — cleartext authentication can be intercepted | D |
| VRRP | Virtual Router Redundancy ProtocolOpen standard for router redundancy — similar to HSRP | D |
| VTP | VLAN Trunking ProtocolCisco protocol for VLAN management — VTP attacks can modify VLAN configs network-wide | D |
| STP | Spanning Tree ProtocolPrevents Layer 2 loops — STP manipulation can redirect traffic | D |
| TACACS+ | Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System PlusCisco AAA protocol — encrypts full packet body (better than RADIUS) | D |
| RADIUS | Remote Authentication Dial-In User ServiceAAA protocol — only encrypts password, not entire payload | D |
| SIP | Session Initiation ProtocolVoIP signalling protocol — often unencrypted, enabling call interception | D |
| RTP | Real-time Transport ProtocolCarries actual voice/video data in VoIP — can be intercepted and reconstructed | D |
| EAP | Extensible Authentication ProtocolAuthentication framework used in wireless (WPA-Enterprise) and 802.1X | D |
| LEAP | Lightweight EAPCisco proprietary wireless auth — broken, vulnerable to dictionary attacks | D |
| PEAP | Protected EAPCreates TLS tunnel for inner authentication — more secure than LEAP | D |
| DHCP | Dynamic Host Configuration ProtocolAutomatically assigns IP addresses — rogue DHCP servers can redirect traffic | D |
| IKE | Internet Key ExchangeProtocol for establishing IPsec security associations (phase 1 & 2) | D |
| PCAP | Packet CaptureFile format for captured network traffic — analysed with Wireshark/tcpdump | D |
| AD | Active DirectoryMicrosoft directory service for identity management and Group Policy | E |
| DC | Domain ControllerServer running AD that authenticates users and enforces security policy | E |
| FSMO | Flexible Single Master OperationsFive AD roles: Schema Master, Domain Naming Master, RID Master, PDC Emulator, Infrastructure Master | E |
| GC | Global CatalogueAD server holding a partial copy of all objects in the forest (port 3268/3269) | E |
| GPO | Group Policy ObjectAD mechanism for centrally managing security settings across domain computers | E |
| SMB | Server Message BlockFile sharing protocol — port 445 (direct) or 139 (over NetBIOS) | E |
| NTLM | NT LAN ManagerChallenge-response authentication protocol — v1 is weak, v2 is stronger | E |
| LM | LAN ManagerLegacy password hash format — extremely weak (case-insensitive, split into 7-char halves) | E |
| SAM | Security Account ManagerWindows database storing local account password hashes | E |
| LDAP | Lightweight Directory Access ProtocolProtocol for querying and modifying directory services like AD (port 389/636) | E |
| WSUS | Windows Server Update ServicesMicrosoft tool for managing and distributing patches across enterprises | E |
| MBSA | Microsoft Baseline Security AnalyzerTool scanning for missing patches and common security misconfigurations | E |
| OWA | Outlook Web Access/AppWeb-based Exchange email interface — common target for password spraying | E |
| EWS | Exchange Web ServicesAPI for programmatic access to Exchange mailboxes, calendars, contacts | E |
| RDP | Remote Desktop ProtocolMicrosoft remote GUI access protocol (port 3389) | E |
| SID | Security IdentifierUnique identifier assigned to each security principal (user, group, computer) in Windows | E |
| RID | Relative IdentifierThe unique portion of a SID within a domain — RID Master allocates RID blocks | E |
| NFS | Network File SystemUnix file sharing protocol — uses UID/GID for access control | F |
| NIS | Network Information ServiceCentralised user management (formerly Yellow Pages) — can leak password data | F |
| RPC | Remote Procedure CallProtocol for executing procedures on remote systems (portmapper on port 111) | F |
| SUID | Set User IDUnix file permission — binary runs with file owner privileges (security risk if root-owned) | F |
| SGID | Set Group IDUnix file permission — binary runs with file group privileges | F |
| UID | User IdentifierNumeric ID for Unix users — root is UID 0 | F |
| GID | Group IdentifierNumeric ID for Unix groups | F |
| SMTP | Simple Mail Transfer ProtocolEmail delivery protocol (port 25) — VRFY/EXPN commands enable user enumeration | F |
| FTP | File Transfer ProtocolCleartext file transfer (port 21) — anonymous access and bounce attacks are risks | F |
| HTTP | HyperText Transfer ProtocolFoundation of web communication (port 80) — cleartext | G |
| HTTPS | HTTP SecureHTTP over TLS (port 443) — encrypted web communication | G |
| SOAP | Simple Object Access ProtocolXML-based web service communication protocol | G |
| REST | Representational State TransferArchitectural style for web APIs using standard HTTP methods | G |
| API | Application Programming InterfaceInterface allowing software components to communicate | G |
| CGI | Common Gateway InterfaceLegacy mechanism for dynamic web content — executes new process per request | G |
| ISAPI | Internet Server APIIIS extension mechanism — filters run in-process with IIS | G |
| AJAX | Asynchronous JavaScript and XMLClient-side technique for making background HTTP requests | G |
| XSS | Cross-Site ScriptingInjection of malicious JavaScript into web pages viewed by others | H |
| SQLi | SQL InjectionInjection of malicious SQL through unsanitised user input | H |
| XXE | XML External EntityAttack exploiting XML parsers to read files or perform SSRF | H |
| CSRF | Cross-Site Request ForgeryForces authenticated user to perform unintended actions on a web app | H |
| IDOR | Insecure Direct Object ReferenceAccess control flaw — manipulating resource IDs to access other users' data | H |
| LFI | Local File InclusionVulnerability allowing inclusion of local server files via user input | H |
| RFI | Remote File InclusionVulnerability allowing inclusion of remote files — enables code execution | H |
| SSRF | Server-Side Request ForgeryMaking the server send requests to internal/external resources | H |
| CSP | Content Security PolicyHTTP header controlling which resources a browser can load — mitigates XSS | H |
| HSTS | HTTP Strict Transport SecurityHTTP header forcing browsers to use HTTPS only | H |
| WAF | Web Application FirewallSecurity appliance filtering malicious HTTP traffic to web applications | H |
| OWASP | Open Web Application Security ProjectNon-profit producing web security guidance — OWASP Top 10 is widely referenced | H |
| STRIDE | Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, DoS, Elevation of PrivilegeMicrosoft threat modelling framework | H |
| DOM | Document Object ModelBrowser representation of HTML — DOM-based XSS occurs in client-side JS | I |
| BeEF | Browser Exploitation FrameworkTool for hooking browsers via XSS for client-side exploitation | I |
| RDBMS | Relational Database Management SystemDatabase system using tables with rows and columns (SQL-based) | J |
| TNS | Transparent Network SubstrateOracle network protocol for database communication (port 1521) | J |
| ODBC | Open Database ConnectivityStandard API for database access — connection strings contain credentials | J |
| OLE DB | Object Linking and Embedding DatabaseMicrosoft API for uniform data access across different data stores | J |
| TDS | Tabular Data StreamProtocol used by MS SQL Server for client-server communication | J |