A-Z of data protection - H is for ...

A-Z of data protection: terms you need to know

H

hacking
• the act of violating the security of a computer system, network, digital device or account through technical means
• there are three kinds of hackers. White-hat hackers, or ethical hackers, are hired by organisations to hack their own systems to detect flaws or vulnerabilities; black-hat hackers hack to steal data and perform other crimes; and grey-hat hackers hack without permission, but do not pursue criminal acts and reveal flaws to the organisation after a hack

hashing
• a method of converting user identification into a code or system, enabling tracking without using personally identifiable information

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• a US federal law governing the privacy and security of personal health information and records. HIPAA creates standards for electronic healthcare records and transactions. It also generally requires patients to opt in first before patient information can be shared with other organisations

hierarchical escalation
• security incidents are escalated to upper management or to employees of higher seniority or experience
• other types of incident escalation: functional escalation

HTTP cookies
• these are cookies that are used to monitor a user’s Internet browsing activity. They are generated by a website’s server, sent to a web browser and used for session management, personalisation and tracking. HTTP cookies identify and remember a user’s behaviour in order to deliver a more convenient, customised browsing experience
• also known as Internet cookies, web cookies or browser cookies