Cyber Security Acronyms (X)

XDR.   Extended Detection and Response.   A unified and tightly integrated set of tools and processes that automatically gathers, analyses, and responds to multiple types of information security data across networks, endpoints, users, and layers including email, mobile devices, servers, and cloud services. Ideally, XDR helps reduce blindspots, accelerate the detection of cyber threats, and reinforce the efficacy of countermeasures. The term was coined by Palo Alto CTO Nir Zuk in 2018.

XHR.   XMLHttpRequest.   A JavaScript object serving as an application program interface (API) that can be invoked via a web scripting language to send or request specified data to and from a server. Threat actors abuse XHR to inject malicious code into an IT system.

XML.   eXtensible Markup Language.   A simple markup language and file format widely used for describing, storing, and transmitting data. Both human- and machine-readable, XML is a flexible standard for formatting information and for exchanging structured data over the public internet as well as private networks.

XMPP.   Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol.   An open communications standard and a set of technologies formalised by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for different kinds of messaging platforms such as multi-party chat, voice and video calls, enterprise collaboration, content syndication, and data exchange using the eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

XOR.   Exclusive Or.   A logical operator that returns true  if and only if its component arguments differ (one is true while the other is false).  XOR is also known as exclusive disjunction.

XSL.   Extensible Stylesheet Language.   A family of standardised languages for defining, rendering, and presenting XML documents. These languages include —

1. XSL Transformations (XSLT), for transforming XML documents.
2. XSL Formatting Objects (XSL-FO), for specifying the visual formatting of an XML Document.
3. XML Path Language (XPath), a non-XML based language used by XSLT to execute different processes on an XML document such as string and boolean computations.”

XSRF.   Cross Site Request Forgery.   More commonly rendered as CSRF, a cyber attack wherein the threat actor tricks an authenticated user into performing an untintended action such as changing a password or transfering funds to an account controlled by the threat actor.

XSS.   Cross-site Scripting.   A cyber attack and a web security vulnerability that enables threat actors to inject malicious scripts into the client-side component of the target website or online application to be executed via the web browser of another user.

XXE.   XML External Entity (injection).   A web security vulnerability and a type of cyber attack wherein a threat actor exploits a weak XML parser to inject malicious payload into an XML input data packet via a reference to an external entity.  XXE attacks can lead to exposure of confidential data, denial of service, and server-side request forgery (SSRF).