itlaw

Definitions

Computing

Countermeasures (also called security controls and safeguards) are

“ actions, devices, procedures, techniques, or other measures that reduce the vulnerability of an information system.[1] ”
“ [d]efensive security programs and activities which seek to protect against both foreign intelligence collection efforts and unauthorized access to, or disclosure of, protected facilities, information, and material.[2] ”
“ [a]ctions, devices, procedures, or techniques that meet or oppose (i.e., counters) a threat, a vulnerability, or an attack by eliminating or preventing it, by minimizing the harm it can cause, or by discovering and reporting it so that corrective action can be taken.[3] ”

Military

Countermeasures (also called security controls and safeguards) are

“ [a]nything which effectively negates or mitigates an adversary's ability to exploit vulnerabilities.[4] ”
“ [t]hat form of military science that, by the employment of devices and/or techniques, has as its objective the impairment of the operational effectiveness of enemy activity.[5] ”

Overview

"They can be deployed preemptively or reactively. Devices and techniques used for EW countermeasures include electro-optical-infrared countermeasures and radio frequency countermeasures."[6]

"A countermeasure can reduce any component of risk — threat, vulnerability, or consequence."[7]

References

  1. ↑ CNSSI 4009.
  2. ↑ AR 381-20, at 49.
  3. ↑ Glossary of Key Information Security Terms.
  4. ↑ OPSEC Glossary of Terms.
  5. ↑ Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms at 54.
  6. ↑ FM 3-36, at 1-7.
  7. ↑ DHS Risk Lexicon, App. A, at 44.

See also