N

NCSC

National Computer Security Center.

Need-to-know

A status granted to an individual that defines his requirements regarding only the essential information needed to perform his or her assigned job function.

Network address translation (NAT)

The process of converting internal, privately used addresses in a network to external public addresses. NAT is usually performed on a border router.

Neural networks

A type of artificial intelligence system that approximates the function of the human nervous system.

NIACAP (National Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process)

Formalizes the certification and accreditation process for U.S. government national security information systems.

NIC (Network Interface Card)

An adaptor that permits a computer or other system to be connected to a network.

NIST

U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Non-interference model

Ensures that the actions of different objects and subjects aren’t seen by, and don’t interfere with, other objects and subjects on the same system.

Non-repudiation

The inability for a user to deny an action because his identity is positively associated with the action.