AP® Cybersecurity glossary

Security zone

Also called: higher security zone, lower security zone

Course: AP® Cybersecurity Shows up in: Unit 3: Securing Networks

A part of a network that gets its own security policy and controls, stricter for sensitive systems and looser for public-facing ones.

Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 3.3.A.13.3.B.3

Why it matters in Unit 3

Segmentation creates zones. A screened subnet is a lower security zone than the internal network, which holds the sensitive systems.

Example

The public web server sits in the screened subnet; the payroll database sits in a higher security zone that the web server cannot reach directly.

Related terms

• Network segmentation
• Screened subnet
• Virtual local area network (VLAN)