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عربيcarjacking
The theft of a vehicle from its driver by force, violence, and intimidation (also referred to as a vehicle hijacking).
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Glossary English
The Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF) developed this Glossary to facilitate a common understanding of terms frequently used in security risk management.
The terms and definitions have been drawn from a range of trusted resources, including GISF’s own publications. They have also been informed by a working group of GISF members.
The GISF Glossary is available in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Arabic. The site has been designed to enable easy navigation between terms in each language, supporting more consistent and accurate communication across language barriers.
The GISF Glossary is reviewed and updated regularly, to reflect new terms and changing definitions within the security risk management sector. If you have a term you would like to add to the Glossary or a suggested amendment, please contact us through our feedback form.
C
casualty evacuation (CASEVAC)
Casualty evacuation refers to the movement of a sick/injured person by non-medical transport, with no medical support on-board. With a CASEVAC the emphasis is on moving a person with an acute or life-threatening condition urgently from their current location to the nearest medical facility so they can receive care.
Related terms: evacuation , medical evacuation (MEDEVAC)
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charges
Formal legal accusation made by a governmental authority asserting that a person or organisation has committed a crime.
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checkpoint
A barrier or manned entrance erected to monitor or control the movement of people and vehicles. Checkpoints may be formal or informal, and permanent or random. Illegal checkpoints or roadblocks are often a source of harassment, or used to gain money, goods, or commit crimes.
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chemical weapon
An instrument or device used to disperse chemical compounds, usually toxic agents, in order to kill, injure, or incapacitate people.
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civil unrest
An umbrella term to describe a wide spectrum of violent and non-violent group acts. Civil unrest can be manifested as limited political violence (such as acts of ‘terrorism’, individual assassinations, etc.), sporadic violent collective action (such as riots), or nonviolent and mildly violent collective action (such as protests, demonstrations, etc.) – all of which tend to take place in times of peace.
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civil-military coordination
Essential dialogue and interaction between military forces and humanitarian organisations/civilian actors to promote humanitarian principles, secure access, protect staff and beneficiaries, and in some instances, to support the delivery of assistance. Alternative terms include CMCoord and Humanitarian Military Interaction (HMI). Civil-military coordination is a humanitarian concept, whereas civil-military co-operation (CIMIC) is the military concept.
Source: NGO Security Toolbox, GISF
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communications tree
A phone, text, email, and social media distribution list for all stakeholders and individuals that may need to be contacted in a crisis. It should have a clear indication of who is responsible for contacting each group or person on the list, and in which format. This allows information to be cascaded down the tree rapidly.
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confidentiality
A set of rules or a promise to keep specific information private, or to only disclose information to a limited number of persons. Maintaining confidentiality means not disclosing any information at any time to any party without the informed consent of the person concerned.
Related terms: disclosure
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consequential loss
A secondary result ensuing from an action or decision. From an insurance or security standpoint, it consists of additional costs, loss, or damage beyond the value of the asset lost or damaged, including other indirect costs.
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context analysis
A systematic process of understanding the environment in which an organisation operates to identify potential security threats and vulnerabilities. It often entails an activity to identify the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (e.g. PESTEL) factors that influence risk in the context where your organisation is working and provides insight into how these factors may affect your organisation, staff, and programmes.
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contingency plan
A set of pre-established procedures and measures adapted to your local context that guide staff in coordinating a rapid and effective response to specific security incidents or situations. These plans aim to minimise the impact of security incidents, ensure business continuity and facilitate rapid and effective responses.
Source: NGO Security Toolbox, GISF
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control
A measure and/or mechanism that maintains and/or modifies risk. A control in security risk management includes any process, policy, procedure, device or practice to mitigate risk. These controls can be preventive (e.g. physical security), detective (e.g. audits and reviews) or corrective (e.g. incident response) in nature.
Related terms: risk mitigation
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convoy
A group of vehicles (or ships) travelling together in an organised manner for mutual support and protective purposes.
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counter-terrorism
Actions and strategies used by governments and security forces (police, military) to monitor, disrupt, prevent, and investigate terrorist activity. For example, counter-terrorism laws and other measures intended to limit the provision of funds to specific groups in order to prevent them carrying out terrorist acts.
Related terms: terrorism
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coup
A sudden, often violent, and unlawful seizure of power from a government (also referred to as a coup d’état). Whether successful or not, or violent or not, an attempted coup may be politically destabilising.
Related terms: armed rebellion , mutiny
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crisis
An event (or series of events) that significantly disrupts an organisation’s normal operations and has severe consequences for individual staff or the organisation, requiring an immediate response beyond normal management mechanisms to restore order and normality. Crises can include events threatening an organisation’s reputation, image, programmes, assets, financial stability, or the safety and security of its staff. In this last case, a crisis may be precipitated by a critical incident.
Related terms: critical incident , incident
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crisis management exercise (CME)
A controlled activity designed to simulate real-life situations for the purpose of training, assessing crisis management capabilities, and testing response procedures and plans. CMEs are proactive tools used to progressively build an organisation’s capacity to manage a wide range of critical situations involving staff and operations.
Related terms: scenario-based planning
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crisis management plan
An organisation-wide document that describes the mechanisms, responsibilities, and protocols to be activated by an organisation in the event of a crisis (also referred to as a crisis management protocol).
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crisis management team (CMT)
A designated group created and activated for the purpose of managing an organisation’s response to a crisis and liaising with all stakeholders involved. The CMT composition and role varies according to the type of crisis or situation, its location and the level of support required.
Related terms: decision-making authority (DMA) , incident management team (IMT)
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critical incident
An event or series of events that seriously threatens the welfare of personnel, potentially resulting in death, life-threatening injury or illness. Most critical incidents do not have wider impacts on the organisation as a whole and are thus managed by regular management structures, with additional support from headquarters if required. A critical incident can become a crisis when its nature, severity or broader consequences for an organisation warrant a response beyond the capacity of regular management structures.
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crossfire
Any situation in which small arms fire is used indiscriminately or weapons are being fired from two or more directions passing through the same area. In this situation, individuals may not be specifically targeted, but their presence puts them at risk of being shot.
Related terms: shooting
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curfew
The imposition of restrictions regarding travel and movement, often requiring everyone to stay home between particular times.
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cyber attack
An attempt to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorised access to computer systems, networks, or devices (also referred to as a cybercrime or hack).
Related terms: cyber exploitation
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cyber exploitation
The act of monitoring and related espionage on computer systems, often over an extended period, in order to obtain information or to copy data from these systems (also referred to as cyber espionage).
Related terms: cyber attack , cyber security
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cyber security
The protection of devices, services, networks and data from unauthorised access, attacks, damage, or theft. Cyber security involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks related to digital assets to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.
Related terms: cyber attack , cyber exploitation
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