This glossary is from Learning Ransomware Response & Recovery by W. Curtis Preston and Dr. Mike Saylor. Browse all letters of the glossary or get the book.
Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) – Logical network segmentation that groups devices regardless of physical location.
Virtual Machine (VM) – Software-based computer running within a hypervisor, allowing complete isolation and snapshot capabilities valuable for recovery.
Virtual Private Network (VPN) – Encrypted connection over the internet providing secure remote access to networks.
VirtualBox – Free virtualization platform for creating isolated virtual machines.
VirusTotal – Free service that analyzes files and URLs using 70+ antivirus engines to identify malware variants.
VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) – Network segmentation technology isolating groups of devices to limit ransomware spread.
VLANs (Virtual LANs) – Logically separated network segments used to isolate systems and limit lateral movement of attacks.
VMware Workstation – Commercial virtualization platform for creating isolated testing environments.
Volatile Memory – RAM contents that disappear when power is lost, containing critical forensic evidence like encryption keys and active malware artifacts.
Volatility Framework – Open-source tool for analyzing memory dumps to extract processes, encryption keys, and network connections.
Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) – Windows service that creates point-in-time copies of files or volumes for backup and recovery.
Volume Snapshot – Point-in-time copy of an entire storage volume, capturing all data at a specific moment.
Vulnerability Scanner – Tool that automatically scans systems for known security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.