PAM
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Protospacer adjacent motif |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Science & Engineering, Technology & Computing |
PAM has three meanings. The most common are Protospacer adjacent motif (genetics) and Privileged access management (cybersecurity); it can also stand for Pluggable Authentication Modules.
Meanings of PAM at a glance
| # | PAM stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Protospacer adjacent motif | Science & Engineering › Genetics |
| 2 | Privileged access management | Technology & Computing › Cybersecurity |
| 3 | Pluggable Authentication Modules | Technology & Computing › Cybersecurity |
1. Protospacer adjacent motif
Science & Engineering · Genetics Abbreviations
Short DNA sequence that must sit immediately next to a target site for a CRISPR enzyme to bind and cut. For the widely used Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 the PAM is NGG, where N is any base, which limits where edits can be made.
Example: No NGG PAM was available near the mutation, so a Cas9 variant with a relaxed PAM requirement was used.
The PAM lets bacteria tell invading viral DNA from the stored copies in their own CRISPR arrays, which lack it. Different Cas enzymes recognize different PAMs; Cas12a, for example, uses TTTV. Engineered variants such as SpRY have nearly eliminated the requirement.
2. Privileged access management
Technology & Computing · Cybersecurity Abbreviations
Security tools and practices for controlling and monitoring accounts with elevated rights, such as domain administrators, root accounts and service accounts, through password vaulting, just-in-time access and session recording.
Example: Admins now check out the domain admin password from the PAM vault, and every session is recorded.
Compromised privileged accounts feature in most serious breaches, which is why cyber insurers and auditors ask about PAM controls. Vendors include CyberArk, BeyondTrust and Delinea. On Linux, PAM more often means Pluggable Authentication Modules; vaults and admin sessions point to the access-management meaning.
3. Pluggable Authentication Modules
Technology & Computing · Cybersecurity Abbreviations
A framework on Linux and other Unix-like systems that lets administrators configure how users authenticate, such as by password, smart card or one-time code, by stacking modules in configuration files without changing applications.
Example: Add pam_google_authenticator to the SSH PAM stack to require a code at login.
Developed by Sun Microsystems in the mid-1990s; Linux-PAM is the common implementation. Configuration lives in /etc/pam.d, and one mistake there can lock every user, including root, out of a system. In corporate security PAM usually means privileged access management; configuration files and modules point to this meaning.
Related abbreviations
More genetics abbreviations
- ncRNA – Non-coding RNA
- NGS – Next-generation sequencing
- NHEJ – Non-homologous end joining
- ORF – Open reading frame
- PRS – Polygenic risk score
- QTL – Quantitative trait locus
- RFLP – Restriction fragment length polymorphism
- RNA-seq – RNA sequencing
See all 57 genetics abbreviations →
More cybersecurity abbreviations
- OSCP – Offensive Security Certified Professional
- OSINT – Open-source intelligence
- OTP – One-time password
- OWASP – Open Worldwide Application Security Project
- PCI DSS – Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
- PFS – Perfect forward secrecy
- PGP – Pretty Good Privacy
- PII – Personally identifiable information