SECURITYINFORMATION

Security information refers to data and metadata that describe the security state and controls of information assets, systems, and networks. It includes details about access permissions, authentication events, protection mechanisms, and related policies. The term is used across IT, cybersecurity, and organizational governance to support risk management and compliance.

Typical elements include access control settings (owners, groups, and permissions), audit and event logs, configuration baselines, vulnerability and asset inventories, incident reports, and encryption or key-management metadata. Security information may be stored in security descriptors, policy documents, or within security information and event management systems.

Collection and management involve sources such as operating systems, applications, network devices, cloud services, and security tools (SIEM, IDS/IPS, EDR). Information can be structured (logs, tickets) or unstructured (reports) and is governed by privacy, retention, and integrity requirements.

Applications include detecting and investigating incidents, enforcing access and data protection policies, supporting regulatory compliance, risk assessment, and audit readiness. Organizations define security information models and use governance processes to ensure accuracy and protection against tampering.

In software and operating system contexts, SECURITY_INFORMATION is a term used in certain APIs (for example, in Windows) to indicate which parts of a security descriptor should be retrieved or modified, illustrating how security information intersects with programmatic access control.