Acute Radiation Syndrome: Radiation sickness, known as acute radiation syndrome (ARS), is a serious illness that occurs when the entire body (or most of it) receives a high dose of radiation, usually over a short period of time. More.

Consequences: Losses to a facility and the public resulting from the defeating of a mission objective. Consequence of loss may be measured in dollars, lives lost, or other measures, but should be consistent to allow for meaningful comparisons. Some consequences may be difficult to quantify, such as political damage or loss of public trust. More.

Databases documenting incidents of theft or malicious use: There exist several databases that collect information on the various recording incidents involving the trafficking or misuse of nuclear and radiological materials. See expanded definition for examples. More.

Nuclear sabotage: Nuclear terrorism involving sabotage of a nuclear facility or operation that uses nuclear materials, which results in a radiological release. More.

Nuclear terrorism: An act of terrorism in which a person or persons belonging to a terrorist organization detonates a nuclear device. Some definitions of nuclear terrorism include the sabotage of a nuclear facility and/or the detonation of a radiological device, colloquially termed a dirty bomb, but consensus is lacking. More.

Radiation Sickness: Radiation sickness, known as acute radiation syndrome (ARS), is a serious illness that occurs when the entire body (or most of it) receives a high dose of radiation, usually over a short period of time. More.

Radiological sabotage: Radiological sabotage is "any deliberate act directed against a plant or transport ... that could directly or indirectly endanger the public health and safety by exposure to radiation." More.

Radiological terrorism: Radiological terrorism is nuclear terrorism involving the use of radioactive materials or radiation producing devices/materials. More.

Threat definition: The threat definition organizes information on all potential threats to a facility. It is the information product at the base of designing a nuclear security system and consists of information about the potential targets, motivations, and capabilities of an adversary. More.

Threat spectrum: The threat spectrum is part of threat definition and presents the range of potential threats in an organized way that can be easily evaluated. Information about potential adversaries is filled into a chart, such as the one pictured below, that designers use to compare the motivations, potential targets, and capabilities of adversaries. More.