firecall

English

Etymology

fire +‎ call

Noun

firecall (plural firecalls)

1. A call of fire alarm to a fire station.
2. (computer security) A request for provision of emergency access to a computer system in order to fix a problem
   • 1996 August, Computer Incident Response Guidebook, NAVSO P-5239-19, Department of the Navy

     Firecall procedures must include provisions for verifying the identity of the person who needs a password or encryption key during an emergency.

   • 2001 December, Thomas R. Peltier, Information Security Policies, Procedures, and Standards, CRC Press, page 283:

     Special procedures and audited “firecall” userids have been established for application, system, and network troubleshooting activities.

   • 2003 September, Terri Hill et al., HP NonStop Server Security, Digital Press, page 92:

     All Privileged IDs should be treated as ‘check out’ or ‘firecall’ IDs.

Derived terms

• on firecall