False Positive
Noun · Security & Infosec
Definitions
A case where a security control incorrectly flags benign behavior, data, or software as malicious or noncompliant. Too many false positives waste analyst time and can cause teams to ignore important alerts.
In plain English: A harmless thing incorrectly flagged as a threat.
Example: "The rule caught malware, but the false positive rate was so high analysts had stopped trusting it."