Contact Information:
Additional Information:
Vulnerability - The term refers to any weakness in any system (either hardware or
software) that allows intruders to gain unauthorized access or deny service.
Vulnerability Assessments - A series of computer security tests, such as port scanning,
hacker tool detection, virus scanning, and firewall testing, that are used to conduct
security vulnerability assessments.
Vulnerability Tests - There are specific security tests, such as port scanning, hacker
tool detection, virus scanning, and firewall testing, that are used to conduct security
vulnerability assessments.
W
WAN - Wide Area Network. Generally considered a network that covers a large area.
Is designated to connect multiple LAN’s together.
War Chalking - Part of the hacker technique called Drive-By-Hacking on wireless Internet
connections. The act of making chalk marks on outdoor surfaces (walls, sidewalks,
buildings, sign posts, trees) to indicate the existence of an unsecured wireless
network and Internet connection. This chalk marking indicates to other hackers of
an open Internet connection so that others can benefit from the wireless access for
free.
Wardrivers - People who identify, map and use wireless access points - usually individual
home comuters without adequate protection.
Web Server - A computer or computers that store all the web pages from an Internet
site.
White Hat Hacker - White hat describes a hacker or cracker who identifies a security
weakness in a computer system or network but, instead of taking malicious advantage
of it, exposes the weakness in a way that will allow the program developers to fix
the breach before it goes public and can be taken advantage of by others. White
hat hackers consider themselves the “good guys.”
Whois - A web site or program that gives you details about the owner of a specific
IP address. Users can enter the IP address of an invading computer on one of these
“whois” web sites or programs to find out who pinged or hit their computer and see
details about the intruder or the source of intrusion.
Windows Operating System - The main computer operating system used in the world today
developed by Microsoft.
World Wide Web - Also called “WWW.” All the resources and users on the Internet
that are using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The WWW is the entire online
universe of network-accessible information.
Worm - Similar to a virus, it is a harmful program that replicates itself over a
computer network and through email that usually performs malicious actions, such
as using up the computer’s resources and possibly shutting the system down.
Z
Zipping - Zipping is the act of packaging a set of files into a single file or archive
that is called a zip file. Usually, the files in a zip file are compressed so that
they take up less space in storage or take less time to send to someone.
Zombie Computer - A computer that has been successfully hacked and is now controlled
by a hacker without the knowledge of the computer owner. Zombies are used by hackers
to launch DoS attacks on other computers and web servers. Zombie computers can be
“awakened” at any time by the hacker to carry out their attacks on other people.
The hacker sends commands to the zombie computer through open ports or other backdoors.
Copyright © 2009 Warren Franklin Diversified Promotions LLC Enterprise – All Rights
Reserved
Internet Security Terms & Definitions
T
Tabnapping - Exploits tabbed browser system in modern browsers such as Firefox and
Internet Explorer making users believe they are viewing a familiar page such as G-mail,
Hotmail, or Facebook. Criminals can steal the logins and passwords when users enter
them on the hoax pages.
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The basic communication
language or protocol of the Internet. It is also widely used as a communications
protocol in LANs or private networks.
Terminal - A computer-like device that enables you to communicate with a computer.
Generally, a terminal is a combination of keyboard and display screen. There are
three common types of terminals, intelligent, smart and dumb terminals. In networks,
a terminal can be a desktop computer or PC that is connected to the mainframe or
main server.
Traceroute - Traceroute is a utility that records the route through the Internet
between your computer and a specified destination computer. Hackers use traceroute
programs to route back to a victim’s computer.
U
Upload - When a user sends information from their computer to another.
User Identification - User identification is the process by which a user identifies
himself to the system as valid. (As opposed to authentication, which is the process
of establishing that the user is indeed that specific user and has a right to use
the system).
Internet Security Terms & Definitions
Presented by Warren Franklin of Complete Internet Protection
V
Virus - A program or piece of computer code that is loaded onto your computer without
your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves.
All computer viruses are manmade. Even a simple, non-harmful virus is dangerous
because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt.
More dangerous types of viruses are capable of transmitting themselves across networks
and bypassing security systems.
Virus Signature - The virus signature is like a fingerprint in that it can be used
to detect and identify specific viruses. Anti-virus software uses the virus signature
to scan for the presence of viruses in files.
VPN - Short for Virtual Private Network, a network of computers that is constructed
by using public wires to connect private nodes or computers. VPN’s use encryption
and other security mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access the
network and that the data cannot be intercepted. VPN’s can be established on the
Internet or local area networks can can be very expensive, too.
