The table below provides definitions for terms that are commonly used
in reference to computer and cyber security.
| Term |
Definition |
| Application |
computer software program |
| Blended Threat |
threats that combine the characteristics of viruses,
worms, Trojan horses, and malicious code with server and internet
vulnerabilities to initiate, transmit, and spread an attack; can spread
rapidly and cause widespread damage |
| Chain Letter |
email that urges recipients to forward the message
to other people; consequently wastes time and bandwidth |
| Exploit |
a program or technique that takes advantage of
a vulnerability in software; can be used for breaking security or
otherwise attacking a host over the network |
| Firewall |
a security system that uses rules to block or allow connections and data transmissions between your computer and the internet |
| Harvesting |
the process of scanning the internet to identify
email addresses in order to create lists for spamming |
| Identity Theft |
using someone's name, SSN, and other personal
information to open accounts, steal money, commit fraud or other crimes |
| Joke |
a harmless program that causes various benign activities to display on your computer, for example, an unexpected screensaver |
| Malware |
short for malicious software, software designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system, such as a virus or Trojan |
| Mass Mailer / Mailing Worm |
virus or worm that replicates by sending itself via email; will send itself to every email address it finds on an infected machine |
| Nigerian Scam |
a type of advanced fee fraud in which bulk email is sent detailing a story about foreign nationals who need help to move a large sum of money; asking recipients to pay a series of fees to help them, promising a large percentage of funds |
| Patch |
update to an Operating System or application, often to secure a vulnerability that has been exposed or publicized |
| Phishing |
emails that appear to come from legitimate companies and include links to a fraudulent (though often authentic-looking) web page to hook users and trick them into submitting personal or financial information or passwords |
| Scam |
a fraudulent business scheme |
| Spam |
electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings, sometimes considered to be any unsolicited e-mail, generally advertising for some product sent to a mailing list or newsgroup. In addition to wasting people's time with unwanted e-mail, spam also eats up a lot of network bandwidth |
| Spoofed |
a website or email pretending to be other than it is - for example, an email arrives claiming to be from PayPal alerting you to a problem with your account and directing you to a website to clear things up. Unfortunately, neither the email nor the website belong to Paypal, they have been spoofed or faked |
| Spyware |
can infiltrate a computer as a software virus or be hidden within a program; can monitor keystrokes, gather email addresses, and capture passwords and credit card numbers |
| Trojan |
a program that neither replicates or copies itself, but does damage or compromises the security of the computer; typically spread via email, within a joke program or other malware |
| Variants |
new strains of viruses that "borrow" code directly from other known viruses, to varying degrees; usually identified by a letter, or letters, following the virus family name (for example, VBS.LoveLetter.B, VBS.LoveLetter.C, etc.) |
| Virus |
a computer program that copies itself and often disrupts computer systems or damages the data contained upon them; requires a host program and will not infect a computer until it has been run |
| Vulnerability |
any characteristic of a computer system that keeps it from operating correctly, or that will let unauthorized users take control of the system |
| Windows Update |
regular patches or software updates that Microsoft makes available for the Windows Operating system; tool to automate the patch process |
| Worm |
a program that makes copies of itself, such as from one disk drive to another, or by copying itself using email or some other transport mechanism; may do damage and compromise the security of the computer and may arrive in the form of a joke program or software |
