Internet Security Terms

ActiveX Controls - A component program object that can be re-used by many application programs within a computer or among computers in a network. Many websites require the use of ActiveX Controls to use some of their applications. Be very careful when installing these components and make sure you know the website that is offering the control is a safe website.

Adware - Software application in which advertising banners are displayed while on a website. They tracks a user's personal information and pass it on to third parties, without the user's authorization or knowledge.

Antispyware software - Software used to help prevent Adware, Spyware and some viruses. Many good free antispyware software programs can be found online.

Backdoor programs - A method of bypassing normal authentication to gain access to your computer, while attempting to remain undetected. This can be acheived either through an installed program or modifying hardware in the computer.

Bot - Software used to automatically control your computer.

Botnet - A collection of software bots, which run autonomously and automatically. Used to send mass amounts of SPAM automatically to you.

Browser-helper object (BHO) - Often install toolbars on your browser without you knowing it. BHO doesn't need any kind of permission to install malicious components and thus spyware may be spread without the user's knowledge.

Cracker - Sometimes refered to a black hat or hacker. They try to break into your computer or network and create viruses.

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack - Multiple compromised systems flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted system. This slows your computer down an extreme amount usually causing the computer to be useless.

Drive-by-Download - Gets installed on your computer without your knowledge either by viewing an email or website.

Evil twin - A "look alike" wireless connection that will usually require you to enter personal information or banking information. It's actually a hacker that sets up a computer connection on his computer to look like a real wireless connection. You are actually logging onto his computer. BAD!

False positive - Created by hackers to make it look like there are problems happening in a network. They usually try to create multiple false positives to cause distractions while they actually do break into the network.

Firewall - A computer or hardware device used to regulate traffic that has access to your private computer or network.

Hacker - Someone who tries to break into your computer or network to cause harm.

Hijackers - A program that alters your browser settings in order to redirect you to websites that you do not intend to visit. Keylogger - A hardware device or small program that monitors each keystroke a user types on a specific computer's keyboard. This can be used against you to get passwords or other important personal information on your computer.

Malware - Software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's knowledge.

Man-in-the-middle attack - Commonly used in Web Site Spoofing it's where a criminal uses a fake website that looks similar to another website to intercept personal information as it's being sent over the internet.

Pharming - Setting up a fake web site that contains copies of pages from a legitimate Web site in order to steal personal information from users.

Phishing - Similar to Pharming where a criminal sets up a fake web site that contains copies of pages from a legitimate Web site in order to steal personal information from users

Phreaking - The art of cracking into phone systems to listen to personal information such as credit card numbers.

Rogue antispyware software - Products that are of unknown, questionable, or dubious value as anti-spyware protection. This basically means even though they claim to be antispyware software it could actually be installing spyware on your computer.

Rootkit - A type of Trojan that keeps itself, other files, registry keys and network connections hidden from detection. It enables an attacker to have "root" access to the computer, which means it runs at the lowest level of the machine. A rootkit typically intercepts common API calls. For example, it can intercept requests to a file manager such as Explorer and cause it to keep certain files hidden from display, even reporting false file counts and sizes to the user.

Spam - Usually in the form of email. Basically any type of email you get that you did not request. Some people get hundreds of spam emails per day.

Spoof - To deceive for the purpose of gaining access to someone else's resources (for example, to fake an Internet address so that one looks like a certain kind of Internet user)

Spyware - Used to gather information about a person or organization without their knowledge. Used extensively on many internet sites.

Tracking cookies - Text information stored on your computer to track your preferences on websites. Ususally used by shopping websites.

Trojan horses - A destructive program that appears to be a harmless application. Used to install a virus on your computer.

Virus - Vague term for any piece of code installed on your computer without your permission. Most viruses are designed to do harm to your computer.

Worm - A program or algorithm that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as using up the computer's resources and possibly shutting the system down.

Zombie - A computer that is under control from another hacker computer. Hackers then use the zombies to attack websites with large amounts of traffic in order to shut down the website and deny traffic to the site from real users.