Descriptionary

warez any software or game stripped of its copy- prevention components and illegally traded on file- sharing networks.

Web short for the World Wide Web.

webcam a camera used to send video or pictures over the Internet.

web designer a Web site architect or graphics designer.

Web log see blog.

webmaster a web site manager or administrator. Web page an online file page.

Web ring a group of related Web sites joined together by links.

WebTv an online television service.

wi-fi a system capable of transmitting wireless sig­nals from the Internet.

WiMax a wi-fi system capable of transmitting sig­nals 30 miles.

wireless any wire-free Internet access.

World Wide Web the Internet; collective term for all of the Web pages, links, and sites accessible through cyberspace. Also, the protocols that allow a user to link to all the various sites.

WWW the World Wide Web.

Yahoo! a popular search engine.

Viruses, Parasites, and Other Computer Invaders

antidote any program designed to protect a com­puter from being infected with a virus.

antivirus any program that identifies, weeds out, or protects a computer from a virus.

back door an opening left intentionally by design­ers in a computer security system for practical reasons but often exploited by hackers with mischievous or criminal intent. Also known as a wormhole.

data-driven attack a stealthy virus or other form of attack encoded in harmless data in order to fool firewalls.

dictionary attack the attempt to uncover codes, passwords, or e-mail addresses by using exhaustive lists of words or word combinations.

hygiene collective term for measures taken to pre­vent a computer from being infected with a virus.

impersonating see spoofing.

logic bomb a secretly embedded code in an applica­tion or operating system that can be triggered when certain conditions are met to cause damage or breach security.

masquerading see spoofing.

parasite a type of insidious software or program that can be installed on a computer via the Internet without the owner's knowledge. It can be loaded simply by visiting certain Web sites, by clicking on a misleading pop-up ad, or by downloading shareware, music, games, or movie clips. The software, also known as spyware or scumware, can then transmit what one types, including passwords and credit card numbers, and record the sites one visits and any items purchased online. They can also serve up pop-up ads, alter browser settings, divert one's surfing to porn sites, and even steal from the Web sites visited.

polymorphic virus a virus designed to change its binary pattern as it replicates itself in order to elude detection by antivirus programs.

replicator a program that once installed makes cop­ies of itself, as some worms and viruses.

sheepdip to run floppy disks and CD-ROM through antivirus programs on an auxiliary computer to clean them of viruses before they are loaded into a main computer, much like the farming practice of bathing sheep in chemical solutions to rid them of fleas and lice.

sniffing using a computer to monitor someone's net­work traffic in order to capture data, especially unen­crypted passwords.

spoofing stealing identification and authentication data to gain access to a computer network. Also called impersonating, masquerading.

stealth virus a virus designed to hide itself from antivirus software by replacing itself with a copy in another location or file.

strain a virus type.

vaccine any program designed to protect a com­puter from being infected with a virus.

virus a prank program that disrupts computer oper­ations by erasing, adding, or altering information and by making copies of itself and infecting other programs.

worm a rigged program that makes endless copies of itself and disrupts computer functioning. Similar to a virus.

wormhole see back door.

electronic terms

ampere a measure of electric current, specifically the number of electrons that flow by a given point each second. Also known as an amp.

brownout a drop in the amount of voltage running through a power line. Brownouts are known to cause damage to some electronic equipment.

capacitance the amount of electric charge a capaci­tor can store.

capacitor a device that stores an electric charge.

cathode-ray tube a type of vacuum tube in which an electron beam is focused electrostatically or elec- tromagnetically onto a sensitized screen, forming a picture, as in a television set.

chip an integrated circuit.

circuit a closed pathway through which electricity can flow.

conductor any element through which electricity can freely flow.