Technology Chapter 11

password

A combination of characters known only to the user that is used for authentication.

zombie computer

A computer that carries out actions (often malicious) under the remote control of a hacker either directly or through spyware or a virus.

cyberterrorism

A form of terrorism that uses attacks over the Internet to intimidate and harm a population.

botnet

A group of computers under the remote control of a hacker for purposes of implementing denial-of-service attacks, cracking security codes, or generating huge batches of spam.

intellectual property

A product of the mind or intellect over which the owner holds legal entitlement.

virus

A program that attaches itself to a file, spreads to other files, and delivers a destructive action called a payload.

worm

A program that does not attach itself to other programs but rather acts as a free agent, replicating itself numerous times in an effort to overwhelm systems.

virus hoax

An e-mail that warns of a virus that doesn't exist.

software patches

Corrections to the software bugs that cause security holes.

username

Identifies a user to the computer system.

firewall

Network hardware or software that examines all incoming packets and filters out packets that are potentially dangerous.

intellectual property rights

Rights relative to the ownership and use of intellectual property such as software, music, movies, data, and information.

phishing

Scam that combines spoofed e-mail and a spoofed Web site in order to trick a person into providing private information.

security holes

Software bugs that allow violations of information security.

spyware

Software installed on a computer without the user's knowledge to either monitor the user or allow an outside party to control the computer.

antispyware

Software that searches a computer for spyware and other software that may violate a user's privacy, allows the user to remove it, and provides continuing protection against future attacks.

plagiarism

Taking credit for someone else's intellectual property, typically a written idea, by claiming it as your own.

Internet fraud

The crime of deliberately deceiving a person over the Internet in order to cause damage and to unjustly obtain property or services from the victim.

identity theft

The criminal act of using stolen information about a person to assume that person's identity.

piracy

The illegal copying, use, and distribution of digital intellectual property such as software, music, and movies.

computer forensics

The process of examining computing equipment to determine if it has been used for illegal, unauthorized, or unusual activities.

biometrics

The science and technology of authentication by scanning and measuring a person's unique physical features such as fingerprints, retinal patterns, and facial characteristics.

antivirus software

Uses several techniques to find viruses on a computer system, remove them if possible, and keep additional viruses from infecting the system.