IT Chapter #3.5

Executable file

a file that runs a program to infect its spread thorough networks and email systems of by visiting an infected website.

Spyware-

a form of malware that tracks the activities of an internet user for the benefit of a third party. Spyware is secretly downloaded to the user's computer to collect keystrokes or trace website activity for malicious purposes.

Firewall

a security system that acts as a boundary to protect a computer or network from unauthorized access. It's designed to work like the firewalls between individual units in an apartment building, whose purpose is to prevent fire from spreading from one apartment to another. A computer firewall may consist of hardware, software, or a combination of two.

Uninstaller

also called a deinstaller, is a variety of utility software designed to remove other software or parts of it from a computer. It is the opposite of an installer.

Antivirus software-

also called virus checker is one of the most important types of utility programs. -examples include Norton Anti-Virus and McAfee Anti-Virus Plus Windows 7 and higher also includes basic antivirus protection in the Windows Defender utility.

Spam blocker

is often used to filter incoming spam messages. Most email programs include a basic spam blocking utility and third party programs are also available with more features and more legitimate email.

Spam

or junk mail

Diagnostic utility

program is a program written for the express purpose of locating problems with the software, hardware, or any combination there of in a system, or a network of systems. Preferably, diagnostic programs provide solutions to the user to solve issues.

Disk scanner

-examines the hard disk and its contents to identify potential problems, such as physically bad spots and errors in the table of contents. For example, a disk scanner checks to make sure that each sector of data is claimed by only one file. Check Disks the disk scanner utility included with Microsoft Windows.

Malware

-malicious software on a system and delete or quarantine them when they are found. Antivirus utilities can also monitor system operations for suspicious activities such as rewriting of system resource files and alert users when they are occurring.

Backup utility

Allows the user to make copies of the content of storage media. The utility can be directed to back up the entire contents or only selected files. Some backup utilities compress files so they take up less space than the original files.

File compression utility

Compresses or shrinks the size of a file so it occupies less disk space; some types of this utility also combine multiple files into a single compressed file for easier transfer.

Network firewall

In computing, a firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.

Personal firewall

Is a software based system designed to protect a PC from an unauthorized user attempting to access other computers through an internet connection. A proxy server is a dedicated computer or a software system running on a computer that acts as an intermediary between an endpoint device, such as a computer, and another server from which a user or client is requesting a service.

Adware-

More annoying than harmful. One particular type of spyware. popup advertisement

Noncontiguous sectors

Sectors that are not connected or adjacent. A fragmented file takes longer to load because the operating system must locate and retrieve all the various pieces of the file.

Disk defragmenter

Utility scans the hard disk and reorganizes files and unused space; doing this allows the operating system to locate and access files and data more quickly. The operating system stores a file in the first available sector on a disk, but sometimes there isn't enough space in one sector to store the entire file. If the sector already contains data, then the remaining portions of the file will be stored in other available sectors.