Computer Security

bot herder

An attacker who controls a botnet.

zombie

An infected "robot" (bot) computer that is under the remote control of an attacker.

worm

A malicious program designed to take advantage of vulnerability in an application or an operating system in order to enter a computer.

secure desktop

A mode in which the entire screen is temporarily dimmed to prevent an attacker from manipulating any UAC (User Account Control) messages that appear on the screen.

macro

A series of instructions that can be grouped together as a single command and are often used to automate a complex set of tasks or a repeated series of tasks.

rootkit

A set of software tools used by an attacker to hide the actions or presence of other types of malicious software.

adware

A software program that delivers advertising content in a manner that is unexpected and unwanted by the user.

guest account

An account that is intended for users who need temporary use of a computer.

arbitrary code execution

An attack that allows an attacker to gain control of the victim's computer to execute the attacker's commands, turning it into his own remote computer.

buffer overflow

An attack that substitutes the "return address" pointer and points to another area in the computer's memory area that contains malware code.

Trojan

An executable program advertised as performing one activity but actually does something else (or it may perform both the advertised and malicious activities).

service pack

An operating system update that is a cumulative package of security patches or updates plus other features.

remote code execution (RCE)

Another name for arbitrary code execution.

data backups

Copying files from a computer's hard drive onto other digital media that is stored in a secure location.

signature file

File that contains known patterns or sequences of bytes (strings) found in viruses; used by antivirus software to identify malware.

keylogger

Hardware or software that captures and stores each keystroke that a user types on the computer's keyboard.

computer virus (virus)

Malicious computer code that, like its biological counterpart, reproduces itself on a single computer.

backdoor

Software code that gives access to a program or a service that circumvents normal security protections.

antivirus (AV)

Software that can examine a computer for any infections as well as monitor computer activity and scan new documents that might contain a virus.

scareware

Software that displays a fictitious warning to the user in the attempt to frighten the user into an action.

personal firewall

Software that runs as a program on a computer is designed to prevent malware from spreading into the computer.

administrator account

The highest level of user account and provides the most control over a computer.

standard account

An account that is designed for everyday computing activities.

user account

An account that indicates the privilege level of a user.

botnet

A logical computer network of zombies under the control of an attacker.

User Account Control (UAC)

A Windows security function provides information to users and obtains their approval before a program can make a change to the computer's settings.

program virus

A computer virus that infects program executable files.

macro virus

A computer virus that is written in a script known as a macro.

patch

A general software security update intended to cover vulnerabilities that have been discovered.

spyware

A general term used to describe software that spies on users by gathering information without consent, thus violating their privacy.