Troubleshooting & Security Key Terms

degausser

Degaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating a remnant magnetic field.

tailgating

Just as a driver can tailgate another driver's car by following too closely, in the security sense, tailgating means to compromise physical security by following somebody through a door meant to keep out intruders.

key fob

Key fob is also a word used to describe a key chain and several other similar items and devices. The word fob is believed to have originated from watch fobs, which existed as early as 1888. The fob refers to an ornament attached to a pocket-watch chain.

malicious software

Malicious software, commonly known as malware, is any software that brings harm to a computer system. Malware can be in the form of worms, viruses, trojans, spyware, adware and rootkits, etc., which steal protected data, delete documents or add software not approved by a user.

RFID badge

RFID (radio frequency identification) is a technology that incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency (RF) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify an object, animal, or person.

driver store

The driver store is a protected area of a computer that contains device driver packages that have been approved for installation on the computer.

VGA mode

When VGA Mode is loaded only the minimal video drivers are loaded.

keylogger

a computer program that records every keystroke made by a computer user, especially in order to gain fraudulent access to passwords and other confidential information.

virus

a piece of code that is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data.

smart card

a plastic card with a built-in microprocessor, used typically for electronic processes such as financial transactions and personal identification.

brownouts

a reduction in or restriction on the availability of electrical power in a particular area.

rootkit

a set of software tools that enable an unauthorized user to gain control of a computer system without being detected.

Windows Firewall

a software component of Microsoft Windows that provides firewalling and packet filtering functions. It was first included in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Prior to the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 in 2004, it was known as Internet Connection Firewall.

virus definition

unique string of bits, or the binary pattern, of the machine code of a virus. The term "virus definitions" typically refers to the database of all current virus signature files used by a particular anti virus software for virus detection.

virus signature

unique string of bits, or the binary pattern, of the machine code of a virus. The term "virus definitions" typically refers to the database of all current virus signature files used by a particular anti virus software for virus detection.

adware

software that automatically displays or downloads advertising material (often unwanted) when a user is online.

spyware

software that enables a user to obtain covert information about another's computer activities by transmitting data covertly from their hard drive.

malware

software that is intended to damage or disable computers and computer systems.

phishing

the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

shoulder surfing

the practice of spying on the user of an ATM, computer, or other electronic device in order to obtain their personal access information.

boot sector virus

A boot sector virus is a type of virus that infects the boot sector of floppy disks or the Master Boot Record (MBR) of hard disks (some infect the boot sector of the hard disk instead of the MBR). ... While boot sector viruses infect at a BIOS level, they use DOS commands to spread to other floppy disks.

worm

A computer worm is a standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers. Often, it uses a computer network to spread itself, relying on security failures on the target computer to access it.

Trojan

A program that appears legitimate but performs some illicit activity when run. It may be used to locate password information or make the system more vulnerable to future entry or simply destroy the user's stored software and data.

retinal scanning

A retinal scan is a biometric technique that uses the unique patterns on a person's retina blood vessels.

strong password

A strong password consists of at least six characters (and the more characters, the stronger the password) that are a combination of letters, numbers and symbols (@, #, $, %, etc.) if allowed. Passwords are typically case-sensitive, so a strong password contains letters in both uppercase and lowercase.

email hoax

An email hoax is a scam that is distributed in email form. It is designed to deceive and defraud email recipients

antivirus (AV) software

Antivirus or anti-virus software (often abbreviated as AV), sometimes known as anti-malware software, is computer software used to prevent, detect and remove viruses

Windows Defender

Antivirus program that is packaged with windows

BitLocker Encryption

BitLocker is a full disk encryption feature included with Windows Vista and later. It is designed to protect data by providing encryption for entire volumes. By default it uses the AES encryption algorithm in cipher block chaining (CBC) or XTS mode with a 128-bit or 256-bit key.