Cyber Security and Hacker Terms

Software designed to force pre-chosen ads to display on your system.

A point of entry that circumvents normal security and can be used by a cracker to access a network or computer system.

Just like in the old westerns, these are the bad guys. Another name for a bad hacker, or cracker.

A software “robot” that performs an extensive set of automated tasks on its own. They can be instructed to perform a number of destructive tasks.

A small packet of information from a visited webserver stored on your system by your computer’s browser. It is designed to store personalized information in order to customize your next visit.

A bad, or black hat, hacker.

Denial of Service Attack. Designed to overwhelm a targeted website to the point of crashing it.

The act of rummaging through the trash of an individual or business to gather information that could be useful for a cyber criminal to gain access to a system or attain personal information to aid them in identity theft or system intrusion.

A non-malicious surprise contained in a program or on a circuit board installed by the developer.

A security barrier designed to keep unwanted intruders “outside” a computer system or network while allowing safe communication between systems and users on the “inside” of the firewall.

A white hat/black hat hybrid. Thankfully, like white hats, their mission is not to do damage to a system or network, but to expose flaws in system security.

Originally, it was a label for someone who applied ingenuity to achieve a clever result. Today, it refers to those who gain illegal access to another computer and to cause damage or steal information

Scammers who register a web address that has almost the same address as a legitimate site in order to trick users to going to their site.

A malicious program that causes damage

A form of social engineering carried out by black hats in electronic form, usually by email, with the purpose of gathering sensitive information

A person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting off-topic messages in an online community in order to provoke an emotional response.

unsolicited email, also known as junk email

The art of misdirection. Black hat crackers will often cover their tracks by spoofing (faking) an IP address or masking/changing the sender information on an email so as to deceive the recipient as to its origin.

Software designed to gather information about a user’s computer use without their knowledge. Sometimes spyware is simply used to track a user’s Internet surfing habits for advertising purposes in an effort to match your interests with relevant ads.

a malicious program disguised to look like a valid program, making it difficult to distinguish from programs that are supposed to be there.

The art of writing or solving codes.

A malicious program or code that attaches itself to another program file and can replicate itself and thereby infect other systems. Just like the flu virus, it can spread from one system to another when the infected program is used by another system.

The act of driving around in a vehicle with the purpose of finding an open, unsecured Wi-Fi wireless network. This can also be done via biking or just walking…

ethical hackers. They use their knowledge and skill to thwart the black hats and secure the integrity of computer systems or networks.