Internet security

Internet security

Definitions for common terms and phrases related to security threats, vulnerabilities, and technology.

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Internet security

signature

Internet; Internet security

A search pattern — often a simple string of characters or bytes — expected to be found in every instance of a particular virus. Usually, different viruses have different signatures. Anti-virus ...

application

Internet; Internet security

Refers to software that you can install on a computer. An application can be a complex combination of executable files (EXEs), DLLs, data files, registry settings, and install/uninstall files.

background scanning

Internet; Internet security

A type of on-access scanning (made possible within Microsoft Exchange by Microsoft VS API2) that does not scan all files on access, reducing the scanner’s workload when it is busy. It scans ...

backdoor

Internet; Internet security

A feature of a program that gives an attacker access to and remote control of another computer. Programmers build this feature into applications so they can fix bugs. However, if hackers learn ...

whaling

Internet; Internet security

A type of scam in which phishers find the name and email address of a company’s top executive or team of executives (information often freely available on the web), and craft an email specific to ...

hex

Internet; Internet security

The hex (short for hexadecimal) numerical system has a base of 16. Because there are more than 10 digits, values 10 through 15 are represented by letters A through F, respectively. This system is ...

downloader (.dldr)

Internet; Internet security

A downloader is software whose main function is to download other files. Often the function is related to malware that downloads other malware and executes it on the victim system.