Tag Archive for: terms

50 antivirus and PC security terms everyone should know

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Internet security is a complex topic even for experts in the field, and for average people the terminology can be downright confusing. While you may not need to know every technical term out there, having a working vocabulary of basic terms can help you stay informed enough to protect yourself against major threats.

If you know what a phishing email is, for example, you can be on the lookout and avoid this common danger. This lexicon of the most important security terms will help you make sense of security alerts and help equip you to take appropriate steps to protect your home network and computers.

Further reading: PCWorld picks the best antivirus software of 2024

Key security terms

Computer systems and networks employ a variety of techniques to protect you and your data from unauthorized access. Here are the most common terms that describe ways of protecting your data.

2FA: Short for “Two-Factor Authentication,” it’s a method to secure online accounts by adding an additional “factor” beyond a password. It could be a text-message confirmation or a code generated by a trusted app for this purpose. If 2FA is available for your accounts, start using this feature.

Authentication: Confirms authorized access to a platform or account, typically by password, biometrics, or code confirmation.

Biometrics: The use of physical characteristics such as facial geometry or fingerprints as a means of secure authentication. Fingerprint sensors on laptops and Windows Hello cameras are common biometric security features that make logging in easier and more secure than a password.

Certificate Authentication: Using a record digitally signed by a trusted authority to validate the authenticity of a website, file, or system.

Encryption: A method to obscure or hide sensitive information by scrambling it in a predetermined way. Encrypting hard drives and other storage devices can help protect your data if your device falls into the wrong hands, while encryption on network connections protects against data from being intercepted by a third party as it travels over the network.

Risk and exploit terms

These important terms describe common…

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All the terms you need to know

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In a day and age where the entire world has been digitised, internet safety has become a non-negotiable. But does the range of terms get quite confusing for you, especially if you’re not as tech savvy? You are at the right place!

When your existence has gone online, right from what you eat to how you sleep, to where you’re going and even who you’re going out with, it is important to know how to stay safe. If the thought of scammers out there trying to hack into your date scares you, then we have some bad news. They are only going to multiply and grow in numbers in the foreseeable future. But the good news is that internet safety is not rocket science. Even if you are a beginner and aren’t too sure about your way around the internet, you can still stay safe. The first step is to know and understand these terms, that will later guide you through a safe surfing experience.

If you are not too new to smartphones and the internet, you must have heard these terms at some point, and immediately gone on to Google what it means. But eventually you might have forgotten, most likely. So, let us take you through a glossary of the terms that will guide you through a safe internet browsing experience.

Guide to internet safety: All the terms you need to know

Adware

This is something you have all seen. Adware is a form of malicious code that displays and often downloads unsolicited advertising, mostly misleading on your system, like pop-ups, banners and more. Expert security professionals regard it as the forerunner of the modern-day PUP (potentially unwanted program).

Bloatware

internet safety

When a software comes with additional features that nobody probably wants or needs, it is referred to as bloatware. This is often used for the manufacturer softwares that come pre-installed on your computer. These take up excessive disk space and memory and make your systems slower right from when you switch them on.

Cookie

You must have seen this plenty of times on the internet. Whenever you open a new website, the website comes with a pop-up “Accept all cookies?”. One of the basics of internet safety, cookies are small files that are created by a web browser whenever a user is surfing through a website….

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Charity Digital – Topics – A beginner’s guide to cyber security terms

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Encryption – One of the most effective ways to mitigate the risk of a data breach is to ensure that all confidential data that your charity stores is encrypted using a proven encryption method. That means that even if a hacker gains access to your data, they will be unable to use it without a decryption key.

 

Endpoint security system – Traditional anti-virus software installed on charity staff computers has evolved into software that provides protection against many different types of cyber security threats including ransomware and hacker attacks. This type of software is now known as endpoint security software but many people still call it anti-virus or AV software.

 

Exploit – In the cyber security world, an exploit is a specific technique that hackers develop to get unauthorised access to a computer system. In order to develop an exploit, hackers first need to discover a programming error or some other form of vulnerability in a piece of software (or occasionally hardware). The exploit is so-called because it exploits a particular weakness or vulnerability.

 

Firewall – A firewall carries out a similar job to a nightclub bouncer: it sits at the entrance to a charity’s network and watches all the data attempting to get in. Its purpose is to ensure that only legitimate data can get onto the network, while preventing data sent by hackers or other unwanted data from gaining entry. Many modern firewalls are now equipped with other security features including the ability to set up secure VPN (see below) connections.

 

Hacker – A hacker is a term commonly used to describe a cyber criminal, or anyone who attempts to interfere with other people’s computer systems with ill intent. Originally, a hacker simply referred to someone who liked to experiment with computer systems, so many cyber security experts prefer to use the term malicious hacker or black hat hacker when referring to cyber criminals.

 

Key logger – A hacker who gets access to an end user’s computer may install a key logger. This is a particularly malicious piece of software which records every keystroke that a user makes, and then sends this information to the hacker. A key logger can be used to

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In terms of spam, Donald Trump is beating Hillary Clinton hands down

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As the U.S. presidential election nears, Donald Trump is emerging as the clear winner — at least when it comes to having his name used in spam messages.

Spammers and cyber attackers are using Trump’s name far more than Hillary Clinton’s in emails pushing get rick quick schemes or phishing for personal information, according to an analysis from Proofpoint.

The security firm scanned the subject line of emails received by its customers in June and July looking for occurrences of “trump” or “clinton,” and found that the Republican nominee appeared in 169 times as many emails as his Democratic opponent.

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