Do IT experts sometimes seem to be speaking a whole different language?
Too embarrassed to admit you thought a toggle did up a duffel coat and that Linux was a friend of Snoopy's?
Time to hold your head up high & talk zips and blackhats with the best of them after browsing through the TLP A - Z Jargon buster...
Adware Programmes that bombard users with pop up adverts. Can be very hard to remove to say nothing of being very annoying. Beware - adware can pose as security software.
Backup A copy of a file's original contents. Make back ups of files if you don't want to loose data forever in the event of a disaster.
Blackhat A malicious hacker. Usually refers to those who deliberately try to knock websites offline but also thieves of credit card numbers using viruses.
Botnet A herd of hijacked computers being controlled remotely. Usually recruited by a virus via an email. So don't open mail from an unknown source!
Browser A program that lets you look at internet web pages. The most popular being Internet Explorer and Firefox.
CD-Rom The modern equivalent of the floppy disk. they come in two forms - writable and rewritable. Writable means you can burn it only once - rewritable means you can replace the contents again and again.
Channel A virtual room on the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) system. IRC lets a user participate in real time chat with another user via the internet. A channel will be dedicated to a particular topic.
CPU A built in chip that processes data flowing in and out of a PC
Cross-Site scripting Exploiting weaknesses in official sites to fool users into handing over confidential banking details. The goal is to make it look as if transactions are being done on the official website of a users bank, when it isn't.
Database A file composed of records that allows the user to manipulate and store data.
Desktop The on screen area that user icons and menus to simulate a real desk
Download To retrieve data from a remote location. Check the source first so you know that what you are downloading is NOT going to corrupt your system
Drive-by download Malicious programs that automatically install when a victim unwittingly visits a booby-trapped website
End user The ultimate user of a computer or computer application in its finished form
Firewall A programme or a feature built into hardware which sits between your computer and the internet to filter incoming and outbound traffic, preventing attacks on your PC.
Hardware The physical components that make up a computer system, including peripheral equipment like printers and modems.
Honeypot Designed to look like a badly protected system that lures criminals and then records every attempt to compromise it.
IP address Stands for Internet Protocol. It's the numerical identifier that will return data to your machine when you put a request out.
Keylogger A program installed on a victim's machine that records ever keyed action a user makes - ideal for stealing login details.
Linux A version of the UNIX which is an operating system.
Multimedia An application that can combine text, images and sound in one package
Network 2 or more computers linked together so they can share files.
Offline Disconnected from a network or unable to communicate with other computers or to the internet.
Packet Sniffing Examining individual portions of data received by a computer to find out what the machine is being used for.
Phishing Sending out an email to make it look as if it comes from a bank that will trick victims into handing over confidential details - leading to their account being misused.
Roots Networks that have been hacked into - the login details are often sold on to spammers.
Software Programmes and applications. Can come pre-installed or be installed at a later date.
Script Kid An opportunist hacker who doesn't create viruses but steals attacks from others.
Spyware A malicious programme that steals personal information. Can be sent via downloads.
Toggle Switching back and forth between two states - ie a Num Lock key toggles the numeric keyboard between numbers and cursor movement.
Worm A self propelled malicious programme that hunts the web for new victims. Can take over computers if they have not been secured by their user.
Zip A disk drive that has a high capacity of storage space
Zombie Another name for a hijacked computer
Untitled Document
On line remote support enables a fully qualified engineer to securely access your system and troubleshoot your technical problems quickly while you watch.
It’s like having a support representative right by your side, no matter where you are and when you need help.
It’s totally secure. Once the session has ended, the engineer will not have access to your systems.
