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What Is?

Internet Protocol (IP) Address

A string of four numbers separated by periods (such as 192.168.211.100) used to represent a computer on the Internet. Having an IP address allows a device to communicate with other devices over an IP-based network like the internet.

Malware

Short for "malicious software" and is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network. A wide variety of types of malware exist, including computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, spyware, adware, rogue software, and scareware.

Worm

A worm is a software program that uses computer networks and security flaws to create copies of itself. It replicates itself to new computers using the flaws and then begins scanning and replicating again.

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

A method of accessing electronic mail that is kept on a mail server. It allows an email program to access remote message stores as if they were local. Email stored on an IMAP server can be accessed from a desktop computer at home, a workstation at the office, and a notebook computer while traveling, without the need to transfer messages or files back and forth between these computers.

Phishing

Phishing is email fraud where the perpetrator sends out legitimate-looking emails that appear to come from trustworthy web sites in an attempt to gather personal and financial information from the recipient.

RSS

A format for information syndication, enabling the publishing of data which can then be reused in other contexts. RSS sources are often called feeds, meaning that new information is produced and published regularly and can be obtained from these feeds. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.

Font

A design for a set of characters. A font is the combination of typeface and other qualities, such as size and spacing. The term font is often used incorrectly as a synonym for 'typeface'. The font you're currently looking at is called Arial.

Trojan Horse

A Trojan horse is a computer program that pretends to do one thing (claiming to be a picture) but actually does damage when one starts it (it can completely erase one's files). Trojan horses cannot replicate automatically.

Firewall

A system that prevents unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be hardware or software, or a combination of both.

Encryption

A way of coding the information in a file or email so that if it is read by a third party as it travels over a network it cannot be read. Only the persons sending and receiving the information have the key and this makes it unreadable to anyone except the intended persons.

Hard Drive/Hard Disk

A hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated as a hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non-volatile data storage device. It is usually installed internally in a computer, attached directly to the disk controller of the computer's motherboard.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

A central processing unit (CPU), or often simply called a processor, is the component in a computer that interprets instructions and processes data contained in computer programs.

Web Portal

A web portal is a specially designed website that brings information from diverse sources, like emails, online forums, and search engines, together in a uniform way. Usually, each information source gets its dedicated area on the page for displaying information (a portlet); often, the user can configure which ones to display.

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

This memory holds all the basic instructions the computer needs to do very simple stuff, such as making the letter "X" appear on the monitor when you press the "X" key. This memory cannot be changed, so losing power does not affect it.

Blog

A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website displaying information in the reverse chronological order, with the latest posts appearing first. It is a platform where a writer or even a group of writers share their views on an individual subject.

Podcast

A pre-recorded audio program that is made available for download (manually or automatically) so people can listen to them on personal computers or mobile devices.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth in computer networking refers to the data speed supported by a network connection. It is most often expressed in terms of bits per second (bps) or megabits per second (Mps). The term represents the total distance between the highest and lowest signals on the communication channel (band).

Key logger

Sometimes called a keystroke logger, key logger, or system monitor, it is a hardware device or small program that monitors each keystroke a user types on a specific computer's keyboard.

Virus

A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. When this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a computer virus.

Broadband

According to the FCC, the definition of broadband internet is a minimum of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds. Broadband provides high-speed internet access via multiple types of technologies including fiber optics, wireless, cable, DSL, and satellite.

FTP

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used for the transfer of computer files between a client and server on a computer network.

Adware

Any advertising software which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertising material to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

The best-known form of computer memory. RAM is considered "Random Access" because you can access any memory cell directly. RAM is volatile memory -- its contents are lost as soon as power to the computer is turned off.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

This is a set of rules used for sending email over the Internet. Your email program uses SMTP to send a message to the mail server and the mail server uses SMTP to relay that message to the correct receiving mail server. SMTP is a set of commands that authenticate and direct the transfer of electronic mail.

SSD

A solid-state drive (SSD) is a solid-state storage device it is also sometimes called a solid-state device or a solid-state disk, even though SSDs lack the physical spinning disks and movable read-write heads used in hard drives ("HDD") or floppy disks.

Root Kit

A rootkit is a collection of programs that enable administrator-level access to a computer or computer network. Typically, a cracker installs a rootkit on a computer after first obtaining user-level access, either by exploiting a known vulnerability or cracking a password. Once the rootkit is installed, it allows the attacker to mask intrusion and gain root or privileged access to the computer and, possibly, other machines on the network.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

A technology for bringing high-bandwidth information to homes and businesses over ordinary copper telephone lines.

Spyware

Computer software that collects personal information about users without their informed consent. The term is often used interchangeably with adware and malware. Personal information is secretly recorded with techniques such as logging keystrokes, recording browsing history, and scanning documents on the computer's hard disk.

Post Office Protocol (POP)

A set of rules by which a computer can retrieve electronic mail from a mail server. The POP server holds the email until the user can retrieve it. POP does not provide for sending email which is usually done via SMTP. POP3 can be used with or without SMTP.

Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)

A standard that allows Internet users to exchange email messages enhanced with graphics, video, and voice as attachments to the body of the text.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

Internet Service Provider is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. Internet service providers can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privately owned.