Cyber Security and Hacker Terms

Question 1

Adware

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Back Door

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Black Hat

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Bot

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Cookies

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

Cracker

Answer 6

A bad, or black hat, hacker.

Question 7

DOS

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Dumpster Diving

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Easter Egg

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Firewall

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Gray Hat

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

Hacker

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Cyber Squatting

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Malware

Answer 14

A malicious program that causes damage

Question 15

Phishing

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Troll

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

Spam

Answer 17

unsolicited email, also known as junk email

Question 18

Spoofing

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

Spyware

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

Trojan

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Cryptography

Answer 21

The art of writing or solving codes.

Question 22

Virus

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Wardriving

Answer 23

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…

Question 24

White Hat

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Worm

Answer 25

Very similar to a virus in that it is a destructive self-contained program that can replicate itself. But unlike a virus, a worm does not need to be a part of another program or document. A worm can copy and transfer itself to other systems on a network

Question 26

Cipher

Answer 26

A secrete way of writing; another word for a code.

Question 27

Encryption

Answer 27

The process of encoding messages or information in such a way that only authorized parties can read it

Question 28

Online Fraud

Answer 28

Websites that promise more than they offer.