JARGON
BUSTER
Unsolicited junk email - generally advertising for some product sent wide-scale to a mailing list or newsgroup. There are a number of ways you can find yourself on a spammer's email list, including signing up for newsletters that sell lists of their clients' email addresses, listing your email address on a webpage or newsgroup, or even by choosing an email address that spammers may be able to guess.
Facts About Spam
Spam
represents more than 70% of all e-mail traffic.
It is the way to spread viruses.
1) A computer that has been implanted with a daemon that puts it under the control of a malicious hacker without the knowledge of the computer owner. Zombies are used by malicious hackers to launch DoS attacks. The hacker sends commands to the zombie through an open port. On command, the zombie computer sends an enormous amount of packets of useless information to a targeted Web site in order to clog the site's routers and keep legitimate users from gaining access to the site. The traffic sent to the Web site is confusing and therefore the computer receiving the data spends time and resources trying to understand the influx of data that has been transmitted by the zombies. Compared to programs such as viruses or worms that can eradicate or steal information, zombies are relatively benign as they temporarily cripple Web sites by flooding them with information and do not compromise the site's data. Such prominent sites as Yahoo!, Amazon and CNN.com were brought down in 2000 by zombie DoS attacks.
Zombies are also referred to as zombie ants.
(2) In UNIX operating systems, a zombie is a "child" program that was started by a "parent" program but then abandoned by the parent
DoS attack
Short for denial-of-service
attack, a type of attack on a network that is designed to bring the network
to its knees by flooding it with useless traffic. Many DoS attacks, such as the Ping
of Death and Teardrop attacks, exploit limitations in the TCP/IP
protocols. For all known DoS attacks, there are software fixes that system
administrators can install to limit the damage caused by the attacks. But, like
viruses, new DoS attacks are constantly being dreamed up by hackers.
Adware:
Often
unwittingly downloaded programs that enable the delivery of advertising to web
users' PCs. Some gather information about the user's internet browsing habits.
Blended threat:
Combination
of viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and malicious code that exploits server and
internet vulnerabilities.
Diallers:
Programs
installed without a user's knowledge that use a computer's modem to dial out to
an expensive toll number.
Keystroke logger:
Program
that records individual keystrokes and sends them back to the hacker, who gets
user names and passwords.
Malware:
Program
secretly downloaded on to computers to cause damage or steal data.
Payload:
Malicious
activity carried out by a virus.
Pharming:
A
variant of phishing that uses bogus e-mails carrying malware programs that can
redirect browsers to fake websites even when they type in the correct web
address. The customer is then tricked into logging on to their e-mail or bank
account and revealing security details to fraudsters.
Phishing:
Sending
bogus e-mails reputedly from trusted sources using copycat websites to trick
customers into disclosing security information
Retrovirus:
Computer
virus that attacks anti-virus programs in an effort to prevent detection
Spyware:
Hidden
programs that scan systems or activity and relay information, including security
codes. Commonly hidden in other programs and downloaded unwittingly from
freeware websites
Trojan horse:
Program
pretending to be legitimate to encourage the user to execute an action. Trojan
horses can compromise the security of a computer, allowing a remote user to gain
control.
Virus:
Program
or computer code that replicates itself onto other files with which it comes in
contact. Harm can range from low-level nuisance to severe system damage.
Worm:
Program
that makes and facilitates
the distribution of copies of itself, for example, via e-mail