Understanding common security terms
According to a recent survey in which Internet users were asked about online jargon, a surprising percentage of users were not able to define the terms that are frequently used by the media and the industry in security warnings. Clearly, this can be a problem for Internet users who are unable to understand the warnings that are designed to help keep them safe.
Some of the findings from the survey indicate that more than 4 out of 5 Internet users could not identify phishing as a type of online scam that uses fake e-mail messages and only 1 in 4 users claimed to know what spyware is. Of those users who did claim to know what spyware is, however, 10% of them erroneously thought that spyware was a program designed to monitor the habits of unfaithful partners.
Here at GoBigWest, we hope that our periodic letters have been helpful in keeping you better informed about online security than the people who participated in the survey, however, an occasional reminder never hurts. Below we have included some of the words that the people in the study had a hard time defining as well as an explanation of each.
Adware: A type of spyware that displays advertisements without the computer user’s consent. These advertisements may take the form of pop-up windows, toolbars, or new browser homepages.
Keylogger: A type of spyware that records the keys that are pressed on a keyboard with the intention of learning usernames, password, or other confidential information such as credit card numbers.
Phishing: An online con in which an e-mail is sent to an Internet user directing them to divulge personal information directly through e-mail or by using a website. Typically, phishing e-mails appear to be sent by respected companies and request that the recipient visit a website that appears to be owned by the company in order to update or confirm account information.
Spyware: A program that covertly gathers information about a computer user without their knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware is typically installed unintentionally often times because it is included with a program that the user does intend to install on their computer.
Trojan: Taking its name from the Trojan Horse of Greek mythology, this type of malicious software is disguised as a harmless program in order to convince the computer user to install it. Trojan programs are commonly spread to new computers using file-sharing networks.
For more information about the terms defined in this letter or any other industry jargon that you are unfamiliar with, the site http://www.wikipedia.org/ is a good resource. Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that can be edited by anyone. This results in a resource that is generally current and written in easy to understand language.
