Electronic intruders who use freely distributed software designed by others to engage in computer vandalism, break-ins, or electronic theft.
secure web page
A web page that can only be accessed through a secure connection. All personal information entered into a secure web page is encrypted (scrambled) before it is sent across the Internet.
security key
A security code that can lock and unlock encrypted data as it moves between two devices, usually a computer and a home network router. Sometimes just referred to as a key.
security software
A program designed to protect a computer from malicious software.
Service Pack 2 (SP2)
A major security update issued in the fall of 2004 by Microsoft for Windows XP.
Service Set Identifier (SSID)
A router's name that it broadcasts via a wireless signal that can be viewed by wireless computers or devices.
share name
A name used to identify a printer or folder from another computer over a network.
shareware
Software that is created by a programmer who asks for payment on the honor system.
signature
An electronic thumbprint used by an anti-spyware or antivirus program to identify a threat.
Simple File Sharing
A Microsoft technology that allows you to share your files and folders with other computers on a local network.
snack
Food that is not part of a meal. Also a reward for a job well done when following instructions correctly in this book.
snoopware
Software that watches your computer habits on behalf of someone elseusually someone you know such as a parent, employer, or spouse.
social engineering
Using trickery and charm to extract security information such as passwords from an individual.
software
A computer program.
software suite
A number of programs bundled together and sold as a package that do related tasks .
source code
The lines of programming that make up a program.
SP2
See Service Pack 2.
spam
Unsolicited commercial email or electronic junk mail.
spoof
To electronically fool. For example, a spoofed email is an electronic mail message that looks like it has arrived from someone who hasn't sent it.
spyware
Software installed on your computer that collects information about you as you use your computer and delivers it to a third party. Spyware is often installed without your knowledge.
SSID
See Service Set Identifier.
SSL
Secure Sockets Layer. A data transfer method, developed by Netscape, used to move files across the Internet between two computers using a secure connection. A secure connection provides protection from hackers or snoops by scrambling data as it moves between two points.
stateful inspection
A process by which a router checks that data arriving has been requested by a computer on its network. This is also known as stateful packet inspection.
stealth mode
This feature makes a firewall and the computers behind it invisible to the Internet.
subnet
A subnet is a subdivision of a network, just as a neighborhood is subdivision of a town.
subnet mask
A subnet mask breaks down a network address into regions or neighborhoods acting as a filter for a router that is trying to send data. The mask says to ignore all the addresses in the world except the ones in this neighborhood, town, or state.
system tray
A collection of icons for easy access to tools, special Windows functions, and programs already running in memory. It's located on the bottom-right side of the Windows screen.