W

WAN

See Wide Area Network.

warm site

Warm sites provide some capabilities in the event of a recovery. The organization that wants to use a warm site will need to install, configure, and reestablish operations on systems that may already exist in the warm site.

weak key

A cipher hole that can be exploited.

weak key attacks

Attacks that look for cipher holes.

web proxy

A type of proxy that is used to act on behalf of a web client or web server.

web server

A server that holds and delivers web pages and other web content using the HTTP protocol. See also Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

WEP

See Wired Equivalent Privacy.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A network that crosses local, regional, and international boundaries.

WiFi

See Wireless Fidelity.

Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS)

A NetBIOS name resolution service employed in Windows networks.

Windows NT Service

A type of Windows program (a file with either an .EXE or a .DLL extension) that is loaded automatically by the server or manually by the administrator.

Windows socket

A Microsoft API used to interact with the TCP/IP protocol.

WinNuke

A Windows-based attack that affects only computers running Windows NT 3.51 or 4. It is caused by the way that the Windows NT TCP/IP stack handles bad data in the TCP header. Instead of returning an error code or rejecting the bad data, it sends NT to the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Figuratively speaking, the attack "nukes" the computer.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

A security protocol for 802.11b (wireless) networks that attempts to establish the same security for them as would be present in a wired network.

wireless access point

A wireless bridge used in a multipoint RF network.

wireless bridge

It performs all the functions of a regular bridge, but it uses RF instead of cables to transmit signals.

Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)

802.11b wireless networks operating at 2.4Ghz.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)

A Local Area Network that employs wireless access points (WAPs) and clients using the 802.11b standard.

wireless portal

The primary method of connecting a wireless device to a network.

wireless technologies

Technologies employing wireless communications.

Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS)

The security layer of the Wireless Applications Protocol. WTLS provides authentication, encryption, and data integrity for wireless devices.

WLAN

See Wireless Local Area Network.

work factor

An estimate of the amount of time and effort that would be needed to break a system.

workgroup

A specific group of users or network devices, organized by job function or proximity to shared resources.

working copy

The copy of the data currently used by the network.

workstation

A computer that is not a server but is on a network. Generally, a workstation is used to do work, while a server is used to store data or perform a network function. In the simplest terms, a workstation is a computer that is not a server.

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

An association concerned with interoperability, growth, and standardization of the World Wide Web (WWW). This group is the primary sponsor of XML and other web-enabled technologies.

worms

Similar to a virus. Worms, however, propagate themselves over a network. See also virus.

X.500

The standard implemented by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an international standards group, for directory services in the late 1980s. The standard was the basis for later models of directory structure, such as LDAP.

zone

An area in a building where access is individually monitored and controlled.