Commonly used Internet security terms

The following are a list of terms that are commonly used in Internet security:

Black hat - black hat hackers steal data or damage systems. The most dangerous black hats are able to remain undetected for years, secretly monitoring a victim's PC for whatever purpose they have in mind.

Cracker - Another term for black hat hackers, who operate with criminal or malicious intent.

Encryption - A method for scrambling and encoding data so that only the authorized user who has the correct key can read the information.

Firewall - A software program or hardware device that prevents intruders from entering a computer or network from the Internet. Anything entering or leaving a system protected by a firewall is examined to see if it violates the system's security standards. A firewall can also be set to prevent unauthorized data, such as a company's proprietary information, from being sent out over the Internet from a user's computer.

Hacktivism - Hacktivism is hacking for a cause. Social or political activism combines with hacking techniques--hackers who use their skills to make a statement, or activists who learn hacking skills specifically to take their message to the Web and reach a larger audience. Hacktivists might deface child pornography Web sites, or post messages about policies or governments they oppose. Political hacks have been targeted against the governments of India, Israel, China, and the United States, among other countries.

Script kiddie - An inexperienced hacker who uses prewritten applications (available as downloads from the Internet) to launch certain types of attacks, such as Web-page defacements or denial-of-service attacks. More experienced hackers tend to dislike script kiddies, because the script kiddies often don't understand the technology behind the attacks they launch.

Trojan horse - A Trojan horse is an application designed to perform an illicit or malicious action, but is disguised as a more benign program. Often arriving via e-mail as an attachment, Trojans are generally more sophisticated than viruses or worms, and often allow a hacker unlimited access to a compromised machine. Three of the most common Trojan horses are Back Orifice, NetBus, and SubSeven.

White hat - A hacker who is motivated to explore systems for intellectual curiosity, rather than for malicious intent. White hat hackers oppose doing damage to systems, stealing data, or interrupting service to a Web site. White hats can also unintentionally damage or delete data. Many white hat hackers work as security consultants, programmers, and network administrators.