Key Terms

Review the following list of key terms:

• Back door— A hidden pathway for gaining entry to a computer system.

• Buffer overflow— An attack method that lets the attacker deliver malicious commands to a system by overrunning an application buffer.

• Denial-of-service attack (DOS)— An attack design to cripple the victim’s system by consuming system resources.

• Email worm— A malicious script or program transmitted through an email message.

• Phishing— Using a fake link, message, or web page to entice the user into initiating a connection with a fraudulent website.

• Root access— The highest level of access to a computer system. Root access offers nearly unlimited control of the system.

• Rootkit— A set of tools used by an intruder to expand and disguise his control of a system.

• Script kiddie— A young, usually adolescent Internet intruder who works mostly with ready-made scripts and tools available on the Internet.

• Session hijacking— An attack method that lets the attacker insert malicious packets into an existing TCP session.

• Trojan horse— A program that purports to do one thing but actually takes other unseen and malicious actions behind the scenes.