| Anonymous |
Something
or someone which is unnamed. On the Internet it refers to
the ability to access a server or information without reference
to the person or entity who is making the request. |
| Carnivore |
An
FBI project for monitoring email. |
| Certificate
|
A
computer record which associates a public key to a specific
person or company |
| Certificate
Authority |
Service
which manages security credentials for web-sites and other
online transactions. |
| CGI
|
Common
Gateway Interface. Rules for running programs on a web HTTP
server providing a "gateway" to its information. |
| CIA |
Central
Intelligence Agency |
| Cookies
|
A
block of data which is stored on the user's computer by a
website for later use. Cookies are not necessarily bad, but
can be used to track behavior or store personal data which
was previously supplied by a user. |
| CRL
|
Certificate
Revocation List. A list of certificates which have been revoked
by the certificate authority which issued them. |
| Cryptography
|
The
field of study in which information is protected by converting
it with algorithms. See encryption. |
| Data
Mining |
The
practice of searching databases for hidden patterns of data
which reveal additional information to create detailed profiles
-- which may or may not be sold to third-parties. |
| Decrypt
|
To
convert scrambled (encrypted) information back to a usable
or readable format. |
| DES
|
The
U.S. government's 56-bit encryption standard. |
| Digital
Signature |
A
digital code which verifies the person or company sent the
information. |
| ECPA
|
Electronic
Communications Privacy Act. A federal statute which prohibits
a third-party from intercepting or disclosing communications.
|
| Email
Spoofing |
The
practice of sending an email which has had the identifying
headers forged or altered to conceal the sender for unethical
reasons. |
| Encrypt
|
To
convert data (such as plaintext) into a format that is no
longer readable without a password |
| Encryption
|
A
process of concealing information by scrambling the data via
an algorithm. |
| FBI
|
Federal
Bureau of Investigation |
| FCC
|
Federal
Communications Commission |
| Firewall
|
A
combination of software and hardware which monitors a computer
or network for unauthorized access. |
| HTTPS
|
HyperText
Transfer Protocol Secured. See SSL. |
| IP
Address |
Internet
Protocol (as in TCP/IP) which is a unique number identifying
a machine connected to the Internet. |
| Key
|
See
password. Usually a key is not memorable to people but a password
is memorable. |
| KGB
|
Komitet
Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti [Russian] Which means the (Soviet)
State Security Committee |
| Login
|
To
access by indentifying oneself, typically using a username
and password |
| MD5
|
Message
Digest [algorithm] 5. A specific encryption protocol, often
used for accessing protected webpages. |
| NSA
|
National
Security Agency |
| Pass
Phrase |
A
password which is generally longer in length yet still memorable
to a person. |
| Password
|
A
secret sequence known to a user to confirm their identity
to a system being accessed. |
| PGP
|
Pretty
Good Privacy. A popular public-key encryption standard created
by Phil Zimmerman. |
| PKI
|
Public
Key Infrastructure. A system supporting public key encryption.
|
| Plain
text |
Human-readable,
unencrypted messages or data. |
| Privacy
Policy |
A
web document which states how that website or company uses
their users information which was supplied directly or passively.
|
| RSA
|
Rivest,
Shamir, & Adleman. The company RSA Data Security, Inc. developed
a popular public key encryption standard, the patent for it
expired in September 2000. |
| SET
|
Secure
Electronic Transaction, a protocol developed by Visa and MasterCard
to allow secure credit card transactions of the Internet.
|
| Spam
|
Unwanted,
and unrequested junk mail. For example, business opportunities,
or items for sale. |
| SSL
|
Secure
Sockets Layer. Web security protocol to encrypt communication
betwee a users browser and a web server. |
| Trust-e
|
An
independent non-profit entity which builds users' trust in
a company's commitment to privacy through use of a seal. |
| UCE
|
Unsollicited
Commercial Email |
| User
name |
An
name which identifies the person acessing the system and is
unique within the system being accessed. |
| VPN
|
Virtual
Private Network. A closed system which allows members to treat
a public network as a private one by using encryption protocols.
|
