Geektionary
A nice dictionary with plain english definitions of all these "Geek" computer terms!
Adware
Are programs that show you advertisements in some way in return for letting
you use the program for free or without other limitations.
Good Adware programs tell you this up front so you know what you're getting.
Bad Adware doesn't tell you up front (see Spyware).
Browser Helper Objects
Are a way that programs can "plug into" Internet Explorer. This lets them
look at everything about the web pages you visit. Many types of programs use
this to add very useful features, such as Download Managers
that use it to take over files to download, or new toolbars
in Internet Explorer, etc.
But this feature is also used by some Spyware programs to
monitor what websites you view or other bad things.
Cookies
Are little bits of text that a website can send to your computer, which is remembered
by your computer and sent back to the website if you visit the same website again later.
They are used for many good things,
to remember you have logged into a website, saving preferences for a website, etc.
But they are also used to track ads you've
seen and other advertising things.
And many people worry that they are a privacy risk.
Firewall
A Firewall is a program or piece of computer hardware that watches all the information
going and coming from the Internet. They will block "bad" connections from
coming in or out of your computer. Having a firewall is another excellent defense
against Scoundrels.
Before creating Geek Superhero (and one of the inspirations for creating it), my computer
was infected by a program that was trying to connect out to the Internet,
for who knows what reason. The firewall I was using
(Zone Alarm)
was the only thing that caught it.
Key Spy
Some programs can spy and watch every key you type on the keyboard.
The often also can automatically email that information to someone.
They're used to steal your passwords as you type them in, or get your
credit card information as you fill it in on a website.
They're also often called "Key Logger" or other things too.
Macros or Scripts
Macros are simple sets of commands that are executed in a program.
Some can be very complex, with enough functions to create a virus (especially
with Microsoft Outlook or other Office programs if their security settings are not right!)
Name Server
A Name Server is what is used to translate every Internet address from somthing human readable
(like www.geeksuperhero.com) into the real numeric address that the computer uses (like 207.46.245.214).
If a Scoundrel changes this, they can redirect
so some or all your connections go to a different place!
Instead of going to "www.microsoft.com" they could redirect you to their own website.
This often will change legitimately when you connect to a different network: wired to wireless, dialing
into a different number while travelling, etc.
(Also called a Domain Name Server, or DNS.)
Proxy Server
This is a pretty common way to connect to the Internet, expecially in
a business office. All the computers in the company connect to one server
that the company controls...then that one server accesses the Internet to
get what you requested. There are advantages for a business to do this.
But a few Scoundrels will change your proxy server
to point to a server that they control. This lets them monitor everything:
what you fill in on forms, every page you visit, everything.
(And if they stop their proxy server your browser won't work anymore either!)
Scoundrel or Scoundrel-ware
Describes the whole category of malicious software, websites, or
anything doing things to your computer without your permission.
Includes Viruses, Trojans,
Spyware, Worms,
Key Spies, etc. These Scoundrels are the nemesis of Geek Superhero
(like evil Wortrovir over there...part Trojan, part Worm, part Virus, all bad!)
Spyware
A term that is often used to generically discribe a wide variety of bad programs.
A better discription is programs that don't tell you what they're doing while they
watch what you're doing and report back to their authors about it. And often show
ads at the same time...arguing that all the watching is letting them "target
ads to your interests."
Very often they watch all the websites you visit (and may do more). (See Adware).
Trojan
A Trojan is a program that tricks you into running it because you think it is
something else. Many of the email "viruses" are a kind of Trojan...they trick
people into running the email attachment by describing it as something you
want to see.
Virus
A Virus is a program that when it is run on your computer, it infects other programs on your comptuer
or even infects other computers. They often change files on your computer so they contain the virus, and
running them will let the virus run. Viruses today usually spread by email, sending a copy
of themselves to email addresses they finds on your computer--starting with your whole address book!
I've never downloaded a file infected by a virus, but can get dozens of infected email messages a day.
You really always want to have an Anti-Virus program. Geek Superhero is a good extra defense
to detect changes that Viruses (and many other things) can do, but preventing a virus
from running in the first place is why you want a virus scanner!
(McAfee is the virus scanner I use.)
Web Bugs
Web Bugs are little tiny images many websites include in their pages.
They load a picture from another website, which allows the other website to
set a cookie on your computer. Usually these pictures are tiny;
either invisible or as big as the period at the end of this sentence. So you don't see them.
(Also called Web Beacons.)
Worm
A Worm is a program that spreads over the Internet and infects computers to
make them start running the worm too.
They take advantage of a security hole in a program running on the computer
to infect it. So for most worms, you don't have to do anything to become infected
other than have your computer connected to the Internet. The good news is while
worms can infect home users, they mostly take advantage of holes in "server" computers
run by businesses.