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intrusion detection system (IDS) A mechanism to monitor packets passing through computer networks. The IDS can be monitored as a security check on all transactions that take place into and out of a system.

iris scanner A biometric device containing a small camera that examines the iris of the eye for purposes of authetication.

Kerberos A computer network authentication protocol.

keylogger A software or hardware device that records information typed by users. Data is saved in a log file, which could be retrieved by a hacker.

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) A protocol used to access simple directory structures.

local area network (LAN) An in-house network made up of system nodes and peripherals.

logic bomb A program with a delayed payload that is released only when certain conditions are met in the system or program environment.

malicious Deliberately harmful.

mantrap A secured entrance, normally reserved for high-security facilities. The trap usually involves a series of doors that someone must pass through and in which a trespasser could be detained by locking the doors.

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) A communication protocol that allows for the transmission of data in many forms, such as audio, binary, or video in e-mail messages.

NetBSD The first freely redistributable, open source version of the BSD Unix operating system.

Network Address Translation (NAT) A technique of mapping multiple IP addresses to a single external IP address belonging to the NAT device. This method is frequently used to connect multiple computers to the Internet.

Network Basic Input/Output System (NetBIOS) An interface that provides communication between a PC and the network. It was created by IBM and adopted by Microsoft. NetBIOS includes a name service, a session service, and a datagram service.

network interface card (NIC) A layer 1 and layer 2 device that provides upper-layer communication to a physical medium or medium type. Also known as a network adapter.

network scanning Enumerating the available live hosts or IP addresses on a network.

NOP A command that tells the processor to do nothing. Almost all processors have a NOP instruction that performs a null operation. In the Intel architecture, the NOP instruction is one byte long and translates to 0x90 in machine code. A long run of NOP instructions is called a NOP slide or sled. The CPU does nothing until it gets back to the main event (which precedes the return pointer).

NT LAN Manager (NTLM) A challenge/response authentication protocol used in a variety of Microsoft network protocols for authentication purposes.

null session An unauthenticated connection to a network share by an anonymous user on an unidentified system.

Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) A standard created by the International Organization for Standards (ISO) that describes seven layers with distinct responsibilities in moving data as it's exchanged between two networked devices.

OpenBSD An open source UNIX based operating system that has many available security measures.

overt channel An obvious and defined communication path within a computer system or network, used for the transfer of data.

passive attack An attack that violates the security of a system without directly interacting with the system.

password cracker A program designed to decode passwords.

patch A short set of instructions to correct a vulnerability in a computer program.

Personal Identification Number (PIN) An alphanumeric value often used as a secondary form of identification when using two-form authentication.

phraselist A list of passphrases that a password-cracking tool uses to attempt to crack a password.

physical security Nondigital methods and mechanisms in place to prevent attackers from getting access to a facility, resource, or information stored on physical media. It can be a simple locked door or as elaborate as multiple security layers including armed guards.

ping A common connection verification tool that uses ICMP messages to test a target's response.