Additional Vocabulary Terms used by Computer Professionals

Here are additional words and phrases used by computer professionals:

Import

1. command located in a program’s File menu that allows the user to move data from one program or earlier software versions into another program or later version

IP Address

1. Internet Protocol Address. (Also known as an IP number or IP.)

2. address of a computer or other network device assigned to your computer by a router (SEE router) and later updated by an Internet Service Provider once the user has connected to the Internet

3. code that is made up of numbers separated by three dots that identifies a particular computer on the Internet. Every computer requires an IP address to connect to the Internet

EXAMPLE: “123.45.67.89”

JPEG

1. Joint Photographic Experts Group

2. color image graphics compression file format

LAN

1. Local Area Network

2. computer network limited to a small area

Malware

1. also known as scumware.

2. software program that has been intentionally designed to change a user’s settings without his or her permission, delete a competing software program, cause a competing software program to stop working, or leave a computer open to attacks

MBAM

1. also known as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

2. software utility program designed to scan, locate and remove malware from

your computer

3. a program that can be used in conjunction with your antivirus program to

help detect threats to your computer that antivirus programs may miss

Network

1. A group of two or more computer systems linked together

2. A group of computer systems and other computing hardware devices that are linked together through communication channels to facilitate communication and resource-sharing among a wide range of users

Phishing

1. term used to describe when a malicious individual or group of individuals scams users through email or web pages designed to look legitimate to encourage users to enter personal information

2. usually an email message designed to steal your personal data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data, or other information

Program

1. A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform specific tasks with a computer

2. A computer requires programs to function and is always running unless the computer is turned off or halted

Scareware

1. program claiming it’s an antivirus or other security program and has found dozens of potential threats on a computer, which in reality are either nonexistent or not really a threat to the user or the user’s computer

2. programs typically installed onto a computer through false Internet advertisements, free programs and other malware

Search Engine

1. software program or script available through the Internet that searches documents and files for keywords and returns the results of any files containing those keywords

Software

1. A collection of computer programs and related data that provides the instructions that enable the user to interact with the computer or have the computer perform specific tasks

2. any set of machine-readable instructions (most often in the form of a computer program) that directs a computer’s processor to perform specific operations

Spyware

1. software program that is intentionally installed on the computer by a user to monitor or spy on what other users of the same computer are doing

2. malicious or unwanted software that can track your activities or simply slow your computer

Trojan Horse

1. program or utility that appears to be something useful or safe, but in reality is performing background tasks such as giving access to your computer or sending personal information to other computers

2. one of the most common methods a criminal uses to infect your computer and collect personal information from your computer

Virus

1. a program that runs on a system against the user’s wishes and knowledge

2. programs that can send your data to a third party, delete your data, or ruin your computer and render it unusable without a reinstallation of the operating system

WAN

1. Wide Area Network

2. network not limited to a single location

3. networks that span long distances using telephone lines, fiber-optic cables or satellite links

Wi-Fi

1. Wireless Local Area Network

2. the name of a popular wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections

WinZip

1. software program commonly used to compress larger files into smaller ones for easy sharing and downloading

Worm

1. destructive software program containing code capable of gaining access to computers or networks

2. a program similar to a virus that will exploit vulnerability in an operating system or application that a computer user is running

3. software that causes harm by deleting, modifying, distributing, or otherwise manipulating data

4. also known as Write Once Read Many (W.O.R.M.) – a CD that can be written to and then read from thereafter

Zip

1. file extension associated with WinZip file compression programs

2. hardware drive, diskette, or backup device for file compression