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authentication

A feature of Internet Security software that seeks to verify the identity of a person or process.

bandwidth

The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For analog devices, the bandwidth is expressed in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz). And for digital devices, the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second(bps) or bytes per second.

bits per second (bps)

The units at which the transmission speed of data is measured, as the bits are transmitted over a communications medium.

broadband

A type of data transmission in which a single medium (usually a wire) can carry several channels at once. Cable TV, for example, uses broadband transmission.

browser

A program used to access and display documents from the Web and other Internet resources. Popular browsers include Netscape and Internet Explorer.

cookie

A packet of information that is sent by a HTTP server to a client's browser and then sent back by that browser each time the client accesses the server. Typically they are used to identify, track a registered user of a website without requiring them to sign on each time they access that site.

domain name:

That part of the Internet name that specifies your computer location in the world, written as a series of names separated by full stops.

encryption

Encoding of data travelling across the Internet to prevent it from being read by unauthorized recipient.

firewall

A security measure on the Internet, protecting information, preventing access, or ensuring that users cannot do any harm to the underlying computer systems. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol, one of the protocols on the Internet, which allows for very efficient transfer of entire data files between computers.

HTTP

(HyperText Transport Protocol)

A set of rules that provide the means of communicating, moving hypertext files on the World Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. Requires an HTTP client program on one end, and an HTTP server program on the other end. HTTP is the most popular protocol used in the World. You can normally see the http at the beginning of each web address.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language is a convention for creating documents on the World Wide Web. HTML files usually have the extension .HTML or .htm.

Hyperlink

An element in an electronic document that links to another place in the same document or to an entirely different document. Typically, you click on the hyperlink to follow the link.

Internet

The world-wide organization of computer networks stretching across the world, linking computers of many different types, using protocols. The Internet provides file transfer, remote login, electronic mail, news, and other services. No one organization has control of the Internet.

Internet Service Provider

An organization that offers a server computer and the software needed to access the Internet for a fee.

Intranet

A private Internet-like network internal to a particular company, usually not accessible by unauthorized public.

Java

A programming language used to create mini-programs (known as applets), which are automatically downloaded when you come across a Java-enhanced WEB site. Sun Microsystems developed it, and it is now used in several online games and to animate some images.

modem

A piece of equipment that connects a computer to a data transmission line - typically a telephone line. Normal people use modems that transfer data at speeds ranging from 1200 bits per second (bps) to 19.2 kbps.

Protocol

A set of rules for the exchange of data between a terminal and a computer or between two computers.

Proxy

A device used to access the Internet around a "fire wall" put up to ensure security in a large system/network.

PKI

Short for public key infrastructure, a system of digital certificates, Certificate Authorities, and other registration authorities that verify and authenticate the validity of the parties involved in an Internet transaction. PKIs are currently evolving and there is no single PKI nor even a single agreed-upon standard for setting up a PKI.

search engine

A program that allows you to do keyword searches for information on the Internet.

Security Certificate

An attachment to an electronic message that is used by the SSL protocol to establish a secure connection and to verify the identification of the individual/organization.

SSL

Short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape Communications SSL to enable encrypted, authenticated communications across the Internet. SSL works by using a private key to encrypt data that's transferred over the SSL connection. Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support SSL, and many Web sites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. In an SSL connection each side of the connection must have a Security Certificate, which each side's software sends to the other. Each side then encrypts what it sends using information from both its own and the other side's Certificate, ensuring that only the intended recipient can de-crypt it, and that the other side can be sure the data came from the place it claims to have come from, and that the message has not been tampered with.

URL

Universal Resource Locator is an address that completely defines a resource of the World Wide Web. A URL has four elements:

a. The service - HTTP or FTP or a few others.

b. The host - the computer that handles the resource.

c. The port number (often not necessary because it defaults according to the service requested).

d. The path and filename of the resource.

URL format is: service://hostport/path.

WWW

The World Wide Web, also called the Web or W3, is a system of Internet servers that support specially formatted documents. The documents are formatted in a language called HTML that supports links to other documents, as well as graphics, audio, and video files. This means you can jump from one document to another simply by clicking on hot spots. Not all Internet servers are part of the World Wide Web.