Glossary

A form of malicious software  that displays unsolicited advertising on your computer.

A virtual, and not necessarily accurate representation of a real person that is often used in chat rooms and online communities to provide a visual representation of that person.

A way of accessing a computer system that circumvents the computer security measures.

A content distribution protocol that enables the distribution, or "sharing" of software and data files, including movies pictures, by enabling users to serve as redistribution points to other users of the network. Pirated software and video content is often distributed through this channel.

A diary or personal journal kept on a website. Blogs are short for weblogs and are usually updated frequently and sometimes entries are grouped by specific subjects, such as politics, news, pop culture, or computers. Readers often post comments in response to blog entries.

A small piece of computer data sent from a website to the web browser you are using (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari) which allows the website to identify you. The website will be able to then recognize you as a return visitor for subsequent visits, and will be able to log you into the site. Cookies do not provide websites any personal information about you. They do help the website gather wide spectrum demographic information about you, including what time of day you logged in and from what city you are accessing their site.

A process that online predators use to trick their victims by building false trust relationships.

Cyberbullying "involves the use of information and communication technologies like the internet and mobile phones to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, which is intended to harm others."

The use of online resources such as social media profiles, email, chat and instant messaging, for the online enticement of children, delivery of rude, threatening, or harassing messages, or of repeated and unwanted messages, or the sharing of slanderous information.

A process of securing information you send over the Internet. When sending emails, purchasing an item online, or logging into your personal bank account via the Internet your Internet browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari) can "encrypt" the information you are sending by scrambling the information so that it cannot be read by hackers. When accessing sites with sensitive information you should look for a little padlock to appear in your browser. This lets you know that the site you're visiting is using SSL - which means it is secure and is using encryption.

A very, and sometimes exceptionally, rude person mostly found in forums. These persons will use foul language against others who might have misspelled a word or have a contrary opinion.  Flamers will usually go after new people or people who they know act badly.

This is the process predators use to befriend and manipulate minors into sexual relationships or into producing sexual images of themselves. It often includes the giving of compliments or gifts.

A person who uses the Internet to break into a computer network or an individual’s computer for malicious purposes.

Stealing someone’s personal information (e.g., credit card, social security number, bank account numbers) and using it for illegal purposes such as making purchases, accessing bank accounts, applying for credit cards, etc. Usually involves stealing money. E-mail scams, spyware, and viruses are the most typical methods for stealing someone’s identity.

A person who pretends to be somebody else, for financial gain or other advantages using social media sites. They attempt to deceive by using an assumed name or identity or other devious disguise.

A website that will not allow you to exit it once you have navigated to it.

A lurker is a person who reads discussions on a message boards, newsgroups, chatrooms, file sharing or other interactive system, but rarely or never participates actively.

A malicious computer program that is meant to damage, destroy or corrupt information on a computer. Viruses, worms, backdoors, and Trojan horses are examples of malware.

A web page or web site built automatically, whose content is a combination of materials from other sources, typically RSS feeds and/or REST interfaces.

A commonly used technique by pornography sites where a user gets "locked" in a website. While surfing the Internet it is possible to click a website and have multiple undesirable websites open. When this happens, you often cannot close or back out of the sites and must close your Web browser completely.

Netiquette is derived from the two words, internet and etiquette. Netiquette describes the rules for how one should act online especially in newsgroups, forums and chat rooms. Netiquette can also be applied to email and text message creation and transmission.

Derived from the term citizen, referring to a citizen of the Internet, or someone who uses networked resources. The term connotes civic responsibility and participation.

Personal information is anything that can identify you, such as name, address, telephone number, mobile number, age, what school or sports club you attend, your email address, password, username, bank account or credit card details and who your family is.

An online scam that attacks the browser's address bar. Users type in what they think is a valid website address and are unknowingly redirected to an illegitimate site that steals their personal information.

An online scam where imposters pose as real businesses and send emails instructing customers to visit legitimate-looking sites and update their personal information. The scammers then steal the information posted on the site and use it for illegal purposes. The best way to avoid phishing attacks is to not click through any e-mails that you believe to be suspicious.

Someone who stalks or uses lies, secrecy, stealth, or manipulation to befriend or get close to another person with the intention to cause them harm, exploit them, or other forms of victimization.

The freedom from unauthorized intrusion or disturbance in one's private life or affairs. Being let alone and able to keep certain personal matters to oneself.

Name / nickname used to identify oneself in communications on the Internet.

An image of an active window on your computer that you can paste into a document.You make a screen shot by holding down the <Cntrl> and <Alt> and then pressing <PrntScrn>, you can then paste it into a document by holding down <Ctrl> then press <v>.

The creation and exchanging of sexual or provocative messages and/or photographs, often by teenagers, between cellular phones, computers and other mobile devices, using the built-in camera.

Internet based applications which are used to facilitate communication between users. These applications include:

• Blogs and microblogs such as LiveJournal^® and Twitter^®
• E-mail programs such as Gmail™, Yahoo!Mail^®, and Hotmail^®
• Picture and video sharing sites such as Flickr^®, Photobucket^®, and YouTube^®
• Social networking sites such as Facebook^®, MySpace^®, and MyYearbook^®
• Virtual worlds such as Club Penguin^®, Habbo^®, and Nicktropolis^®

Spam is the email equivalent of junk mail or nuisance phone calls. Spam can simply be defined as unsolicited electronic email, instant messaging, SMS or MMS (text and image-based mobile phone messaging) of a commercial nature which is sent to individuals/organizations that have not consented to receive it.

Another word that means the same thing as phishing. See definition for phishing.

A wide variety of software installed on people’s computers, which collects information about you without your knowledge or consent and sends it back to whoever wrote the spyware program. The programs typically will track computer use and create numerous pop-up ads. in some instances, the spyware can damage the computer and facilitate identity theft.

To obsessively pursue a person from place to place on the Internet, attempting to find out their personal information.

Stranger danger is the term used to describe the potential dangers in meeting a stranger online. Adults may pretend to be children in chat rooms or other internet services. It is important for students to realize they may not be communicating with the person they think they are.

Is a destructive computer program that masquerades as a desirable or innocuous program. Trojan horses allows thirds parties unauthorized access to computers, giving them the ability save files on the computer, observe users’ activities or even to take control of the computer.

A person who posts outrageous messages in a chatroom or a forum to bait people to answer. They delight in sowing discord. Someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion.  Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war.

A humorous or horrific story or piece of information about a supposedly real event that spreads spontaneously in various forms and is usually false.

Computer programs which that typically arrive through e-mail attachments and can replicate themselves and infect other computers unbeknownst to computer users. Viruses can cause programs to operate incorrectly or corrupt files on a computer’s disk. Some viruses can spread across computer networks rapidly using up all available computer memory.

A program that replicates itself over a network, with malicious intentions, such as using up the computer resources and harm networks by using up bandwidth. Unlike a virus, worms do not need to attach itself to an existing program.