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Hacker Terms and Definitions
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Ankle Biter
A person who aspires to be a hacker/cracker but has very limited knowledge or skills
related to information systems. Usually associated with young teens who collect and use
simple malicious programs obtained from the Internet.
Attack
An attempt to bypass security controls on a computer. The attack may alter, release, or
deny data. Whether an attack will succeed depends on the vulnerability of the computer
system and the effectiveness of existing countermeasures.
Audit Trail
In computer security systems, a chronological record of system resource usage. This
includes user login, file access, security violations occurred, legitimate or
unauthorized.
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Back Door
A hole in the security of a computer system deliberately left in place by designers or
maintainers. Synonymous with trap door, a hidden software or hardware mechanism used to
circumvent security controls. A secret way to enter a computer or program that bypasses
normal operating mode.
Birthday attack
Based on the statistical probability that finding two identical elements in a known finite
space, the expected effort takes the square root of the key space number of steps.
Example: with only 23 people in a room, there is a better than even chance that two have
the same birthday.
Bomb
A general synonym for crash, normally of software or operating system failures.
Breach
The successful defeat of security controls, which could result in a penetration of the
system. A violation of controls of a particular information system such that information
assets or system components are unduly exposed.
Brute force attack
Typically a known plain text attack that exhausts all possible key combinations. Any key
length above 94 bits is virtually infeasible to perform this attack.
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Chernobyl packet (Kamikaze
packet)
A network packet that induces a broadcast storm and subsequent network meltdown. Typically
an P datagram that passes through a gateway with both source and destination Ethernet
& IP Address set as the respective broadcast addresses for the subnet being gated
between.
Chosen plaintext attack
A cryptanalytic attack having chosen the associated plaintext for several ciphertext
messages. A more powerful attack than Known-plaintext, because more information can be
obtained to help deduce the key.
Ciphertext-only attack
The cryptanalyst has the ciphertext of several messages, all of which have been encrypted
using the same encryption algorithm. The attacker is trying to recover the plaintext
message or key.
Computer Network attack
Operations to disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy information resident in computers and
computer networks or the computers and networks themselves.
Correlation attack
Combining the output of several stream ciphertext sequences in some nonlinear manner. Thus
revealing a correlation with the combined keystream and attacked using linear algebra.
Cracker
A popular hacking tool used to decode encrypted passwords. System administrators also use
Crack to assess weak passwords by novice users in order to enhance the security. Cracker:
One who breaks security systems.
Cracking
The act of breaking into a computer system. The act of breaking into a computer system or
account; what a cracker does. Contrary to widespread myth, this does not usually
persistence and the dogged repetition of a handful of fairly well-known tricks that
exploit common weaknesses in the security of target systems.
Cramming
A subtle scam used to get someone to change telephone long distance carriers without their
knowledge.
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Darkside hacker
A criminal or malicious hacker, opposite of a white-hat hacker.
Data diddling
The act of intentionally entering false information into a system or modifying existing
data.
Data driven attack
A form of attack that is encoded in innocuous seeming data that is executed by a user or a
process to implement an attack. A data driven attack is a concern for firewalls, since it
may get through the firewall in data form and launch an attack against a system behind the
firewall.
Data-in-motion attack
An adversary’s attempt to capture information while in transit, similar to
man-in-the-middle-attack.
Demon dialer (see war dialer).
A program, which repeatedly calls the same telephone number. This is benign and legitimate
for access to a BBS or malicious when used as a denial of service attack.
Denial of service
Action(s) that prevent any part of an information system from functioning in accordance
with its intended purpose. Usually flooding a system to prevent it from servicing normal
and legitimate requests.
Derf
Gaining physical access to a computer that is currently logged in by an absent minded
individual.
Dictionary attack
Trying to discover a password by comparing a password file with a list of known hashed
values of the password.
DNS spoofing
Assuming the DNS name of another system by either corrupting the name service cache of a
victim system, or by compromising a domain name server for a valid domain.
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Fork bomb (see Logic Bomb)
Also known as Logic Bomb - Code that can be written in one line on any Unix system; used
to recursively spawn copies of itself, "explodes" eventually eating all the
process table entries and effectively locks up the system.
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Hacker
A person who enjoys exploring the details of computers and how to stretch their
capabilities. A malicious or inquisitive meddler who tries to discover information by
poking around. A person who enjoys learning the details of programming systems and how to
stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users who prefer to learn the minimum
necessary.
Hacking
Unauthorized use, or attempts to circumvent or bypass the security mechanisms of an
information system or network.
Hijacking (IP)
An action whereby an active, established, session is intercepted and co-opted by the
unauthorized user. IP splicing attacks may occur after an authentication has been made,
permitting the attacker to assume the role of an already authorized user. Primary
protections against IP splicing rely on encryption at the session or network layer.
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Indirection
Covering your tracks so that the target cannot identify or prove who is attacking them.
Internet worm
A worm program that was unleashed on the Internet in 1988. Robert T. Morris wrote it as an
experiment that got out of hand.
IP spoofing
An attack whereby a system attempts to illicitly impersonate another system by using IP
network address.
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Joes
An account where the user name and password are the same.
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Known-plaintext attack
The cryptanalyst has access not only to the ciphertext of several messages, and also the
plaintext. The challenge is to deduce the key or keys used to encrypt or an algorithm to
decrypt any new messages encrypted with the same key or keys.
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Leapfrog attack
Use of User-ID and Password information obtained illicitly from one host to compromise
another host. The act of TELNETing through one or more hosts in order to preclude a trace
(a standard cracker procedure).
Letterbomb
A piece of e-mail containing live data intended to do malicious things to the
recipient’s machine ‘or terminal. Under UNIX, a letterbomb can also try to get
part of its contents interpreted as a shell command to the mailer. The results of this
could range from silly to denial of service.
Logic bomb
Also known as a Fork Bomb - A resident computer program which, when executed, checks for a
particular condition or particular state of the system which, when satisfied, triggers the
perpetration of an unauthorized act.
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Mailbomb
The mail sent to urge others to send massive amounts of email to a single system or
person, with the intent to crash the recipient’s system. Mailbombing is widely
regarded as a serious offense.
Malicious code
Hardware, software, of firmware that is intentionally included in a system for an
unauthorized purpose; e.g. a Trojan horse.
Man-in-the-middle
An active attack that typically is gaining information by sniffing or tapping a line
between two unsuspecting parties.
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NAK attack
Negative acknowledgment - A penetration technique which capitalizes on a potential
weakness in an operating system that does not handle asynchronous interrupts properly
leaving the system in an unprotected state during such interrupts.
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Packet sniffing/filter
A device or program that monitors data traveling between computers on a network.
Passive attack
Attack which does not result in an unauthorized state change, such as an attack that only
monitors and/or records data.
Passive cheater
The threat of unauthorized disclosure of information that doesn’t change the state of
the system. A type of threat that involves the interception, not the alteration, of
information.
Perimeter security.
The technique of securing a network by controlling access to all entry and exit points of
the network. Usually associated with firewalls and/or filters.
Piggyback attack
Gaining unauthorized access to a system via another user’s legitimate connection.
Ping –of-Death
The use of Ping with a packet size higher than 65,507. This will cause a denial of
service.
Port scanning
A program that attempts to learn about the weaknesses of a computer or network edge device
by repeatedly probing it with requests for information.
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Retro-Virus
A retro-virus waits until all possible backup media are infected too, so that it is not
possible to restore the system to an uninfected state.
Root kit
A program that hackers implant in a victim’s computer to hide their nefarious
programs; a hacker security tool that captures passwords and message traffic to and from a
computer; a collection of tools that allows a hacker to provide a backdoor into a system,
collect information on other systems on the network, mask the fact that the system is
compromised, and much more. A root kit is a classic example of Trojan horse software and
is available for a wide range of operating systems.
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Session hijacking
Taking over an open DTE I DOE session from someone who did not logout.
Shoulder Surf
To look over someone’s shoulder to view a password or PIN to gain access at a later
time.
Smurfing
A denial of service attack in which an attacker spoofs the source address of an
echo-request ICMP (ping) packet to the broadcast address for a network, causing the
machines in the network to respond en masse to the victim, clogging its network.
Sniffer/sniffing
a program running on a computer or device that’s attached to a network that filters,
captures, and records network traffic, i.e. packets.
Spam
A program to capture data across a computer network. Used by hackers to capture user ID
names and passwords. Also a software tool that audits and identifies network traffic
packets.
Spoofing
Impersonating a server or person without permission. Pretending to be someone else. The
deliberate inducement of a user or a resource to take an incorrect action. Attempt to gain
access to a system by pretending to be an authorized user. Impersonating, masquerading,
and mimicking are forms of spoofing.
Superzapping
The use of a utility program to modify information in computers. Leaving no trail of
evidence, it circumvents the application from processing data or commands.
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Threat
The means by which to launch a threat agent to adversely affect an automated system,
facility, or operation can be manifest. A potential violation of security.
Tripwire
A software tool for security. Basically, it works with a database that maintains
information about the byte count of files. If the byte count has changed, it will identify
it to the system security manager.
Trojan horse
An apparently useful and innocent program containing additional hidden code, which allows
the unauthorized collection, exploitation, falsification, or destruction of data. Trojan
Horse programs can be found in .EXE .JPG .MPG .VBS and other seemingly innocent programs.
The user usually receives the program from a familiar email address, URL, or attachment on
a questionable web site. It can be in the form of a Visual Basic program VBS, Java Applet,
Mpeg, Avi or Jpg file. It can be embedded in a java html document or an ActiveX applet.
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Virus
A program that can infect other programs by modifying them to possibly include an evolved
copy of itself. They range in severity from simply copying themselves to everyone in your
email address book to destroying disk drives to logging passwords used to access bank
accounts and other sensitive information.
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War dialer
A program that will automatically dial a range of telephone numbers looking for a modem/computer to answer; a program that dials a given list or range of numbers and records those: which answer with handshake tones: or which might be entry points to computer or telecommunications systems.
Wardriving
Hacking wireless networks using home made antenna and a laptop by cruising around in a car and monitoring activity on local businesses until a business is found not using even the most basic encryption then stealing credit card data and customer data.
White hat hacker
One who usually does not break into unauthorized systems, but sometimes writes the tools that get used by the novices and black hats.
Whitemail
The dissemination of false information for financial gain.
Worm
Independent program that replicates from machine to machine across network connections, often-clogging networks and information systems as it spreads.
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