D-F
Decompiler
A type of program that reconstructs a program's original source
code from an executable file. Decompilers exist for Visual Basic, Java, and
other programming languages. See
Disassembler.
Delphi
Rapid-application development tool based on the Pascal
programming language. Often used to write remote access Trojan horse programs.
See
RAT and
Visual Basic.
Denial-of-service
attack
The tying up of a computer's resources to prevent its use by
others. Often abbreviated as DoS.
DES
(Data Encryption Standard) An encryption method. DES can be
cracked and is thus considered useless for encrypting valuable or sensitive
information. See
AES.
Desktop-monitoring
program
Program designed to spy and record the activities of a person on
a computer without his or her knowledge. See
Spyware.
Dictionary
attack
A way of finding a password by trying a list of common passwords
such as Star Trek lingo, names of cars, or titles of popular
movies.
Direct action
virus
A virus that does something immediately each time you run it,
such as attack your hard disk or display a message on the
screen.
Disassembler
A program that generates assembly language source code from an
executable program file. See
Assembly language and
Decompiler.
Email
bombing
Clogging up an email account by sending a large number of email
messages or several huge files. See
Fax bombing and
Phone call flooding.
Encryption
A method of scrambling data to make it unreadable by others.
See
AES and
DES.
EXE
file
A common name for a file that contains a program such as a word
processor or a game. An EXE file is a relocatable program that can be used to
store larger programs.
False
negative
When a program, such as an antivirus or anti–Trojan horse
program, fails to detect a result. When an anti-virus program fails to detect a
legitimate virus, that result is called a false negative.
False
positive
When a program, such as an antivirus or anti–Trojan horse
program, incorrectly claims an error. When an anti-virus program incorrectly
identifies a virus where none exists, the result is called a false
positive.
Fast
infector
A type of virus that infects program files whenever the computer
loads or examines the virus file.
FAT
(file allocation table) Part of the disk that contains
information about the size and location of all the other files on the disk.
Each time you format a disk, it creates two identical FATs, which store
information on the clusters used by each file stored on the disk. If your
disk's FAT gets messed up, the files are still on the disk, but your computer
will no longer be able to find or use them.
Fax
bombing
Sending multiple messages to a fax machine to prevent others from
using it. See
Email bombing and
Phone call flooding.
File
infector
Another name for program
infectors.
Firewall
Utility designed to keep intruders out of a network or individual
computer.
Flooder
A malicious program designed to overwhelm a target computer with
more data than it can handle. See
Denial-of-service attack and
Email bombing.
Forensics
The science of recovering deleted files for
evidence.
Fortress
phone
Slang name for a pay phone, referring to its extensive defenses
designed to keep people from breaking into it.
Freeware
Software that can be copied, distributed, and given away without
payment of any kind. See
Adware and
Shareware.