B - Definitions

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  • B

    backdoor (computing)

    A backdoor attack is a means to access a computer system or encrypted data that bypasses the system's customary security mechanisms.

  • biometric authentication

    Biometric authentication is a security process that relies on the unique biological characteristics of individuals to verify they are who they say they are.

  • biometric payment

    Biometric payment is a point-of-sale (POS) technology that uses biometric authentication physical characteristics to identify the user and authorize the deduction of funds from a bank account.

  • BIOS rootkit attack

    A BIOS-level rootkit attack, also known as a persistent BIOS attack, is an exploit in which the BIOS is flashed (updated) with malicious code. A BIOS rootkit is programming that enables remote administration.

  • black hat hacker

    A black hat hacker has been historically used to describe one who has malicious intent -- such as theft of information, fraud or disrupting systems -- but increasingly, more specific terms are being used to describe those people.

  • blended threat

    A blended threat is an exploit that combines elements of multiple types of malware and usually employs various attack vectors to increase the severity of damage and the speed of contagion.

  • bridge

    A bridge is a class of network device designed to connect networks at OSI Level 2, which is the data link layer of a local area network.

  • browser hijacker (browser hijacking)

    A browser hijacker is a malware program that modifies web browser settings without the user's permission and redirects the user to websites the user had not intended to visit.

  • buffer underflow

    A buffer underflow, also known as a buffer underrun or a buffer underwrite, is when the buffer -- the temporary holding space during data transfer -- is fed data at a lower rate than it is being read from.

  • BYOI (bring your own identity)

    BYOI (bring your own identity) is an approach to digital authentication in which an end user's username and password are managed by a third party. BYOI is increasingly being used for website authentication.

  • What is a block cipher?

    A block cipher is a method of encrypting data in blocks to produce ciphertext using a cryptographic key and algorithm.

  • What is a botnet?

    A botnet is a collection of internet-connected devices -- including PCs, servers, mobile devices and internet of things (IoT) devices -- infected and controlled by a common type of malware, often unbeknownst to their owners.

  • What is a brute-force attack?

    A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error hacking method cybercriminals use to decode login information and encryption keys to gain unauthorized access to systems.

  • What is a buffer overflow? How do these types of attacks work?

    A buffer overflow occurs when a program or process attempts to write more data to a fixed-length block of memory, or buffer, than the buffer is allocated to hold.

  • What is biometric verification?

    Biometric verification is any means by which a person can be uniquely identified by evaluating one or more distinguishing biological traits.

  • What is biometrics?

    Biometrics is the measurement and statistical analysis of people's unique physical and behavioral characteristics.

  • What is Blowfish?

    Blowfish is a variable-length, symmetric, 64-bit block cipher.