Short for Web Browser, it is the software that allows users to surf the Web. Currently, the most popular browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer.

A fraudulent Web site that supports a phishing e-mail and is designed to mirror the legitimate Web site it is purporting to be.

The system that translates Internet domain names into IP numbers is similar to a phone book for the Internet. A "DNS Server" is a server that performs this kind of translation. Because domain names are alphabetic, they are easier for humans to remember than IP addresses, which are numeric. The Internet, however, is really based on IP addresses.

Software, hardware, or a combination of the two, that restricts access into or out of a network.

The technical meaning is a hardware or software set-up that translates between two dissimilar protocols. For example, America Online has a gateway that translates between its internal, proprietary e-mail format and Internet e-mail format. Another, less technical meaning of gateway is to describe any mechanism for providing access to another system, for example, AOL might be called a gateway to the Internet.

The process of scanning the Internet to identify e-mail addresses in order to create lists for spamming.

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. Hyperlinks are the most essential ingredient of all hypertext systems, including the World Wide Web.

A global network linking millions of computers for communications purposes. The Internet was developed in 1969 for the U.S. military and gradually grew to include educational and research institutions before expanding to its current popularity with individual users. The use of the Internet has mushroomed primarily due to the popularity of the World Wide Web and e-mail.

Address The address that provides a unique identification of a server and the network to which it belongs. An IP address is expressed as four numbers separated by dots (e.g., 197.92.96.105). Also see DNS.

A company that provides an Internet connection, for example, America Online or EarthLink.

Software that captures the user's keystrokes, usually unbeknownst to the user.

In hypertext systems, such as the World Wide Web, a link is a reference to another document. Such links are sometimes called hyperlinks because they take you to other document when you click on them.

To make a computer system or network recognize you so that you can begin a computer session. Most personal computers have no log-on procedure -- you just turn the machine on and begin working. For larger systems and networks, however, you usually need to enter a username and password before the computer system will allow you to execute programs.

A generic term increasingly being used to describe any form of malicious software. Examples include viruses, Trojan Horses, malicious active content, etc.

Software that allows a hacker to exploit a DNS server to acquire the Domain Name for a site, and to redirect traffic from that Web site to another Web site. DNS servers are the giant computers that "run" the Internet. Also known as "DNS poisoning."

Phishing is the name given to the practice of sending at random c-mails that purport to come from a genuine company operating on the Internet, in an attempt to trick customers of that company into disclosing information at a bogus Web site operated by criminals. These c-mails usually claim that it is necessary to "update" or "verify" your customer account information and they urge people to click on a link from the e-mail which takes them to the bogus Web site. The criminals who are on the receiving end of the phished information will then use it to commit financial fraud and/or identity theft.

Engineering In this usage, conning e-mail recipients into opening messages, revealing passwords and/or providing other confidential information by appealing to their curiosity, gullibility or computing naiveté.

The Internet version of junk mail. Spamming is sending the same message to a large number of mailing lists or newsgroups, usually to advertise something.

Spoofing is the act of impersonating another person, computer or Web site. This is usually done by providing a false e-mail name, URL or IP address. Also refers to the use of other media, including telephone and in-person, to con people into revealing confidential information.

Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge.

A destructive software program that masquerades as a benign application. For example, a program that appears to be a game or image file, but in reality performs some destructive or malicious function.

The standard way to give the address of any resource on the Internet that is part of the World Wide Web, (e.g., http://www.chemicalbankmi.com).

A destructive computer program that has the ability to reproduce itself and infect other programs or disks. Typically a virus will not show itself immediately, but will acid itself to programs and disks to spread itself widely on many computers before it is triggered into its destructive phase. The best defense is to run anti-virus software and use it on all new software and disks introduced to your system. Anti-virus software should be updated monthly.

The collection of pages that are accessed via the Internet using a browser. Often mistakenly used to refer to the Internet as a whole.