From LQWiki

Overview

In order to effectively comprehend and apply security alerts and other security resouces to your system administration, it is important to understand the meanings and usage of a number of security-related terms.

Terms

buffer overflow

A buffer overflow occurs when an application writes to memory beyond that allocated for a data structure.

privilege escalation

Refers to a vulnerability that permits an unprivileged user to gain access permissions it would not otherwise have. An example of privilege escalation is the case where a normal local users exploits a vulnerability to gain root-level access.

remote root exploit

Refers to a vulnerability, usually in the Linux kernel or in a service exposed to the network, by which a remote attacker can gain root-level privileges on the vulnerable system.

phishing

Phishing attacks involve the mass distribution of 'spoofed' e-mail messages with return addresses, links, and branding which appear to come from banks, insurance agencies, retailers or credit card companies. These fraudulent messages are designed to fool the recipients into divulging personal authentication data such as account usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc. Because these emails look "official", up to 5% of recipients may respond to them, resulting in financial losses, identity theft, and other fraudulent activity.

External links

• A Glossary of Security Terms (www.yourwindow.to)