csp

W3C Technical Report

A final document on a standard or protocol from the World Wide Web Consortium.

Quantitative Variable

Has values that have a meaningful order.

Query

A request for information

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Memory that stores data that is in use

Range

Maximum value minus minimum value

Read-eval-print loop (REPL)

A loop that repeats the process of obtaining one instruction, executing it, and printing the output.

Reasonable Time

Algorithms with efficiencies that grow at a polynomial rate or slower (constant, linear, square, cube, etc.) are said to run in a reasonable amount of time.

Reconnaissance

The first phase of ethical hacking, which involves probing of the network to understand its structure and to see what services are open and running.

Recursion

When a function calls itself.

recursive Domain Name System (DNS)

A system that queries authoritative name servers until it can provide an answer to a request for domain information.

Redundancy

the inclusion of extra components that can be used to mitigate failure of a system if other components fail

register

A very tiny part of the processor microchip that stores bits of data, typically 32 or 64 bits in modern computers.

reidentification

Reattaching personal identities to deidentified data, often because Big Data make anonymity unlikely.

relational database

A database in which data is organized into collections of similar data, called tables. It uses relationships to define how data in one table can relate to data in another table. For example, a table called "students" can contain data about all the students in a school, while another table called "grades" can contain data about student grades. The two tables are "related," or connected, by a student identification number.

relational operators

Used to test the relationship between two variables, expressions, or values. A comparison using a relational operator evaluates to a Boolean value. For example, a == b evaluates to true if a and b are equal; otherwise, it evaluates to false. Operators include: ==, !=, >,

relative filename

A filename and a path for getting to the file's directory, starting from the current working directory

Relative Frequencies

A measure of the rate at which characters are used in a document or language with respect to each other.

relative path

An expression of the path to a resource on a computer with respect to the current working directory.

relative reference

Used in a formula in a spreadsheet cell, this reference is a direction from the formula's spreadsheet cell to the spreadsheet cell with the data.

Remediation

The fourth and last phase of ethical hacking in which the security professionals fix the system vulnerabilities uncovered in the previous phases.

Remote Shell

A tool for accessing a computer over a network via the command line.

Repetitive strain injuries

Inflammation in joints and musculature resulting from frequently recurring motions.

Request for Comments (RFC)

A misnomer, these are official, finalized documents about internet standards and protocols from the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Requirements

Describes how a program should function and may include a description of user interactions that a program must provide.

Retina

Light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eyeball.

Return Value

Any value that a method or function gives back to the statement command from which the function or method is called.

Rods

Light-sensitive neurons in the retina responsible for black-and-white vision under low lighting conditions.

Rogue access point

A wireless access point that gives unauthorized access to secure networks.

Rogue software security

Software that claims to detect or remove malware, adware, or spyware but actually installs it.

Root

n. A file system has a root directory with no parent. n. An operating system has a root user with no limits on privileges. v. To root a system is to obtain root access (i.e. the unlimited privileges of the root user).

Root directory

In UNIX, the topmost directory denoted as /.

Rootkit

A tool that obtains the highest level of privilege on a device, sometimes used intentionally by a mobile device owner to override the protections installed by the service provider.

Root node

The top level of a file structure. The folder that contains all other folders.

Router

A network device that controls and filters data between networks, either wired or wireless. It is a specific type of "gateway," a device that acts as a gate between two networks.

Routing Table

Data that is stored in a router in table format. It contains addresses of known networks (other routers), ones that have already been discovered and used. When a new, unknown network destination is discovered, the router will update its routing table.

RSA Algorithm

An example of public key encryption developed by Rivest, Shamir, and Adelman, the founders of RSA, an American computer and network security company.

Runtime

The duration of time a program is executing, from start to finish.

Runtime error

A mistake in the program that occurs during the execution of a program. Programming languages define their own run-time errors.

W3C Working Group

An organization within the World Wide Web Consortium focused on one W3C Activity intended to develop or evolve a web technology.

Walker Variable

A variable that stores one item from a list at a time during iteration.

Waterfall Design

A method of software development that emphasized completing each state of the design process before beginning the next stage.

Web Address

The unique address of a website or a computer connected to a network. Also known as a URL.

Web Crawler

A softbot responsible for following hyperlinks throughout the Internet to provide information for the creation of a web index.

Web Index

A database that stores information about web content.

Web Server

A computer that delivers files forming web pages across a network to requesting clients.

Website Information

Web pages and other non-product information such as shipping method and return policy.

Widget

A standard component of a GUI.

Wildcard

A special character that can represent one or more characters. The asterisk wildcard can stand from many letters, numbers, or symbols.

Wired Equivalent Privacy

A security algorithm used in wireless networks.

Wireless

Shorthand for wireless router, performs the work of a network router using radio frequencies in place of wires.

Wireless Access Point

A device that provides connectivity to a network. This can be a router, a host, a phone, or any device with WAP software configured.

Working Directory

The directory in the file system you are currently "in".

World Wide Web

A system of linked pages, programs, and files.

Worm

Malware that spreads by sending itself to other computers.

Worst-case Running Time

The time that an algorithm will take to execute input of a given length if the input is specially chosen to take a long time. Includes only the time for the processor to complete the algorithm with this worst-case input, and does not include variation from the processor performing unrelated tasks.

WYSIWIG

Any content editor that shows how the final product will look as the user makes modifications.

Object

A specific instance of a class with a specific set of values for its own attributes that is able to execute any methods defined in its class.

Object Oriented

A paradigm for programming in which code describes a class with methods, including a method for creating an object in the class.

Obscurity

Protecting a computer by hiding details like software version number.

Occipital Lobe

The portion of cortex at the back of the brain that processes vision.

Octal

A base 8 number system, which uses only digits 0 through 7.

One-way flag variable

A variable that stores whether a condition has been true yet; resets before iteration and is possibly raised during iteration.

One-way function

A function that takes a small amount of time to compute an output from an input but a large amount of time to recover an input from the output, such as multiplying two large prime numbers.

Opaque

Cannot be seen through; the opposite of transparent.

OP code

The digital representation of an instruction that will be fetched, decoded, retrieved, and executed by the central processing unit (CPU).

open data movement

A movement to make raw data available to users in standardized formats so that third parties can create applications that link to the data for users to consume.

open source

Software that is freely available to anyone who wants to use it. Users can modify it and distribute it however they want.

operating system (OS)

Software that supports a computer's basic functioning. Every general-purpose computer has an operating system.

operator

A symbol meaning the code should do something with one or more variables, values, or expressions.

optimization problem

A problem with the goal of finding the "best" solution among many, especially when there is not a yes-no answer to the problem.

opt-in, opt-out clauses

Clauses that let a user customize an agreement or interface. "Opt-in" clauses do not apply by default. "Opt-out" clauses apply by default.

organizationally unique identifier (OUI)

The first half of the MAC address, designating the manufacturer of the network device. Each manufacturer has their own, individual OUI for each device they produce.

Overflow Error

An error that occurs when a computer attempts to handle a number that is outside of the defined range of values.

Overriding a default

Providing a value for an argument in a function when the function has been defined with a default value for the argument, causing Python to use the value provided instead of the default.

packet

Small units of data transmitted on a network. Collected together, they compose some larger data, such as a document, a website, a movie, etc.

packet filtering

Network security that allows or denies packets based on source and destination addresses, ports, or protocols.

packet sniffer

A computer program that watches and analyzes network traffic at the packet level.

packet switching

A method of transferring and organizing data over a network using packets that contain routing information along with the data.

padding

Blank space placed around elements of a display to make it look the way the designer planned.

paginating

Dividing content into separate pages so that content does not scroll off screen.

paired keys

Two keys that are related in such a way that one can be used to encrypt data, which can then only be decrypted by the other key.

P and NP Problems

P problems can be solved in polynomial time; solutions to NP problems can be verified in polynomial time, but it is unknown if that implies they can be solved in polynomial time.

parallel computing

A field of study focusing on the development of software that uses multiple processor cores to solve problems by compartmentalizing them into smaller subproblems.

parallelizable

A task that can be divided among multiple processors that run in parallel to speed up execution time.

parallel processing

Using two or more central processing units (CPU) simultaneously.

parameters

The input variables of a procedure. A set of information included to help a process or function operate as intended.

parent

An element in a tree data structure that is the immediate ancestor of another element.

passive analysis

Analyzing something without interfering or affecting it.

patch

A small change to software, usually to fix a minor problem or install a minor feature.

path

An expression of the location of a resource on a computer.

payload

The body of a packet (as opposed to its header).

pcap file

A Wireshark data capture file that contains packet information of network traffic.

penetration testing

Performing a computer attack to evaluate the security of a system.

perceptron

A single, simple, artificial neuron.

permission privileges

Rights granted to a user, often specific to a file or a directory, and often categorized as granting permission to read data, modify data, and/or execute data.

personally identifiable information (PII)

Information about an individual, such as social security number, age, race, phone number(s), medical information, financial information, and biometric data such as fingerprint records and retina scans.

phisher

The person sending the phishing attempts.

phishing

Practice of sending fraudulent emails that appear to be from legitimate companies with the intent to induce people to share sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

pinout

A diagram describing the function of each lead on an integrated circuit's casing.

pipe

In UNIX, a pipe, indicated by a vertical bar (|), is a technique that passes or redirects output from one command to the input of another.