Hardware, Software, Networking, and Information Security Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering hardware components, software classifications, telecommunication networks, internet infrastructure, and information security concepts.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The primary hardware component that executes instructions and performs the actual computations inside a computer.

Microprocessor

A computer CPU integrated on a single microchip composed of millions of microscopic transistors that processes binary data ($1$s and $0$s).

Control Unit

A component of the microprocessor that directs and coordinates the flow of data and instructions within the chip.

Arithmetic-Logic Unit (ALU)

The CPU component that receives data and instructions from registers to perform mathematical computations and logical operations.

Registers

High-speed primary storage areas embedded within the CPU that temporarily hold limited amounts of instructions and data immediately before and after processing.

Cache Memory

A section of high-speed primary storage where the computer temporarily stores frequently accessed blocks of data for fast retrieval.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

A temporary, volatile form of primary storage located on the main motherboard that holds software programs and data currently being processed by the CPU.

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

A nonvolatile type of primary storage where critical system instructions are permanently safeguarded and retained even when the computer is turned off.

Computer Hierarchy

The classification of computers based on computing capacity and power: Supercomputers > Mainframe computers > Midrange computer > Microcomputer.

Supercomputers

The most powerful computers in the hierarchy, used for large-scale computational tasks such as weather prediction, weapon testing, aircraft design, and motion picture production.

Mainframe Computers

High-capacity enterprise computer systems used by major organizations for transaction-heavy applications like airline reservations and banking (e.g., IBM System Z).

Midrange Computers

Computers including minicomputers, servers, and workstations used for process control, scientific research, and engineering applications (e.g., Oracle SPARC server).

Microcomputers

General-purpose personal computing devices including desktop PCs, laptops, and tablets.

Wearable Computers

Miniaturized electronic devices designed to be worn on the body, such as the Apple Watch or Google Glass.

Distributed Supercomputing

A grid computing architecture that links many personal computers over the Internet to combine processing power for complex calculations (e.g., using Hadoop).

Moore's Law

The prediction that microprocessor processing power doubles approximately every two years due to miniaturized transistors, multi-core processors, and 3D chip designs.

Microprocessor Architecture

The structural organization of a microprocessor showing how the Control Unit, ALU, and Registers interface with Primary Storage, Input, Output, and Secondary Storage.

Primary Storage

Fast, temporary memory mounted directly on the computer motherboard (registers, cache, RAM, ROM) that holds data and instructions actively needed by the CPU.

Secondary Storage

Nonvolatile storage media located outside the CPU that permanently stores data and software programs long-term, retrieving data more slowly than RAM.

Systems Software

Programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide an underlying platform for running application software (e.g., Operating Systems, GUI).

Application Software

Programs designed to perform specific user-focused tasks or functions, operating on top of systems software.

Source Data Automation

Input technologies that capture data directly at its source in digital form without manual human entry, such as barcode scanners, magnetic strip readers, and POS terminals.

Bandwidth

The maximum volume or amount of data that can be transmitted across a network connection per unit of time.

Broadband

A high-capacity telecommunications transmission channel capable of simultaneously carrying large volumes of data, video, and voice traffic at high speeds.

Personal Area Network (PAN)

A short-range computer network (typically covering a few meters) designed for communication among personal devices around a single individual.

Local Area Network (LAN)

A telecommunications network that connects devices across a small geographic location, such as an office, home, or building, typically owned by one entity.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A network spanning a metropolitan area such as a city or region (tens of kilometers) that typically connects multiple LANs.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A network spanning large geographical distances across countries or continents, connecting multiple LANs and MANs.

Types of Computer Networks

The range of network categories ordered by coverage area: Personal Area Network (PAN), Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), and the Internet.

Twisted-Pair Wire

A wireline transmission medium composed of insulated copper wires twisted together; offers low speed, low cost, and low security compared to coaxial or fiber optics.

Coaxial Cable

A wireline transmission channel consisting of a single insulated copper wire surrounded by a braided shield; offers moderate speed, cost, and security.

Fiber-Optic Cable

A high-speed wireline transmission medium consisting of thin strands of glass fibers that transmit data as light pulses; provides the highest speed, cost, and security.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

The fundamental protocol suite of the Internet; TCP manages data connections, sequencing, and acknowledgments, while IP disassembles, delivers, and reassembles data packets.

Packet Switching

A data transmission technique that breaks messages into small blocks called packets, routes them independently across network pathways, and reassembles them at the destination.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

A commercial entity or company that provides subscribers with access to the Internet for a fee.

Network Access Point (NAP)

Key traffic exchange points where different Internet Service Providers connect with one another to route data traffic across the Internet backbone.

Internet Backbone

A high-speed fiber-optic network connecting NAPs and ISPs globally to carry bulk Internet traffic.

Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

The standardized global address format used to specify the exact location of a resource on the World Wide Web.

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

The web communications protocol responsible for transferring web pages and hypermedia resources between web servers and client browsers.

World Wide Web (WWW)

A system of universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying multimedia information through a client/server architecture.

Surface Web

The visible portion of the World Wide Web (10–16% of Internet information) indexed by traditional search engines and publicly accessible.

Deep Web

The hidden portion of the World Wide Web (80–90% of Internet information) protected behind passwords, firewalls, and paywalls, which is not indexed by standard search engines.

Dark Web

A very small, encrypted segment of the web (estimated 10,000–100,000 sites) requiring specialized software like Tor for anonymous access.

Layers of the World Wide Web

An iceberg model categorizing web content by accessibility: Surface Web (10–16%), Deep Web (80–90%), and Dark Web (a very small encrypted segment).

Information Security

All policies and processes designed to protect an organization's information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction.

Threat

Any external or internal danger to which an information resource may be exposed.

Exposure

The potential harm, loss, or damage that can result if a threat compromises an information resource.

Vulnerability

The possibility that a system will be harmed by a threat due to security weaknesses or system flaws.

Social Engineering

A security attack where the perpetrator uses social skills and manipulation to trick legitimate employees into disclosing confidential information like passwords.

Phishing Attack

A software attack requiring user action that uses deceptive mass emails to trick targets into providing sensitive login or personal information.

Spear Phishing Attack

A customized phishing attack targeted specifically at a particular individual or organization to trick them into compromising security.

Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attack

A cyberattack needing no user action in which an attacker bombards a target system with service requests to overwhelm processing capacity and crash it.

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack

An attack where an attacker uses a network of compromised slave computers (botnet) to flood a target system simultaneously from multiple points.

Trojan Horse

A software attack disguised as a benign or useful application that conceals malicious code executed upon launch.

Back Door

A secret entry method or password bypass built into software by developers that allows unauthorized access past normal security mechanisms.

Logic Bomb

A segment of computer code embedded in an application designed to trigger a malicious payload when specific conditions or dates are met.

Physical Controls

Defense mechanisms that prevent unauthorized individuals from physically accessing an organization's facility or hardware (e.g., gates, guards, doors, locks, badges).

Access Controls

Security mechanisms that restrict unauthorized individuals from entering information resources, consisting of authentication and authorization.

Authentication

The access control step that confirms a user's identity based on something they are, have, do, or know.

Authorization

The access control step that determines what rights, privileges, and resources an authenticated user is permitted to access.

Communications Controls

Network security mechanisms (such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, anti-malware, and encryption) that protect data transmitted across networks.

Defense Mechanisms Layout

A multi-layered information security framework showing Physical Controls protecting facility entry, Access Controls securing internal networks, and Communications Controls protecting external Internet traffic.