Technology in Action: Chapters 7, 8, and 9 Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering computer networking architectures, digital media ethics and intellectual property, and system security concepts from Chapters 7, 8, and 9.

Computer Network

Two or more computers or devices that are connected via software and hardware so they can communicate, share peripherals, and transfer data.

Node

Any device connected to a computer network, such as a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, printer, or game console.

Data Transfer Rate (Bandwidth)

The maximum speed at which data can be transmitted across two nodes on a network, usually measured in megabits per second ($\text{Mbps}$) or gigabits per second ($\text{Gbps}$).

Throughput

The actual speed of data transfer that is achieved across a network, which is frequently less than the theoretical bandwidth.

Personal Area Network (PAN)

A network created to connect personal computing devices, such as smartphones and tablets, within the immediate vicinity of an individual user.

Local Area Network (LAN)

A network in which nodes are located within a small geographic area, such as a single home, school building, or computer laboratory.

Home Area Network (HAN)

A specific type of Local Area Network located in a home, utilized to connect computing devices and digital entertainment systems.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A large computer network that provides data coverage over a specific geographic area, such as an entire municipality or city.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A network that spans a large physical distance, composed of two or more interconnected Local Area Networks, with the Internet being the largest example.

Client/Server Network

A centrally administered network architecture where central server computers fulfill tasks, supply resources, and store data requested by client computers.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Network

A decentralized network design in which each connected node can communicate directly with every other node without relying on a central server.

Backward Compatibility

The ability of newer network standards, devices, or software to work properly with older standards and legacy technology.

Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) Cable

A wired network transmission medium made up of twisted pairs of copper wires surrounded by a protective plastic jacket to reduce electrical interference.

Coaxial Cable

A transmission medium featuring a single central copper wire surrounded by layers of plastic insulation, metallic shielding, and outer plastic casing.

Fiber-Optic Cable

A transmission medium composed of optically pure strands of glass or plastic that transmits digital information as pulses of light without signal degradation over long distances.

Network Interface Card (NIC)

A specialized expansion card or built-in internal adapter that enables a device to connect and communicate over a network.

Router

A network device designed to inspect, direct, and route data packets between two or more separate networks, such as a home network and the Internet.

Switch

A network device that acts like a traffic controller, receiving incoming data packets and directing them specifically to the intended node on the same local network.

Network Operating System (NOS)

Specialized operating system software installed on servers in a client/server network that coordinates communications, resources, and security.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

A broadband technology that transmits digital data over conventional copper telephone lines, where data speeds decrease as distance from the source increases.

Network-Attached Storage (NAS) Device

A dedicated storage appliance connected directly to a network that provides centralized file storage, automated backups, and file sharing for connected devices.

Wireless Range Extender

A device designed to amplify and repeat a wireless router's signal to extend coverage into areas with weak or no Wi-Fi reception.

Piggybacking

Connecting to an open, unsecured wireless network without the owner's explicit permission or knowledge.

Service Set Identifier (SSID)

The unique identifying name assigned to a specific wireless network to distinguish it from other nearby networks.

Digital Convergence

The integration of multiple technologies, media, telecommunications, and entertainment functions into a single unifying device.

Internet of Things (IoT)

The interconnected network of physical devices and household appliances embedded with sensors, software, and connectivity to collect and exchange data.

Analog Signal

Continuous sound or light waves that fluctuate smoothly over time in strength and frequency.

Digital Signal

A representation of information that converts continuous data into discrete strings of binary numbers ($0$s and $1$s).

Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC)

An integrated chip or electronic circuit that digitizes continuous analog waves into discrete numerical data.

Electronic Text (e-text)

Textual information that has been captured, encoded, and formatted digitally so that it can be read on computing devices.

Electronic Ink (E Ink)

A sharp, high-contrast display technology used in dedicated e-readers that reflects ambient light like regular paper without requiring a direct backlight.

Sampling Rate

The number of times per second that an analog audio wave is measured and recorded during digital conversion.

Digital Rights Management (DRM)

A system of access control technologies and restrictions designed to limit the unauthorized duplication and use of legally purchased digital media.

Resolution

The sharpness and clarity of an image, determined by the total number of data points (pixels) captured or displayed.

Pixel

Short for picture element; a single microscopic dot that combines with others to produce a complete digital image.

Pixel Binning

A digital photography process that combines data from adjacent pixels on an image sensor into one larger pixel to enhance low-light performance.

RAW File

A digital camera file format that records all raw, uncompressed image data captured directly by the camera sensor.

Codec

A set of algorithms or specifications used for compressing and decompressing digital audio and video files.

Cryptocurrency

A decentralized digital currency that utilizes cryptography to facilitate secure, anonymous peer-to-peer transactions without central banks or intermediaries.

Blockchain

A decentralized, distributed digital ledger technology that permanently and transparently records chronological transactions across a network of computers.

Deep Web

The portion of the World Wide Web containing unindexed databases, paywalled resources, and private pages that cannot be located by standard search engines.

Dark Web

A specialized subset of the Deep Web requiring specific software and encrypted configurations to access, often utilized for anonymous or illicit activities.

Intellectual Property

A product of a person's creative mind that is protected by legal mechanisms such as copyrights, patents, trademarks, service marks, or trade dress.

Copyright

A legal protection granted to creators of original artistic and literary works fixed in tangible form, conferring exclusive rights over reproduction and distribution.

Public Domain

The status of intellectual works that are no longer protected by copyright and may be freely utilized, reproduced, and adapted by anyone without permission.

Copyleft

A licensing scheme that allows authors to grant the public permission to freely use, modify, and distribute a work, provided any derived works retain the same rights.

Fair Use

A legal provision allowing limited reproduction of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching, or scholarship.

Plagiarism

The unethical practice of taking someone else's written material, ideas, or intellectual output and presenting them as one's own original creation.

Digital Manipulation

The practice of editing, altering, or falsifying digital media (such as images, video, or audio) from the original captured form.

Online Reputation

The collective body of personal data, images, search results, and public information available about an individual across cyberspace.

Identity Theft

A cybercrime in which a perpetrator obtains another person's identifying information to impersonate them for financial gain or fraudulent activities.

Hacker

Any individual who unlawfully breaks into a computer system, device, or network without authorization.

White-Hat Hacker

An ethical security professional who breaks into computer systems with authorization to expose security weaknesses and assist in patching vulnerabilities.

Black-Hat Hacker

A malicious hacker who breaches computer systems and networks without permission to destroy data, deploy malware, or steal information for personal profit.

Grey-Hat Hacker

A hacker who crosses ethical or legal boundaries to demonstrate technical expertise or discover security flaws without malicious intent, but without prior authorization.

Packet Analyzer (Sniffer)

A specialized software application used to examine and log data packets traveling across a network, often employed to intercept confidential information.

Keylogger

A hardware device or stealth software program that surreptitiously records every keystroke typed by a computer user to capture passwords and sensitive credentials.

Trojan Horse

A deceptive program that disguises itself as useful, legitimate software while covertly executing malicious code in the background.

Rootkit

A collection of malicious software tools that enables an unauthorized user to gain root-level, administrative control of a system without being detected.

Zombie

A computer or device that has been covertly taken over by a hacker and used remotely to execute malicious tasks without the owner's knowledge.

Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attack

A cyberattack that overwhelms a target server or system with bogus connection requests, forcing it to shut down and denying access to legitimate users.

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack

An attack that floods a computer or network with traffic from multiple zombie computers simultaneously to cause system failure.

Botnet

A large network of interconnected devices (zombies) infected with automated malware and managed remotely by a hacker.

Exploit Kit

A software package that runs on servers searching for unpatched software and operating system vulnerabilities in connecting client machines.

Logical Port

A virtual communications path established by an operating system to direct incoming and outgoing network traffic to specific software applications.

Computer Virus

A malicious computer program that attaches itself to an existing host file to replicate its code and spread to other programs and computing devices.

Boot-Sector Virus

A type of virus that embeds itself into the master boot record of a hard drive or storage medium, activating every time the computer system boots up.

Logic Bomb

Malicious code deliberately planted inside a program that lies dormant until triggered by a specific condition, action, or date.

Worm

A standalone malicious program that actively spreads from device to device across network connections without requiring a host file or human intervention.

Script and Macro Virus

A series of commands with malicious intent embedded in web pages, script files, or automated productivity documents (such as spreadsheets or word processors).

Encryption Virus

A malicious program that holds user files hostage by scrambling them with strong encryption algorithms and demanding payment to receive the decryption key.

Polymorphic Virus

A virus that actively changes its binary code or rewrites itself each time it infects a new system to evade antivirus detection.

Multi-Partite Virus

A complex computer virus architected to infect multiple file formats simultaneously to optimize spread and resist disinfection.

Stealth Virus

A virus designed to evade detection by temporarily erasing its code from the infected file and sheltering in active system memory.

Malware

An umbrella term for any software program purposefully designed with malicious intent to disrupt, damage, or compromise computer systems.

Adware

Software designed to automatically render or display sponsored pop-ups, banners, and promotional content on a user's screen.

Spyware

Unwanted software running covertly in the background that gathers personal browsing history, keystrokes, and credentials to transmit back to a third party.

Spam

Unsolicited, mass-distributed junk messages and promotional software sent across email or messaging platforms.

Cookie

A small text file placed on a user's local drive by a website to identify preferences and track session interactions, which does not search the hard drive.

Social Engineering

The psychological manipulation and deception of individuals to trick them into revealing sensitive credentials, passwords, or personal information.

Pretexting

A social engineering technique involving the creation of a fabricated, seemingly legitimate scenario to manipulate a victim into releasing personal information.

Phishing

An online attack that utilizes deceptive emails or fraudulent links mimicking legitimate institutions to lure victims into revealing sensitive personal data.

Pharming

A cyber scam that plants malicious code onto a computer or redirects DNS traffic to force users onto fake websites even when they type the correct URL.

Ransomware

A class of malicious software that renders systems or critical data files inoperable through encryption until a specified ransom is paid.

Scareware

Malware that displays fraudulent security alerts warning of system corruption to intimidate victims into purchasing useless or harmful repair software.

Firewall

A hardware or software security barrier that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic to block unauthorized intrusions.

Packet Filtering

A firewall security process that evaluates incoming data packets against predefined rules and discards packets sent to forbidden logical ports.

Virus Signature

A distinct segment of computer code that uniquely marks and identifies a specific known virus.

Quarantining

An antivirus containment procedure that moves an infected file into an isolated disk repository to prevent the code from spreading to clean files.

Inoculation

An antivirus security measure that records essential file attributes (such as size and modification dates) in a secure database to track unauthorized alterations.

Drive-By Download

The covert installation of malware onto a computer resulting solely from a user visiting an infected or compromised website without explicit user confirmation.

Biometric Authentication

A high-security verification method that relies on evaluating physical human biological traits, such as fingerprints, iris scans, facial recognition, or voiceprints.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A technology that secures and encrypts communications over public Internet connections to provide anonymous and private network browsing.

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

A dedicated battery-backup device that provides immediate, continuous electrical power to connected computer systems during power outages and brownouts.