Online Glossary of Security Terms

This glossary contains a list of terms, abbreviations, and acronyms frequently used when discussing networks, security, firewalls, and technical products.

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W

WAN (Wide Area Network)

A computer network that spans a relatively large geographical area. Typically, a WAN consists of two or more local area networks (LANs) connected by a high-speed line.

Web browser

Software used to view the World Wide Web, a graphically rich presentation of information on the Internet. The most popular Web browser is Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but other browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Opera are available. To find specific sites on the Web, you enter a URL in your Web browser.

Web of Trust

A term describing a relationship-based extension of the concept of trust, popularized in PGP. For example, if you trust Bob and Bob says Rachel is a good auto mechanic, you'll trust Rachel to fix your car even if you have not previously met Rachel. A similar concept is used to validate encryption keys in PGP. If you know and trust Bob, and Bob gives you a text block and says it is Rachel's public key, you'll accept the text block as Rachel's key even if you don't know Rachel. If Rachel later sends a message encrypted with or signed by her private key, you'll be ready to decrypt it or verify the signature because you have her public key. You can then pass Rachel's public key to someone who trusts you, thus extending the Web of Trust by another node.

Web page

A single HTML-formatted file posted where it can be accessed via the World Wide Web.

Web site

A collection of affiliated Web pages.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)

The security aspects of 802.11b, a standard that enables wireless devices such as PDAs and laptop computers to access a network via radio frequencies instead of physical wiring. WEP has three tasks: 1) to authenticate clients to access points; 2) to encrypt the data exchanged between the clients and access points; and 3) to include an integrity check with every packet exchanged. The initial implementation of WEP provides weak security. While it is not completely useless, it is best used as another layer of security in conjunction with stronger measures.

White Hat Hacker

White hat hacker is often used to describe those who attempt to break into systems or networks in order to help the owners of the system by making them aware of security flaws.

WINS (Windows Internet Name Service)

WINS provides name resolution for computers running Windows NT, Windows 98, and earlier versions of Microsoft operating systems. With name resolution, users access servers by name rather than needing to use IP addresses.

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

An international industry consortium founded in 1994 to develop common protocols for the evolution of the World Wide Web. W3C has around 450 member organizations from around the world.

worm

A self-replicating program that seeks access into other computers by exploiting security flaws. After a worm penetrates another computer, it continues seeking access to other areas. Worms often steal or vandalize computer data. Many viruses are more accurately termed worms, and use e-mail or database systems to propagate themselves to their victims.