solisdenSecurity glossary
Short, plain-English definitions of the security terms used on this site.
- Adware
- Software that shows unwanted advertising, sometimes bundled with free programs.
- Behaviour monitoring
- Watching what a running program does, such as mass file changes or code injection, and blocking it if the actions look malicious.
- Cloud protection
- Checking unknown files against a vendor's online database instead of only a local one. Some file details are sent to the vendor.
- False positive
- A harmless file or website that security software wrongly flags as dangerous. AV-TEST's “usability” score mostly measures these.
- Heuristics
- Rules that flag code which looks like malware even if that exact file has never been seen before.
- Malware
- The umbrella term for malicious software: viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware and more.
- Phishing
- Messages or websites that pretend to be a trusted organisation in order to steal passwords, payment details or money.
- Quarantine
- An isolated folder where security software moves suspicious files so they cannot run. You can restore or delete them later.
- Ransomware
- Malware that encrypts or locks your files and demands payment. Offline backups are the most reliable way to recover.
- Real-time protection
- Scanning files and programs as they are opened, downloaded or run, rather than only during manual scans.
- Signature
- A fingerprint of known malware that a scanner compares files against.
- Trojan
- Malware disguised as legitimate software.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA)
- A second proof of identity, such as an app code or security key, on top of a password.
- VPN
- A virtual private network: it encrypts traffic between your device and the VPN provider. It does not detect malware.
- Zero-day
- A vulnerability or threat that is not yet publicly known or patched, so signature databases do not cover it yet.
Missing a term? Email info@solisden.online.