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Glossary  

This glossary contains many of the terms you will find throughout the SpywareRemove.com website.

S

Scams and shams
Scams and shams are fake email messages that promise material gain or even luck to recipients who will send them to other users. Some luck-based hoaxes (chain letters) manipulate with people’s fear of bad luck. Money-based hoaxes offer incredibly immediate cash for simply forwarding a message. Some email scams have actually tricked many people into investing their own money in unsuccessful investments.

scan, scanning
A search carried out in executable files to detect viruses or other suspicious codes.

script
A program written in a special-purpose language with commands that a host application understands and carries out. The commands are mainly written using application rules and syntax joined with simple control structures. Examples are JavaScript and VBScript, which can be executed by some Web browsers.

self-encrypting viruses
These viruses try to hide themselves from antivirus programs by using encrypting techniques.

self-extracting files
A file which contains other compressed files to save disk space and make it easier to transfer. When extracting, the file can extract viruses or Trojans, which cannot be detected during scanning as it is a new virus detection technique. A virus cannot be activated only by downloading a self-extracting file; therefore you should always scan new files before launching them.

shell script
It is a script written for the shell. Shell scripts refer to the scripts written for UNIX environment shells. Windows and DOS command line scripts are called the batch files.

shellcode
It is a reloadable piece of machine code, mostly written in assembly language, and used as the payload in exploitation of a software bug that allows the hacker to access the computer through the operating system command line. See also exploit.

signature
A unique number built into a virus code.

signature files
A prewritten text files attached to the end of e-mail message identifying the sender.

silent installation
An unattended installation of a software that does not require user’s interaction.

Smurf attack
It is a denial-of-service attack that uses spoofed broadcast ping messages to flood a target system. The targeted addresses forward the requests to 255 hosts on a subnet. The return address of the ping request is the address of the victim. Hundreds of machines might reply to each packet and flood the target with replies.

SNMP trap
A simple network management protocol. It is a form of Internet protocol suite used by network management system to notify in asynchronous way.

spam
It is e-mail that is not requested, also called "junk mail". Usually spam messages advertising products are sent to multiple recipients. E-mail messages that were subscribed by the recipient are not considered spam.

spammer
A person who sends unwanted spam messages.

spear phishing
It is a specifically targeted attack on a user. Like phishing it appears in the form of emails that come from legitimate sources such as banks, a company’s IT department, an internal employee. Unlike phishing, spear phishing is not used for masses. Such messages usual request passwords, personal information, provide a link to a Website where users can submit personal details, or contain malware, spyware, or Trojan.

splog
It is the abbreviation for “spam blogs”. These are weblog sites which the spammer uses for promoted fake websites. As links are included into plenty of blogs, they are highly searched on search-engines. Main role of splogs is to attract attention of people to spam sites, chiefly via Google.

spoofing
Faking the IP address or e-mail address to access a secure system illegally.

spyware
Spyware sends information about your personal details and Web surfing habits to the third-party without the user’s permission. This use is different from common use of spyware whose main function is to represent commercial software that is important from the view of security or privacy. See PUPs.

stealth
A virus that is able to avoid detection from scanners and users. It can divert pointers and information of the system to infect a file without modifying the infected program file itself. It can also use another technique which is to hide the length of the file or by placing a copy of itself on the drive in a different location.

SYN flood
It is a denial-of-service attack when a hacker sends a large number of SYN requests to the target system containing spoofed source IP addresses. Thus many TCP connections of the target become half - open and the target responds typing TCP state resources.

system hang
It a freeze or lock up of a computer. When a program crashes, it normally can alert with a diagnostic message or error. If the whole operating system fails, no message is displayed, mouse and keyboard become irresponsive. It happens that computer can not restart without turning it off completely.

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