B

Babbage, Charles
(1791-1871)Inventor of a number of computing machines, including the "Analytical Engine," which introduced concepts that were later used in electrical computers. Babbage was the first to envision a machine controlled by a program stored in its memory. Click here for Babbage.

back
Browser command that returns the user to the most recently viewed web page.

backbone
The main communication path in a wide area network (WAN); the set of cables or connections that carry most of the traffic. Other data paths branch off from the backbone.

back door
An alternate way of entering a computer system. For example, the original computer programmer of a computer system may have programmed a secret way of logging onto the system not requiring the normal password entrance.

back end
The part of a computer system not directly interacting with the user. A database running on a computer system is the back end. The personal computers used by those accessing the database is the front end of the system.

Back Orifice
Applies to a remote administration tool permitting system administrators to control a computer form a remote location, typically across the Internet.

background
The field or color against which objects are drawn or displayed on the screen.

background executution
The continued execution of a program while it is not on the screen, and the user is free to run other programs at the same time.

Background Scanner
A feature of anti virus software (i.e. McAfee, Norton) that permanently scans all files on the computer system looking for infected files.

background task
Task executed by the system that generally remains invisible to the user.

backlit
Illuminated from behind (as in the liquid crystal displays on laptop computers and some calculators).

back one
A drawing program command that sends the selected object down one level.

backslash
The character "\" as opposed to the forward slash, "/".

bacteria
Viruses that replicate but do not consume valuable resources.

backtracking
A method of solving problems by trying various combinations of moves until a successful combination is found.

backup
1.A duplicate copy of data made for archiving purposes or for protecting against damage or loss.
2. The process of creating duplicate data.

backup copy
A copy of working programs and related files that can be used to restore lost or damaged programs and files.

backup plan
Procedure for maintaining backups of system and user data.

Backus-Naur form (BNF)
A notation used to describe the syntax of languages.

backward compatible
Able to substitute for an older computer, operating system, or software program.

bacteruim
Specialized for of virus that does not attach to a specific file, possibly also related to spread by electronic mail.

BAD
Acronym for Broken As Designed, said of a program that is useless because of bad design rather than bugs.

BAK
Chatroom abbreviation for "back at keyboard."

bait
Usually used in reference to a file, this refers to a virus infection target of initially known characteristics.

balloon popup, balloon promt
A message that pops up on the Windows taskbar in the shape of a balloon or cartoon speech bubble.

banding
The appearance of strips of colors in an image due to the inherent difficulty representing gradations of tones with a limited color palette.

bandwidth
The rate at which a communications system can transmit data.

bang
The character "!," otherwise known as an exclamation mark. The term bang is frequently used in Linux and Unix circles.
bank switching
The ability to use more than one set of memory chips at different times, while giving them the same address.

banner
1. An extra page with an identifying name in large letters, printed to identify a printout. 2. A sign made by piecing togetherpages of a computer printout. 3.The initial message given by a system to prompt a login or identify a connection.

banner ad
1.An advertisement placed on a web page by a third party, who provides free services or payment in return. 2. The initial message given by a system to prompt a login or identify a connection.

bar code
A pattern of wide and narrow bars printed on paper or a similar material

barebone system
A partly assembled computer consisting of just the "bare bones" of the system, use a case, power supply, and motherboard with no memory or disk drives.

bare metal
The computer hardware itself (slang).

bar graph
A type of chart that displays information by representing quantities as rectangular bars of different heights.

base
1. The middle layer of a bipolar transistor. 2. A number raised to an exponent.

Base64
Encoding scheme used to translate binary data that includes nonprintable characters in a printable format to be able to transmit binary data that includes nonprintable characters in a printable format. This allows for the transmission of data with text-based protocols such as SMTP (email) or HTTP.

baseband
The range of frequencies needed to convey a signal itself, without a higher frequency carrier.

baseline
Situation of a system either in normal operation, or at a particular point in time.

BASIC(Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code)
A computer language designed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz in 1964 and popularized by Microsoft in the 1970s.

bastion host
System that has been hardened to resist attack and is installed on a network in such a way that it is expected to come under attack.

batch processing
The noninteractive use of computers. The user must put all data into the computer before seeing any results.

BAT file
An abbreviation for a batch file.

battle box
In business continuity planning, a collection of information and other resources necessary for the operation of a plan packed in a single container so as to be readily and transportation as needed.

baud
A unit that measures the speed at which information is transferred.

bay
A place provided for a disk or tape drive in a computer enclosure.

Bayer Matrix
The pattern of alternating red, green, and blue filters placed in front of the pixels of an image sensor.

BBIAB
Chat room talk meaning "be back in a bit."

BBIAHOS
Chat room talk meaning "be back in an hour or so."

BBL
Chat room talk meaning "be back later."

BBS
1. An online message board.
2. Chat room talk meaning "be back soon."

Bcc
Business abbreviation for "blind copies." Email can be sent to a large number of people without giving them each other's email address, therefor protecting their privacy.

Beige Box
Phone phreakers use a beige box, a device used to access another's phone line in order to crack it.

Bell-La Padula model
Formal state transition model of computer security policy that describes a set of access control rules.

bells and whistles
elaborate features added to a computer program.

benchmark
A computer program used to test the performance of a computer or a piece of software.

benign
Somewhat careless term often used to describe a virus that appears not to be intentionall malicious in that it does not carry an obviously damaging payload code section.
benign environment
Non-hostile environment that may be protected from external hostile elements by physical, personnel, and procedural security countermeasures.

Beowulf
A type of cluster computing system using machines running Linux, named for a hero of early English literature.

Bernie S (a.k.a Edward Cummings)(1963-):
Pennsylvania native sent to federal prison for phreaking exploits. He was the first person to be imprisoned without bail in the United States for using a modified Radio shack speed dialer to make free phone calls using public telephones.

best practices
Highly recommended procedures for maintaing computer security or performing other management tasks.

beta testing
The second stage of testing a new software product that is almost ready for the market.

between-the-lines entry
Unauthorized access obtained by tapping the temporarily inactive terminal of a legitimate user.

beyond A1
Level of trust defined by the Department of Defense Trusted Computer System Eveluation Criteria (TCSEC) that is beyond the technology available at the time the criteria were developed.

Bezier spline
A curve that connects two points smoothly and is further defined by two more points that it does not pass through.

BG
Chat room talk meaning "big grin."

BHO (Browser Help Object)
A software component that can be added to a web browser to add new functions.

bid
An offer to buy something for a particular price.

bidirectional
Able to transmit data in two directions.

big-endian
A system of memory.

bilingual
(Describing Firewire cables)Having a Firewire 1394b-9 pin connector to one end and a Firewire 1394a-4 or 6 pin connector on the other.

binary addition
One of the basic arithmetic operations performed by computers.

binary-code decimal
(BCD) A way of representing numbers by means of code for the decimal digits.

binary file
A file containing bits or bytes that do not represent printable text.

binary multiplication
A basic operation in computer arithmetic.

binary number
A number expressed in binary (base-2) notation, a system that uses only two digits, 0 and 1.

binary search
A method for locating a particular item from a list of items in alphabetical or numerical order.

binary subtraction
A basic operation in computer arithmetic. The easiest way to subtract two binary numbers is to make one of the numbers negative and then add them.

BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Daemom)
An implementation of the Domain Name System (DNS) protocols that is open source and provides a redistributable reference implementation of the key components of the DNS.

bind
To associate symbols with data, or to associate one piece of data with another, in several different ways:
1. To give a variable a value; ti initialize it.
2. To associate a network protocol with a particular Ethernet port the like.

BinHex
A MacIntosh utility for encoding binary files so that they can be transmitted to text through electonic mail systems and the like.

biometrics
Measurable physcical characteristics of the human body, used to identify an individual for security purposes.

BIOS (Basic Input Output System)
A set of procedures stored on a ROM chip inside PC-compatible computers.

BIOS enumerator
The BIOS routine that tells a PLUG AND PLAY sytem what hardware is installed.

bipolar transitor
A semiconductor device formed by sandwiching a thin layer of P- or N-type semiconductor between two layers of the opposite type of conductor.

bis
Latin for "a second time" used to denote revised CCITT and ITU-T standards.

Black Bag Job or Operation
A term used by law enforcement or intelligence operations that means to break into a computer system to search for files on the hard drive and/or to copy files.

Black Equipment Area
Black and red are code words used by military agents regarding security issues. Black indicates a zone with potential exposure to risky or hostile elements, whereas red indicates a safe or protected zone.