M

Mac
Nickname for Macintosh.

MAC address (Media Access Control Address)
A built-in number that uniquely and permanently identifies a network adapter, such as the Ethernet card in a PC.

machine-dependent program
A program that works on only one particular type of computer.

machine-independent program
A program that can be used on many different types of computers.

machine language
Instructions that a computer can execute directly. Machine language statements are written in a binary code, and each statement corresponds to one machine action.

Macintosh
A family of personal computers introduced by Apple in 1984; the first widely used computers with a graphical user interface, windowing, and a mouse.

Mac OS
The operating system for Macintosh computers.

macro
A user-defined sequence of instructions for a computer .

macro assembler
Any program that translates assembly language programs into machine code and allows the programmer to define macro instructions.

Macromedia
Producer of software to enhance the audiovisual content of webpages, including Dreamweaver, Flash, and Freehand.

macro virus
A virus using the macro language of a particular application.

MAE (Metropolitan Area Exchange)
A major connecting point where Internet service providers connect to the Internet.

magenta
A purplish-red color that is one of the standard printing ink colors.

magic number
An important number buried deep within a computer program where those revising the program are likely to overlook it.

magic wand
An editing tool that selects an entire area of a particular color, regardless of its shape, found in many photo editing programs.

magnetic strip
Compromises very small iron-based magnetic particles in a plastic-like film.

mail bomb
A massive amount of email that is sent to a specific person or system, consuming the recipients's disk space on the server or creating an overload situation for the server. It cause a slowdown on the recipient, or a crash.

mail bombing
The practice of trying to flood an obnoxious person with gigantic amounts of e-mail.

mail subsystem
A software package responsible for receiving delivering, and forwarding email.

mailing list
An online discussion conducted by relaying copies of all messages to all the participants by electronic mail.

mainframe computer
A large computer occupying a specially air-conditioned room and supporting hundreds of users at one time.

Majordomo
A free,open-source package for operating email mailing lists and discussion groups, distributed from click here. make
A command, in Unix and similar operating systems, that manages the steps of creating a machine-language program or some other complex product of computation.

makefile
A file that controls the operation of the MAKE command.

malicious code
Programs such as viruses and worms, designed to exploit weaknesses in computer software,s that replicates and/or attach themselves to other software programs on a computer or a network.

malware
Malicious software.

management information systems (MIS)
A field of study that deals with effective systems for the development and use of information in an organization.

Mandelbrot set
A famous fractal.

manifest
A list of the contents of a shipment; a list of files transmitted as a group.

Man-in-the-Middle Attack
An attack in which a cracker intercepts data and replies to it, making it look as though the reply came from the intended recipient.

man pages (manual pages)
Online documentation built into UNIX and accessed by the man command.

Map Network Drive
The operation, in Windows, that makes a directory on another computer act as if it were a local disk drive.

Mapquest
Operates a website that allows users to create customized maps or find directions to specific addresses.

marching ants
The moving dashed lines that indicate the borders of a selected object in a paint or draw program.

markup language

Any language that provides ways to indicate underlining, italics, paragraph breaks, section headings, and so on, in text.

marquee select
A method of selecting more than one object at a time in a graphical user interface.

Mary Sue
A term used for a character in a piece of fiction who is really the author's idealized self-image, often shallow and uninteresting to anyone but the author.

mask
1. (In draw programs) to create an object with a hole in it, so that the view of an underlying object is controlled.
2. (In paint programs) To mark an area of the drawing as protected from the drawing tools.
3. (In programming) To isolate part of a binary number by ANDing it with another binary number.

master
The controlling unit in a pair of linked machines.

master page
A design template that defines the overall appearance of every page of a printed document.

math coprocessor
An auxillary CPU that provides additional mathematical operations.

MathML (Mathematics Markup Language)
An extension of HTML designed to facilitate the display of mathematical expressions.

maximize
To make a window take over the whole screen or become as large as possible.

MB
Abbreviation for MEGABYTE

MBpsmegabytes per second.
McAfee, Inc
With headquarters in California, McAfee Inc. develops computer security solutions to stop network intrusions and to protect computer systems from evolving malware.

McAfee, John
Founder of McAfee, Inc.

MCSE (Microsoft Certified Software Engineer)
A credential for computer professionals who pass a series of proficiency exams from Micrsoft.

MDI (multiple document interface)
The ability to edit more than one file or drawing with a single copy of a Windows program.

meatware (slang, humorous)
The parts of a computer system made of meat.

Means of Infection
The technique a virus uses to achieve its execution.

Examples:
1. Opening an infected email attachment
2. Exploiting a security vulnerability of the operating system or an application.
3. Executing programs from untrusted sources, such as those on the Internet.
4. Sharing infected floppy disks, memory sticks, or other forms of mobile media.
5. Receiving infected attachments (either programs or data) through IRC, Instant Messaging, or file-sharing applications.
6. Visiting websites containing malicious code.
7. Accessing systems locally with the intent to install a virus.