Glossary of Terms
Glossary of Terms
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A
ADSL Modem
A device connecting a computer to
the Internet via an existing phone
line. ADSL (Asymmetric Digital
Subscriber Line) modems offer a
high-speed 'always-on' connection.
C
CA
The Certificate Authority (CA)
issues certificates to entities such as
gateways, users, or computers. The
entity later uses the certificate to
identify itself and provide verifiable
information. For instance, the
certificate includes the Distinguished
Name (DN) (identifying
information) of the entity, as well as
the public key (information about
itself), and possibly the IP address.
After two entities exchange and
validate each other's certificates,
they can begin encrypting
information between themselves
using the public keys in the
certificates.
Cable Modem
A device connecting a computer to
the Internet via the cable television
network. Cable modems offer a
high-speed 'always-on' connection.
Certificate Authority
The Certificate Authority (CA)
issues certificates to entities such as
gateways, users, or computers. The
entity later uses the certificate to
identify itself and provide verifiable
information. For instance, the
certificate includes the Distinguished
Name (DN) (identifying
information) of the entity, as well as
the public key (information about
itself), and possibly the IP address.
After two entities exchange and
validate each other's certificates,
they can begin encrypting
information between themselves
using the public keys in the
certificates.
Cracking
An activity in which someone breaks
into someone else's computer
system, bypasses passwords or
licenses in computer programs; or in
other ways intentionally breaches
computer security. The end result is
that whatever resides on the
computer can be viewed and
sensitive data can be stolen without
Glossary of Terms