A security token is a piece of hardware used to identify and authenticate users. Occasionally, it is also used to refer to software tokens. They are usually part of a system of access control with two-factor authentication. The terms electronic key or chip key are also used to refer to a token. If necessary, other features must be used for authentication against misuse, such as knowledge of a … [Read more...]

A personal firewall is a piece of software that filters the incoming and outgoing traffic of a PC on the computer itself. It is used to protect the computer and is listed as a recommended protective measure for users of the Internet. Unlike a classic network firewall, a personal firewall is not a standalone network unit that filters traffic between two networks. It only filters between the … [Read more...]

The term internet fraud describes fraud offences in the context of cybercrime. Colloquially, this term is also used to describe situations that do not meet the legal definition of fraud. While some forms of Internet fraud occur exclusively on the Internet, other variants represent off-network behavior. Internet fraud thrives, among other things, on the massive information gap between victim and … [Read more...]

The term mobile banking refers to the processing of banking transactions that takes place with the help of mobile devices such as mobile phones or PDAs. It is possible to carry out mobile banking via special applications/widgets (small installed programs) or to access banking applications on the Internet directly via a mobile browser. Mobile banking differs from mobile payment, in which payment … [Read more...]

Information security is a state of technical or non-technical systems for information processing, storage and storage, which is intended to ensure the protection goals of confidentiality, availability and integrity. Information security serves to protect against dangers or threats, to avoid economic damage and to minimize risks. In practice, information security in the context of IT security … [Read more...]

Vulnerable means flawed. Someone vulnerable to common cold has some flaw. In the field of information security, a security vulnerability or vulnerability is a flaw in software or hardware that allows a malicious program (exploit) or an attacker to penetrate a computer system. A vulnerability poses a threat to the security of a computer system. There is a risk that the vulnerability could be … [Read more...]

In electronic data processing, an exploit is a systematic way to exploit vulnerabilities that have arisen during the development of a program. In this process, program codes are used to exploit security vulnerabilities and malfunctions of programs (or entire systems), usually to gain access to resources or to penetrate or interfere with computer systems. A zero-day exploit is the exploitation of a … [Read more...]

Crackers circumvent or break access barriers of computer systems and computer networks. This generally includes script kiddies and hackers who emphasize their activities on circumventing security mechanisms. In particular, the word encompasses programming experts who use cracking to undermine the protection mechanisms of software (from the unlawful manipulation of software, for example as part of … [Read more...]

Two-factor authentication (2FA) refers to the proof of identity of a user by means of a combination of two different and, in particular, independent components (factors). Typical examples are bank card and PIN for ATMs, fingerprint and access code in buildings, or passphrase and transaction number (TAN) for online banking. Two-factor authentication is a special case of multi-factor … [Read more...]

A Trojan horse is a computer program that is disguised as a useful application, but performs another function in the background without the user's knowledge. Trojan horses are among the unwanted or harmful programs, the so-called malware. The term is often used colloquially as a synonym for computer viruses and as a generic term for backdoors and rootkits, but must be clearly distinguished from … [Read more...]

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) establishes the standards for protecting sensitive patient health information. It mandates that healthcare organizations implement effective measures to ensure that protected health information (PHI) is kept confidential and secure throughout its handling. Faxing remains a widely used method for sharing PHI between healthcare … [Read more...]