Glossary of Terms
Glossary is usually defined as an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge. This knowledge base glossary provides a collection of knowledge base documents that define many technical terms. These terms are arranged alphabetically, but you can quickly jump to a specific term by selecting its first letter from the index of the knowledge base glossary below.
Adware
A type of malware that displays unwanted advertisements.
APOP
Authenticated Post Office Protocol. This is an extension of the original POP protocol.
Attachment
A file that is attached to an email and sent with a message.
Auto-responder
A feature that automatically sends a pre-written email response to incoming emails.
Backscatter
Backscatter is incorrectly automated bounce messages sent by mail servers, typically as a side effect of incoming spam
Base64
A method of encoding and decoding. It’s used to convert binary data transferred over the internet into the American Standard for Information Interchange (ASCII) text format.
BCC
Blind Carbon Copy: A feature that allows a sender to send a copy of an email to one or more recipients without revealing their email addresses to the other recipients.
Blacklist
A list of email addresses or domains that are considered spam and blocked by a spam filter.
Botnet
A network of compromised computers that are controlled by a malicious actor.
CC
Carbon Copy. A feature that allows a sender to send a copy of an email to one or more recipients along with the primary recipient.
DDoS
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack: A type of DoS attack that uses multiple compromised devices to flood a target with traffic.
DKIM
DomainKeys Identified Mail. An authentication protocol used by ISPs and mail services to verify the identity of a sender and reduce spam emails from being sent out using their domain name or IP address.
DMARC
DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance. A protocol designed to prevent malicious actors from spoofing your domain name in order to send out phishing emails or other types of malicious messages using your domain name or IP address as a disguise for their activities.
DNS
Domain Name System (DNS): A system used by ISPs and mail services that translates domain names into IP addresses for successful delivery of emails across the internet infrastructure.
DOS
A denial-of-service (DoS) attack is a type of cyber attack in which a malicious actor aims to render a computer or other device unavailable to its intended users by interrupting the device's normal function.
Drafts folder
A folder in an email program where unsent messages that are in progress are saved.
Email address
An email address identifies an email box to which messages are delivered.
Email Alias
An additional email address that is associated with an account. An email alias is a way of using an alternate name or address when sending emails.
Email Client
A program used for sending and receiving emails, such as Outlook or Thunderbird.
Email server
A computer that stores and manages email accounts and messages.
Email signature
A block of text that is automatically added at the end of an email message.
Email spam
Unsolicited, bulk, or fraudulent email.
Email spoofing
Sending an email with a fake sender address.
Email thread
Email messages with the same subject, organized in chronological order.
Encryption
Converting data into a coded form to prevent unauthorized access.
Forward
An email message that is sent to someone other than the original recipient.
HTML email
Email that is formatted using HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).
IMAP
Internet Message Access Protocol. A protocol for retrieving email messages from a server.
Inbox
A folder in an email program where incoming messages are stored.
Malware
Software that is designed to cause harm to a computer system or network.
Marketing email
Email that is sent to promote a product or service to a targeted group of consumers through email. This can include newsletters, promotional offers, and other types of advertising content that is sent directly to the recipient’s email inbox.
Outbox
A folder in an email program where outgoing messages are stored until they are sent.
Phishing
An attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by pretending to be a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Plain text email
An email message that is not formatted using HTML or any other formatting language.
POP
Post Office Protocol. A protocol for retrieving email messages from a server.
Ransomware
A type of malware that encrypts a victim’s files, making them inaccessible until a ransom is paid to the attacker.
Reply
An email message sent in response to another message.
Reply All
An email message sent in response to another message, to all recipients of the original message.
Sent folder
A folder in an email program where copies of sent messages are stored.
Signature
A block of text or a logo that is automatically added to the end of an email message.
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. A protocol for sending email messages over the internet.
Spam
Unsolicited or unwanted email, sometimes referred to as junk email, that is often sent in large quantities.
Spam filter
A program or feature that attempts to identify and prevent spam emails from reaching a user’s inbox.
Subject
The title or brief summary of an email message.
Trash folder
A folder in an email program where deleted messages are stored until they are permanently removed from the account.
Trojan
A type of malware that appears legitimate but is actually malicious.
Virus
A type of malware that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other programs or files.
Whitelist
A list of email addresses or domains that are considered safe and allowed through a spam filter.
Worm
A type of malware that spreads by copying itself from one computer to another.