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AP CPS Vocab Unit 2

Terms in this set (18)

Big Data
A broad term for data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate.
Moore's Law
A predication made by Gordon Moore in 1965 that computing power will double every 1.5-2 years, it has remained true ever since.
Encryption
A process of encoding messages to keep them secret, so only "authorized" parties can read it.
Decryption
A process that reverses encryption, taking a secret message and reproducing the original plain text
Cipher
The generic term for a technique (or algorithm) that performs encryption
Caesar's Cipher
A technique for encryption that shifts the alphabet by some number of characters.
Cracking encryption
When you attempt to decode a secret message without knowing all the specifics of the cipher, you are trying to crack the encryption.
Computationally Hard
A "hard' problem for a computer is one in which it cannot arrive at a solution in a reasonable amount of time.
Antivirus Software
Usually keeps big lists of known viruses and scans your computer looking for the virus programs in order to get rid of them.
DDoS Attack
Distributed Denial of Service Attack. Typically, a virus installed on many computers (thousands) activate at the same time and flood a target with traffic to the point the server becomes overwhelmed.
Firewall
Software that runs on servers (often routers) that only allows traffic through according to some set of security rules.
Phishing Scam
A thief trying to trick you into sending them sensitive information. Typically, these include emails about system updates asking you send your username and password, social security number or other things.
SSL/TLS
Secure Sockets layer / Transport Layer Security - An encryption layer of HTTP that uses public key cryptography to establish a secure connection.
Virus
A program that runs on a computer to do something the owner of the computer does not intend.
asymmetric encryption
Used in public key encryption, it is scheme in which the key to encrypt data is different from the key to decrypt.
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