Glossary

Wide Area Network

A worldwide ransomware attack targeting older versions of Microsoft Windows, also known as WanaCrypt0r, WeCry, Wcry, WanaCrypt, WannaCrypt, Wana Decrypt0r 2.0, WanaCrypt0r 2.0, and Wanna Decryptor.

Wireless Access Point

Setting up a fake website (or compromising a real one) in order to infect and exploit visiting users.

Web Content Management

A technique used in flash memory to prolong the life of the media. As data can be written to and erased from an address on flash memory a finite number of times, wear-levelling helps to distribute writes evenly across each memory block, thereby decreasing the wear on the media and increasing its lifetime.

AKA wearables

A reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. Formally a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

In computing, a client-server computer program that the client runs in a web browser.

A video camera connected to a computer, allowing its images to be seen by internet users.

Illegitimate changes made to the appearance and content of a website. Often likened to graffiti or online vandalism.

Wired Equivalent Privacy

A highly-targeted form of spearphishing that is aimed at senior executives within an organisation.

An American cross-platform messaging and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by Facebook. It allows users to send text messages and voice messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations and other media.

An ethical computer hacker, or a computer security expert, who specialises in penetration testing and in other testing methodologies to legally and legitimately ensure the security of an organisation's information systems. See also ‘black hat’ and ‘grey hat’.

A set of wireless communication protocols that can transmit traffic to Wi-Fi enabled devices within a local area. A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a laptop or mobile device can connect to the internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the internet. An area covered by one or more Wi-Fi access points is commonly called a hotspot.

A protocol designed to replace the Wi-Fi Protected Access protocol for communicating information over wireless networks.

A telecommunications network or computer network that extends over a large geographical distance.

A crime in which a person concocts a scheme to defraud or obtain money based on false representation or promises.

Telecommunication involving signals transmitted by radio waves rather than over wires, also: the technology used in radio telecommunication.

A device which enables communications between wireless clients. It is typically also the device which connects wired and wireless networks.

The transmission of data over a communications path using electromagnetic waves rather than a wired medium.

A wireless distribution method for two or more devices that use radio communications and often includes an access point to the internet.

A network based on the 802.11 standards.

Wireless local area network

An organisation that supports women in their science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) careers. They help women by educating high school girls about the opportunities in STEM, as well as providing networking and education for professionals.

A free open-source web publishing application, content management system and blogging tool built by a community of developers and contributors.

A concept where the employee can do their job from home. Working from home gives flexible working hours to the employee as well as the job for the employer.

A stand-alone or networked single-user computer.

A day for people to remember the importance of data and regular backups.

Self-replicating malware that uses a network to distribute copies of itself to other computer devices, often without user intervention. Worms need not attach themselves to existing programs.

Wi-Fi Protected Access

Wi-Fi Protected Access 2