Welcome to the third instalment of our Glossary, this new feature is proving to be extremely popular. We have been inundated with requests for a General IT Glossary so we have decided to include a Glossary area on the Website and this will be ready very soon.
This week, we are continuing with:
Batch file
These are small text files which run under MS-DOS. Each file contains MS-DOS commands on each line. Batch files have a .BAT extension.
System administrators use Batch files to run automated tasks but these files can also be used to harbour virus installation files.
Bayesian filter
This is a small program used to scan the header and content of an inbound email, it will decide whether it goes to the spam folder or the inbox. At its simplest, Bayesian filtering examines both spam and legitimate email’s and learns from the content which is spam and which is legitimate.
Bot
A Bot is a form of malware which gives the Bot writer access to your system and take full control. Your system would then become a member of the Botnet which is explained below.
Botnet
Botnet’s are a network of infected PC’s or Servers which have been taken over and used to flood the internet with Spam, Spyware or Viruses.
A Botnet can be made up of anything from one hundred to over a hundred thousand infected machines. You may not even be aware of your PC being infected, or the signs could range from your PC slowing down to strange messages appearing on the screen or even the PC starting to crash regularly.
To protect against becoming a victim to Botnet, you should take note of the following:
- Always use mainstream Anti Virus software and keep it up to date
- Follow advice on Web Browser security settings
- Never open email attachments unless you are 100% happy with the source of the email
- Always keep your Windows Operating system up to day via Microsoft Windows Update
The Glossary will continue next week. In the meantime, should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us, details are on the Contact Page.
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