We all are well aware of the fact that we should always keep a check on our web site’s security system and always keep it updated. The moment we revolve our eyes from our website’s security the hackers seep in and ruin the website’s reputation along with our hard work invested in it. There are times when we are unaware of certain terms and types of hacking methods used by unethical intruders. Hence, complete knowledge of security, as well as the possible hacking methods, is important. Knowledge of certain hacking-related terms is equivalently necessary, let us have a look at a few of them:
- Administrator Privileges
Administrator privilege is the highest level of permission on a website. It is usually with the owner of the website and with the one with whom the owner shares this permission. The one with such permissions can delete the whole website, reset passwords, or upload files.
- Backdoor
It is a system installed by a hacker on the website. With the help of a backdoor, a hacker can seep into a website again to hack it and gain access to the vital files.
- Cloaking
It is a practice used by hackers to show different URLs to search engines and human users.
- Configuration Files
These are the most essential files for a website as they store the database location and credentials of a major website.
- Content Management System (CMS)
Content Management System is a software package that helps an individual to create as well as edit a website. Some of the well-known examples of CMS are WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
- Digital forensic specialists
These are the teams or people who help to recover your website after a hack and identify the cause of the hack as well.
- Static Web Page
A static web page has just a single file to store the content and display it to the viewers.
- Dynamic Web Page
A dynamic web page consists of scripts and software to generate content and requested pages. The requested pages are displayed with a combination of scripts and templates.
- eval()
According to JavaScript and PHP, eval() is a function that creates a string. Eval functions become active in case of user input as it opens up vulnerabilities and allow hackers to seep into a website.
- File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
FTP is a protocol used to transfer files from one system to another without any physical connection.
- Hidden files
Hidden files are the ones that store important information on your website and are not on display for the website’s security. An example of such a file is .htaccess
- HTTP Status Codes
HTTP status codes are standardized responses with content when a visitor interacts with the webserver.
Eg- when we submit a comment or upload a page.
- iFrame
An iFrame helps an individual to display one webpage within another. Such iFrames are used by hackers to redirect users to malicious websites.
- Log files
Log files are the history of a user where the webserver stores the record of the user-visited websites. These files can be used to track the hacking activities.
- Malware
Malware is a software specially designed to ruin a system, the software it is running on, and its users.
- Obfuscation
Obfuscation is a method used by hackers to harden the code to read.
- Phishing
It is a hacking method in which the innocent user submits sensitive information like bank credentials asked by the hacker in the form of a mail or dialog box.
- Search Console
It is a service offered for free by Google to maintain your site’s presence in the search results.
- Sitemap
A sitemap is a list on a website consisting of web pages informing the search engine about the organization of the site’s content.
- Social Engineering
Social engineering is another form of phishing in which the hacker tries to get sensitive information from the user rather than directly breaking into a website.
- Traffic Spike
Traffic Spike is a sudden and unexpected spike in the traffic of a website.
- Two Factor Authentication (2FA)
It is a process where one needs to cross two tokens of protection to keep the login credentials safe and secure.
- Web Hosting Service
A Web Hosting Service allows one to host their Website on their web server.
- Web Scripting Languages
A Web Scripting Language is used with HTML to add extra features to a website. PHP is a server-side language while JavaScript is a client-side language.
- Webserver
It is a machine with software that hosts and controls various web pages and other website-related files.
- Web shell
A web shell is a back door script that helps hackers to gain access to a server.
- Webspam
It is a black-hat search engine optimization (SEO) tactic used to rank up a website to the highest. It is done by manipulating the search engines.