An A-Z glossary of technology and IT terms and definitions

In the past few years, we’ve seen a wholesale shift towards remote working and cloud computing. We’ve witnessed the rise, and fall, of NFTs. We’ve seen the arrival of cryptocurrency, blockchain, quantum computing, edge computing, 4G and 5G and even 6G, augmented and virtual reality, biotech, robotics, and so on. The world of tech moves fast, blink and you’ll miss the latest developments, and it sometimes feels difficult just to keep up with the terminology.

 

That’s why we’ve decided to put together an exhaustive, and exhausting, list of all the core technology terms and definitions, which we’ll frequently update to ensure you stay up-to-date. We aim to simplify each term, helping you to make sense of the latest digital developments.

 

So, without further ado, click on the letter and learn more about tech and IT.

 

A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – W – X – Y – Z

 

 

A-Z of technology terms and definitions

 

 

A

 

Accessibility: Making digital content and tech usable for people with different needs, including people with disabilities, implementing solutions such as screen readers and captions.

 

Access control: Restricting access based on the identity, permissions, and privileges of users, implemented through access control lists, role-based access control, or other mechanisms.

 

Account freezing: The temporary suspension of an account, usually in response to the detection of unusual or potentially threatening activity.

 

Address: The location of an internet resource. The most common example, in terms of the digital space, is an IP address, assigned to devices that use the internet to communicate.

 

Advanced persistent threat (APT): A sophisticated cyber attack conducted by skilled adversaries, such as nation state actors or organised cybercrime groups.

 

Adware: Software displaying advertisements or unwanted content to users, often bundled with free applications or downloaded without the user’s consent, potentially leading to privacy violations, system slowdowns, or security risks. For more, see: What is adware?

 

Affordable access: Ensuring everyone has access to affordable technology, reducing the impact of socio-economic factors on the digital divide and promoting digital inclusion.

 

Algorithmic bias: Digital algorithms, often used for social media and search engines, can produce biased outcomes based on incomplete, inaccurate, or biased data, misrepresenting the reality of certain groups and leading to poor decision-making affecting these groups.

 

Antivirus: Software designed to detect, prevent, and remove malicious software from computers and networks, including viruses, worms, Trojans, and other types of malware.

 

Application: Often referred to as an app, a software program or a set of programs designed to perform specific tasks or functions for the user. Applications can run on various devices, such as computers, smartphones, or tablets, and can serve a wide range of purposes.

 

Application whitelisting: Allows only approved or trusted applications to execute or run on a system, while blocking or restricting the execution of unauthorised or malicious software.

 

Asset management: The process of identifying, categorising, and managing digital assets to ensure proper security controls and risk management.

 

Assistive technology (AT): Technology designed to assist people with disabilities, such as screen readers or alternative input tools.

 

Artificial intelligence (AI): Simulating human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans. For more, see: An A-Z glossary of artificial intelligence terms and definitions.

 

Attachment: A file that goes into an email or other online forms of communication.

 

Attention mechanism: Used in generative AI models, especially language generation, which helps focus on parts of input date, improving the relevance and coherence of content.

 

Authentication: Verifying the identity of a user, typically through passwords, biometric factors, security tokens, or multi-factor authentication.

 

 

B

 

Backdoor: A hidden entry point in software or systems that bypasses normal authentication or security controls, allowing unauthorised access or control by attackers.

 

Bandwidth: The most amount of data transmitted over an internet connection at a given time.

 

Binary: The base-2 numeral system, which uses only two digits: 0 and 1. The two digits, called bits, are the fundamental building blocks of digital computing.

 

Biometric authentication: A mechanism that uses physical or behavioural characteristics of individuals, such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris scans for identity verification.

 

Blockchain: Distributed ledger technology that enables secure and transparent transactions across multiple parties in a decentralised manner, often used in cryptocurrencies, contracts, and supply chain management. For more, check out: How charities can use Blockchain.

 

Blog: A portmanteau or “web” and “log”, the blog refers to the creation of written text pages that are updated frequently.

 

Bluetooth: A wireless means of communicating between devices.

 

Bookmark: A feature in web browsers and digital platforms that allows users to save a specific webpage or location for easy access later.

 

Bot: Software apps that perform automated tasks on the internet, such as web crawling. Bots often simulate human behaviour and can be both beneficial and malicious.

 

Botnet: A network of compromised devices infected with malicious software controlled by a remote attacker, often to launch coordinated cyber attacks, distribute malware, and so on.

 

Bounce: In the context of email, bounce means returned to the sender as undeliverable. In terms of site traffic, bounce means people have clicked away from your site without engaging.

 

Bring your own device (BYOD): Policy that means employees use their technology for work. Creating a BYOD policy is important for cyber security reasons to ensure all technology with access to your network is appropriately secure against cyber breaches.

 

Broadband: Internet that is faster compared to traditional dial-up access.

 

Browser: An application displaying information and accesses services from the web.

 

Brute-force attack: A cyber attack method where attackers attempt to gain unauthorised access to a system, application, or account by systematically trying all possible combinations of usernames, passwords, or encryption keys until the correct one is found.

 

Business continuity plan (BCP): A plan that details how organisations will respond to accidents, emergencies, or threats. Particularly important in the context of cyber security.

 

Byte: Binary digits that a computer processes, consisting of eight bits.

 

 

C

 

Cache: High-speed storage mechanism used to temporarily store data that is frequently accessed or computationally expensive to retrieve.

 

Captcha: Used to prevent bots from accessing online services, captchas test whether users are human by posing a response challenge, such as typing numbers and letters from an image.

 

Cascading style sheets (CSS): Style sheet language that defines the presentation of web pages. It describes how HTML elements should be displayed on screen, paper, or in other media. CSS controls the design aspects of a webpage, including the colour, fonts, and spacing.

 

CD-ROM: Optical disc used to store digital data, primarily for software distribution, media storage, and other data retrieval purposes.

 

Central processing unit (CPU): The primary component of a computer responsible for executing instructions from programs and managing data processing. CPU performs arithmetic, logic, control, and input/output operations based on instructions it receives from the system’s memory.

 

ChatGPT: An AI model designed to mimic human conversation, based on the input it receives. Will play a significant role in the future of cyber security. Check out our brief history of ChatGPT.

 

Cloud computing: The delivery of computing services over the internet on a pay-as-you-go basis, offering scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness but also presenting security challenges related to data protection, privacy, and compliance. Check out: How secure is your cloud?

 

Cloud service provider (CSP): An organisation that offers cloud computing services, such as storage, processing power, and networking, over the internet.

 

Cloud storage: Data stored on remote servers that are accessed online via the internet. Google Drive, SharePoint, and Dropbox are popular examples of cloud storage providers.  

 

Computational creativity: The study of AI systems that can perform tasks traditionally considered to require creativity, such as composing music, painting, writing poetry, and so on.

 

Computational semantics: Studies the automation of the construction and reasoning of meaning representations of natural language expressions.

 

Computer vision: Focuses on enabling computers to identify and understand objects and people in images and videos. Check out Microsoft’s helpful guide: What Is Computer Vision?

 

Content generation: The use of AI, particularly generative models, to create content, including text, images, music, and videos. For a guide, check out: How to master generative AI content.

 

Content management system (CMS): Software that helps create and manage digital content with specialist knowledge. WordPress is a popular example of a CMS.

 

Cookies: Small bits of data used to identify you when visiting a website.

 

Cryptocurrency: A digital currency that uses cryptography for secure transactions and to control the creation of new units, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. See: Should you use cryptocurrencies?

 

Cyber attack: Compromising computer systems, networks, or devices through unauthorised access, disruption, or manipulation of data, often with malicious intent to steal information, cause damage, or disrupt operations. Check out: The ultimate guide to cyber security.

 

Cyber insurance: Insurance designed to protect against financial losses resulting from cyber attacks, data breaches, etc, providing coverage for costs related to breach response, legal expenses, regulatory fines, and third-party liabilities. See: What is cyber insurance?

 

Cyber security: Protecting organisations and individuals from cyber attacks and data breaches. Good cyber security includes software to scan and remove viruses, firewalls to monitor incoming and outgoing traffic, and regular updates for apps to patch vulnerabilities. 

 

 

D

 

Dark web: A part of the internet that is not indexed by conventional search engines and requires special software or configurations to access, often used for illegal or illicit activities.

 

Data: Values that convey information, such as quantity, quality, facts, or other meaning. For more information, and to understand the analysis of data, check out: Data analytics 101.

 

Data analytics: The process of looking at data to uncover patterns, trends, and insights that inform decision-making. Charities use data analytics to improve services, boost fundraising, and much more. Watch our video below for a brief guide to the basics of data analytics.

 

Data augmentation: The process of increasing the amount and diversity of data by modifying existing datasets. Useful in generative AI for improving model performance and robustness.

 

Data breach: A data breach occurs when there has been unauthorised access to sensitive or protected data, usually via a cyber attack. You can find applicable guidance on how to react to a data breach from the Information Commissioner’s Office and the NCSC.

 

Data governance: How an organisation looks after and manages their data, including policies and standards to maintain accurate and clean data and ensure it is used responsibly.

 

Dataset: A collection of data derived from a single source or collected for a single project.

 

Deepfake: Videos in which the face and/or voice of a person has been manipulated by AI software to make the video seem authentic. See: What are deepfakes and how to protect against them.

 

Deep learning (DL): Subset of machine learning involving neural networks. DL is integral to AI models, especially in processing complex inputs like images and natural language.

 

Denial-of-service (DoS) attack: A cyber attack where attackers flood a target system, network, or website with a large volume of traffic or requests, overwhelming its resources and causing disruption or downtime for legitimate users. Read more: What is a denial-of-service attack?

 

Desktop: On most personal computers, desktops provide backdrops for icons and windows.

 

Dial-up connection: Internet access that uses a telephone line to transmit data. One of the earliest methods of connecting to the internet, where a modem dials a phone number provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to establish a connection.

 

Dictionary attack: A brute-force attack in which the words in a dictionary, phrases, or common passwords are used to guess certain credentials. Read more: What is a dictionary attack?

 

Digital divide: The gap between those able to use digital and those who struggle with access for a range of socio-economic factors. Digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation visualised the digital divide as a river between two banks in its annual Building a Digital Nation report.

 

Digital exclusion: When people are prevented from interacting fully online due to factors such as connectivity issues, lack of online accessibility, and lack of skills. 

 

Digital footprint: The trail, or “digital shadow”, that people leave when they use the internet, including websites visited, posts created, and information submitted to online services. Digital footprints can be used to understand user behaviour and preferences.  

 

Digital inclusion: When digital technologies, services, and opportunities are accessed, used, led, and designed in equal, meaningful, and safe ways.

 

Digital literacy: The ability to use digital technology effectively in order to participate safely in a digital society, including being able to use a computer, look out for cyber threats, and more.  

 

Digital transformation: The act of integrating digital technology throughout an organisation to support their goals and meet challenges. Digital transformation means adopting new technologies, overhauling processes, and building confidence internally with digital tools.

 

Distributed denial of service (DDoS): A cyber attack that floods a target, such as a website, with traffic from multiple compromised systems or bots, to disable it and render it unusable.

 

Domain: A human-readable address that is used to identify a specific location on the web.

 

Doxxing: Researching and publishing sensitive information about an individual or organisation on the internet without their consent, often with the intent to harass, intimidate, extort, or harm.

 

 

E

 

E-book: Digital versions of books read on tablets, e-readers, and computers.

 

E-learning: Learning online, usually featuring webinars, e-books, and other digital resources.

 

E-mail: A method of exchanging digital messages over the internet. Users send and receive text-based messages, attachments, and other multimedia content. Email is one of the most widely used forms of communication, both personally and professionally.

 

E-signature: A digital version of a signature for electronic documents. E-signatures are legally binding and valid in the UK and can consist of typing your name into a box or checking an approval requirement.

 

E-waste: Electronic devices and components such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets that have been discarded and disposed. E-waste is harmful to the environment and is the world’s fastest growing waste stream, with 62 million tonnes generated in 2022.

 

Eavesdropping: Unauthorised interception or monitoring of comms, data transmissions, or network traffic by attackers to capture sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or confidential business data, without the knowledge of the parties involved.

 

Emoticon: A typographic symbol or combination of symbols used to convey an emotion, expression, or mood in digital comms, often to add tone or context to a message. Emoticons are created using standard keyboard characters, such as punctuation marks, letters, and numbers.

 

Encryption: Encryption converts information into a code to prevent unauthorised access, ensuring only intended recipients can read the data.

 

Endpoint detection and response (EDR): Monitors endpoint activities for signs of malicious activity, anomalies, or security incidents, providing real-time threat detection, investigation, and response capabilities to protect against advanced threats and targeted attacks.

 

Endpoint security: The protection of endpoints from cyber threats through measures such as antivirus software, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems.

 

Entropy: The measure of randomness or uncertainty in an AI model’s predictions. It is a key concept in understanding and controlling the diversity of generated content.

 

Ethernet: Ethernet cables can connect computers to the internet or local network and are particularly useful when Wi-Fi is slow or is unavailable. They are reliable and add a layer of security, as wired connections are more difficult for cyber criminals to intercept.

 

 

F

 

False positive: A security alert, detection, or warning generated by security systems or tools that incorrectly identifies benign or legitimate activities, behaviours, or events as malicious or suspicious, leading to unnecessary alerts, investigations, or resource consumption.

 

Fibre optics: Fibre optic cables can transmit large amounts of data at high speeds, making it ideal for connecting the internet.

 

File transfer protocol (FTP): A standard network protocol used to transfer files between a client and a server over a TCP/IP network, such as the internet. It allows users to upload, download, delete, or manage files on a remote server.

 

Firewall: Firewalls monitor incoming and outgoing network traffic and are used to protect networks from cyber breaches.

 

Fuzzy logic: A form of many-valued logic where truth values can be any real number between 0 and 1, representing degrees of truth. In generative AI, it is used to handle imprecise or uncertain information. For more information, check out: A brief introduction to Fuzzy Logic

 

 

G

 

4G: The fourth generation of mobile telecommunications technology. Offers faster speeds than 3G and more reliable internet connections. 4G networks are based on technologies such as LTE and WiMAX, offering download speeds of up to 1 Gbps under optimal conditions.

 

5G: The fifth generation of mobile network technology, designed to deliver ultra-fast internet speeds, lower latency, and massive connectivity. It promises to support the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT), enable real-time communication, and enhance applications like autonomous vehicles and augmented reality. With speeds potentially reaching up to 10 Gbps, 5G is a game-changer for industries and consumers, improving both speed and network reliability.

 

6G: The anticipated future of mobile networks, expected to evolve beyond 5G by providing even faster speeds, virtually no latency, and seamless connectivity across a global scale. 6G is projected to support advanced technologies like holographic communications, artificial intelligence integration, and immersive augmented and virtual reality experiences.

 

Gateway: A network device or software component that serves as an entry point between two different networks, controlling and facilitating the flow of traffic between them, often equipped with security features like firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems.

 

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): EU Legal framework to protect privacy and personal data. For more resources and for information on UK GDPR, check out the ICO.

 

Generative adversarial network (GAN): Neural network architecture used in machine learning, involving two parts: the generator, which generates data, and the discriminator, which evaluates it.

 

Generative AI:  AI model that generates new data instances. These models learn to capture the probability distribution of the input data so they can produce data similar to their training data. 

 

Gigabyte (GB): A gigabyte is a unit of digital storage, made up of one billion bytes.  

 

Global positioning system (GPS): Used widely for map and navigation apps, it provides location and time information via satellite.  

 

Graphics interchange format (GIF): An image format that moves silently, usually looping a small part of a video. Often used on social media for reacting to content.  

 

Greylisting: Anti-spam technique used by mail servers to temporarily reject or defer emails from suspicious senders with a “try again later” response, forcing legitimate email servers to resend messages, while often delaying or blocking spam or unsolicited emails from reaching inboxes.

 

 

H

 

Hacker: An individual with technical skills and knowledge of systems, networks, and software, who exploits vulnerabilities, bypass security controls, or gain unauthorised access to systems or data, often categorised as white hat, black hat, or grey hat hackers based on their motivations.

 

Hacking: The illicit practice of exploiting vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, or software applications to gain unauthorised access, manipulate data, disrupt operations, or cause damage. For more information, check out: What to do in the event of a cyber attack.

 

Hard drive: A data storage device that uses mechanical components to read and write data onto a magnetic storage disk. It is commonly used in computers, servers, and other digital devices to store the operating system, software, files, and other data.

 

Hardware: Physical composition of a computer, including memory, keyboards, and monitors.  

 

Hashing: Converts input data into a fixed-size string of bytes. Hashing can play a role in generative AI for data indexing or ensuring the uniqueness of generated content.

 

Honeypot: A decoy system or network deployed to attract and deceive attackers, allowing security teams to monitor, analyse, and learn about their tactics, techniques, and tools, and gather threat intelligence to enhance security defenses and incident response strategies.

 

HTTP secure (HTTPS): A secure communication protocol used for transferring encrypted data between a web browser and a web server over the internet, providing confidentiality, integrity, and authentication through the use of SSL/TLS encryption, indicated by “https://” in the URL address.

 

Hyperlink: A clickable link included in one article that links to another location on the internet. This link to our Digital Inclusion Hub, for example, is a hyperlink. To improve web accessibility, hyperlinks should be labeled appropriately with context.

 

Hypertext: A system that allows text to be linked to other text, enabling users to navigate between related pieces of information through hyperlinks. It is the foundation of the World Wide Web, where documents are interconnected, allowing users to access content in a non-linear way.

 

Hypertext markup language (HTML): The language used to design and structure web pages, displaying and formatting text, images, and other elements. 

 

Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS): HTTP is used for transferring data between a user’s browser and a website. The S is important in HTTPS because it shows that the website is secure.

 

 

I

Icon: Picture or a symbol that represents a particular function.

 

Incident response: Managing and addressing security incidents, such as cyber attacks, data breaches, or system compromises, in a coordinated and effective manner to minimise damage, contain threats, and restore normal operations. See: What to do in the event of a cyber attack.

 

Information security: Protecting sensitive information and data assets from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction, through a combination of security controls, policies, procedures, and technologies, to preserve confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

 

Information technology: The use of computers, software, networks, and other technology tools to store, process, manage, and transmit information.

 

Insider threat: A security risk or threat posed by individuals within an organisation, such as employees, contractors, or partners, who misuse their access privileges, credentials, or knowledge to intentionally or unintentionally compromise security, steal data, or disrupt operations. Check out NCSC Guidance.

 

Internet: The internet is a large global network, made from tens of thousands of smaller networks connected to one another to enable the sharing of information across the world.

 

Internet protocol (IP) address: An IP address is a unique number, interwoven with full stops or colons, that identifies each device connected to a computer network or internet.

 

Internet service provider (ISP): Internet service providers are companies that provide access to the internet via broadband, fibre optic, and wireless options.  

 

Intranet: The intranet is a private network accessible to an organisation’s internal staff. It can be used to share resources, organisational documents, and updates.

 

 

J

 

Javascript: A high-level, dynamic programming language primarily used to create interactive effects within web browsers. It is an essential technology in web development, alongside HTML and CSS, enabling the development of dynamic and responsive web pages.

 

Joint photographic experts group (JPEG): JPEG is a standard format for images online. JPEGs are website-friendly, due to their low-file size and good resolution, and they often reduce site loading times compared to portable network graphics (PNGs). Adobe has a useful comparison between both file types here.

 

 

K

 

Kerning: The adjustment of space between characters in a piece of text to improve its visual appearance and readability. In typography, kerning ensures that the spacing between letters looks even and balanced, preventing awkward gaps or overlaps that could distract the reader.

 

Key management system (KMS): Used to generate, store, share, use and destroy cryptographic keys. See more information from the NCSC: Mythbusting cloud key management services.

 

Keywords: In the context of search engine optimisation (SEO), a keyword is a specific word or phrase that a user enters into a search engine when looking for information, products, or services.

 

Kilobyte: A unit of digital information storage. Typically equal to 1024 bytes.

 

Knowledge base: Answers to common questions and problems can be shared among organisations via a centralised knowledge base. Knowledge bases are often used in IT support and help users find solutions to easily solved problems.

 

Knowledge extraction: The process of extracting valuable knowledge from large datasets, a technique used in generative AI to improve understanding and generation capabilities.

 

 

L

 

Large language model (LLM): Type of AI algorithm that uses deep learning techniques and massively large data sets to understand, summarise, generate, and predict new content. For more information, check out: What’s a large language model?

 

Lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP): An open, vendor-neutral application protocol for accessing and managing directory services over TCP/IP networks, commonly used for user authentication, authorisation, and directory services in networked environments.

 

LINUX: An open-source operating system that runs on a number of hardware platforms including PCs and Macintoshes. Linux is freely available over the Internet.

 

Local area network (LAN): A Local Area Network connects computers and devices within a limited area, such as a home or office.  

 

Log management: The process of collecting, storing, analysing, and managing log data generated by various systems, applications, and devices in an IT infrastructure, to support security monitoring, incident response, compliance, and troubleshooting activities.

 

 

M

 

Machine learning (ML): Use and development of systems able to learn and adapt without following explicit instructions, by using algorithms and statistical models to analyse and draw inferences from patterns in data. For more information, check out: What is Machine Learning?

 

Machine translation: The task of automatically translating text or speech from one language to another using generative AI models, such as neural machine translation systems.

 

Mailing list: A collection of email addresses used by an organisation or individual to send emails to a group of recipients.

 

Malware: Malware is short for “malicious software” and is aimed at exploiting or compromising networks and computer systems. Trojan horses, viruses, and ransomware are all types of malware. The NCSC has guidance on how to mitigate malware attacks.

 

Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack: An attack that intercepts and alters communication between two parties without their knowledge. For more: Five types of cyber attacks you ought to know.

Megabyte: Typically seen as one million bytes.

 

Metadata: Metadata provides information about other data. The author, date created, and file size all constitute metadata

 

Mobile data: High-speed internet access available through mobile networks.

 

Mobile device management (MDM): Software used to monitor, manage, and secure mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets within an organisation.

 

Modem: Modems are devices that are used to connect computers and other devices to the internet. It connects your local area network to the wide area network (i.e. the internet). Usually, modems are connected by a phone line or fibre optic.

 

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) or two-factor authentication (2FA): A security method that requires two or more forms of authentication to verify a user’s identity. See: What is two-factor authentication?

 

 

N

 

Natural language processing (NLP): A field of AI focussing on the interaction between computers and human language, enabling generative AI models to understand, generate, and manipulate natural language text.

 

Natural language understanding (NLU): The ability of AI models to comprehend and interpret human language, enabling them to generate contextually relevant responses and content.

 

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC): the UK’s authority on cyber security. They support businesses and non-profits from cyber attacks and to respond in the even of an attack.

 

Network: A group of computers and devices that are interconnected to communicate and share resources.  

 

Network intrusion detection system (NIDS): A security system that monitors and analyses network traffic to identify and respond to potential cyber threats or attacks.

 

Neural network: A subset of machine learning that rely on training data to learn and improve accuracy over time, allowing models to classify and cluster data at a high velocity.

 

 

O

 

OAuth: An open standard for access delegation, used to grant websites or applications access to their information on other websites but without giving them the passwords.

 

Operating system (OS): Software that manages hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs. Examples of operating systems include Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.

 

OpenAI: A research organisation and company known for developing innovative AI models, including generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) models.

 

Open data: Data that is available for anyone to use. This can often include data published by central government and local authorities, which can be used to inform charity services.

 

Open source: Software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance. Open source software is developed collaboratively and is often freely available.

 

Out-of-distribution (OOD) detection: Technique in generative AI used to identify data points different from the training data. OOD detection helps improve the reliability of generative models.

 

 

P

 

Parallel computing: A method of performing multiple computations simultaneously, used in generative AI to speed up training and inference processes by leveraging multiple processors or graphics processing units.

 

Password: Characters used to verify identity, usually to gain access to an account, website, or system. For more information: How to know if your password has been compromised.

 

Password manager: Software that allows individuals or businesses to generate, store, and retrieve passwords. Used to make hacking more difficult. Check out: Why you need a password manager.

 

Patch management: Managing updates for technologies, such as acquiring, testing, and installing multiple patches to an administered computer system. For more: Why you need patch management.

 

Pharming: A cyberattack intended to redirect a website’s traffic to another, bogus site. Pharming can be conducted either by changing the hosts file on a victim’s computer or by exploitation of a vulnerability in DNS server software.

 

Phishing: When cyber criminals send messages pretending to be someone else, tricking the recipient into providing sensitive information, such as passwords or bank details. Common phishing tactics appeal to the recipient’s sense of urgency or authority.

 

Pixel: Commonly used as a measurement, which stands for one picture element.

 

Plaintext: Any text or data not encrypted and in a format that can be understood directly without decryption. It is the raw input to encryption processes and the output of decryption processes.

 

Plug-in: Plug-ins add specific features or functionalities to existing computer programs.

 

Portable document format (PDF): A file format created by Adobe that allows documents to be displayed and printed across different devices and platforms, regardless of the software or hardware used. PDFs preserve the original layout, fonts, images, and graphics of a document.

 

PostScript: A page description language developed by Adobe Systems in the 1980s, primarily used for describing the layout and appearance of text, images, and graphics on printed pages.

 

Proxy: An intermediary server or device that acts as a gateway between a user’s device and the internet or another network. It handles requests from clients and forwards them to the destination server, receiving responses and then relaying them back to the client.

 

 

Q

 

Quantum computing: Computing that uses quantum-mechanical phenomena to perform operations. What is Quantum Computing?

 

 

R

 

Random access memory (RAM): Volatile computer memory used to temporarily store data and instructions that a computer’s processor needs to access quickly while performing tasks.

 

Ransomware: A type of malware that encrypts a victim’s data files, rendering them unusable, and demands payment, or ransom, to restore access. Ransomware can be disruptive to charity services, while also resulting in financial and reputational damage as a result of the data breach.

 

Remote access: The ability to access a computer or network from a remote location.

 

Responsive design: Web pages that can be viewed and accessed easily on any device, from desktop to smartphone.

 

Risk assessment: The process of identifying, analysing, and evaluating risk. It helps in understanding the cybersecurity risks to the organisation’s information assets and determining the likelihood and impact of cybersecurity events. Check out: The five steps of risk assessment.

 

Router: A device that forwards data packets between networks. Routers perform the traffic directing functions on the Internet. A router is connected to data lines from different networks.

 

 

S

 

Sandbox: An isolated testing environment that enables users to run programs or open files without affecting the application, system or platform on which they are running. Sandboxes are used to safely execute suspicious code without risking harm to the host device or network.

 

Scalability: The ability of a system or network to grow alongside demand. Scalability is an important part of designing and future-proofing online services, ensuring that charities can deliver services to as many people as need them.

 

Search engine: A software system that allows users to retrieve information from the internet using phrases. It works by indexing and organising vast amounts of content from websites and other online resources, and then providing relevant results based on the user’s search query.

 

Search engine optimisation (SEO): The practice of improving the visibility and ranking of a web page in search engine results pages (SERPs) through various techniques and strategies.

 

Search engine results pages (SERPs): The pages displayed by search engines in response to a user’s search query. These pages contain a list of results that the search engine deems most relevant to the query, including both organic (unpaid) listings and paid advertisements.

 

Sentiment analysis: A natural language processing function that identifies the sentiment in text.

 

Server: Host websites, store files, manage emails, and much more.

 

Smartphone: Phones that can run a wide variety of applications, access the internet, and much more. Smartphones go beyond phone calls and sending texts, with common examples being Apple’s iPhones and Android alternatives such as the Samsung Galaxy series.

 

Social engineering: The use of deception to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential or personal information that may be used for fraudulent purposes.

 

Software: Software is installed on computers and includes applications, operating systems, and utilities. Microsoft Office is an example of software, as is Windows.  

 

Software as a service (SaaS): A software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers. SaaS is one of the three main categories of cloud computing, alongside infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS).

 

Streaming: The transmission of audio or video files allowing users to watch videos or listen to music without downloading the file. Watching Netflix or using Spotify are examples of streaming, but streaming can also refer to live streams, such as those hosted on platforms like Twitch.

 

Spam: Unwanted messages, typically sent for advertising purposes and usually via email.

 

Spyware: A type of malware installed on devices without consent, which then collect data and send it to a third party. For more, read: The battle against spyware.

 

 

T

 

Text-to-speech (TTS): A technology in generative AI that converts text into spoken language, enabling the generation of natural-sounding speech from written text.

 

Tokens: A unit of content corresponding to a subset of a word. Tokens are processed internally by large language models and can also be used as metrics for usage and billing.

 

Trojan horse: Taking its name from Greek mythology, a Trojan Horse is a type of malware that looks like a legitimate program to trick people into installing it. Once installed, it can steal data or provide remote access to cyber criminals. User access controls that allow only certain users to download new programs without permission can help mitigate this issue.

 

Turing test: A test for intelligence that requires that a human being should be unable to distinguish the machine from another human being by using the replies to questions put to both. For more information, check out: What is the Turing Test?

 

Typosquatting: A form of cybersquatting, and possibly brandjacking, which relies on mistakes such as typographical errors made by Internet users when inputting a website address into a web browser. Check out: Typosquatting: What it is and why it’s a danger to charities.

 

 

U

 

Uniform resource locator (URL): The web address typed into a browser when accessing the internet. For example, www.charitydigital.org.uk is a URL.

 

Universal serial base (USB): A common method of connecting devices, such as mice, external storage, and keyboards to computes via a USB port and cable.  

 

User experience (UX): Refers to the experience of using your app, product, or service.

 

User interface (UI): The point of interaction between a user and a computer, software, or application. It includes all the visual elements, controls, and navigation tools that allow users to interact with the system.

 

 

V

 

Virtual private network (VPN): A technology that creates a safe and encrypted connection over a less secure network, such as the internet. VPNs are used to secure web traffic against snooping, interference, and censorship.

 

Virtual reality (VR): VR provides simulated immersive experiences.

 

Virus: A type of malicious software program that replicates by reproducing itself or infecting other computer programs by modifying them.

 

Vishing (voice phishing): The fraudulent practice of making phone calls or leaving voice messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information.

 

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP): Allows voice communication and multimedia sessions over the internet. VoIP services include applications like Skype, Zoom, and WhatsApp calls. 

 

 

W

 

Watering hole attack: A cyber attack strategy in which the attacker seeks to compromise a specific group of end users by infecting websites that members of the group are known to visit. The goal is to infect a targeted user’s computer and gain access to the network at the target’s workplace. For more information, check out the NCSC’s Supply chain security guidance.

 

Web accessibility: Web accessibility refers to the process of making websites and applications accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Video captions, colour schemes, fonts, navigation, and image descriptions are all considerations when making your website accessible, ensuring that everyone can access and interact with online content.

 

Web browser: The tool with which people access websites. Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox are all popular examples of web browsers.

 

Webinar: Sessions delivered over the internet, allowing people to join remotely from any location. Many webinars are also available on-demand, making them very useful for educational purposes.

 

Wide area network (WAN): Network computers covering a large geographical area.

 

Wireless application protocol (WAP): A technical standard for enabling mobile devices, such as mobile phones, to access internet-based content and services.

 

Wi-Fi: Typically used for wireless internet access in homes and offices, Wi-Fi connects electronic devices such as laptops or smartphones to a wireless local area network (WLAN), usually using radio waves.  

 

World Wide Web (WWW): A system of interlinked hypertext documents and multimedia content accessed through the internet using web browsers. Allows users to interact with a vast array of information, including websites, text, images, videos, and more, by navigating via hyperlinks.

 

 

X

 

XML (extensible markup language): A markup language used to store and transport data in a structured, human-readable format. Unlike HTML, which defines the structure of web pages, XML is designed to describe data and make it machine-readable and understandable by humans.

 

 

Y

 

YouTube: A video social media platform which charities can use to share accessible, educational content. For more, check out: Social media for charities 101: YouTube

 

 

Z

 

Zero-day exploit: An attack that targets an unknown vulnerability in an application or operating system, before the developer has released a patch to fix it. Called “zero-day” because the developer has zero days to fix the issue before it becomes known and potentially exploited.

 

Zip drive: A type of removable disk storage device designed to provide higher storage capacity and faster data transfer speeds than traditional floppy disks. Zip drives were commonly used for data backup and file transfer before being largely replaced by CDs, DVDs, and USB flash drives.

 

Zoom: A video conferencing tool that can be used to facilitate remote learning and meetings. Zoom became ubiquitous during the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed many charities to move their services online amid lockdown restrictions. Eligible charities can access Zoom at a discount via the Charity Digital Exchange. You can also find a guide to using Zoom in 2025 here.