Glossary
Encryption: The scrambling of data into a secret code that can be read only by software set to decode the information.
Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID): The name a manufacturer assigns to a router. It may be a standard, default name assigned by the manufacturer to all hardware of that model. Users can improve security by changing to a unique name. Similar to a Service Set Identifier (SSID).
Firewall: Hardware or software designed to keep hackers from using your computer to send personal information without your permission. Firewalls watch for outside attempts to access your system and block communications to and from sources you don’t permit.
Media Access Control (MAC) Address: A unique number that the manufacturer assigns to each computer or other device in a network.
Router: A device that connects two or more networks. A router finds the best path for forwarding information across the networks.
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP): A security protocol that encrypts data sent to and from wireless devices within a network. Not as strong as WPA encryption.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA): A security protocol developed to fix flaws in WEP. Encrypts data sent to and from wireless devices within a network.
Wireless Network: A method of connecting a computer to other computers or to the Internet without linking them by cables.