hack tool - Tools that can be used by a hacker or unauthorized user to attack, gain unwelcome access to, or perform identification or fingerprinting of your computer. While some hack tools may also be valid for legitimate purposes, their ability to facilitate unwanted access makes them a risk. Hack tools also generally:

* Attempt to gain information on or access hosts surreptitiously, utilizing methods that circumvent or bypass obvious security mechanisms inherent to the system it is installed on, and/or

* Facilitate an attempt at disabling a target computer, preventing its normal use

One example of a hack tool is a keystroke logger -- a program that tracks and records individual keystrokes and can send this information back to the hacker.

hang - to wait for an event that will never occur. A computer system is hanging when it is in an endless loop.

hard boot - A boot which resets the entire system. Hard boots are usually performed by turning the computer off, then on again. (opposite of "soft boot")

hardcopy - A paper printout of data displayed on a screen.

hard disk - One or more rigid magnetic discs rotating about a central axle with associated read/write heads and electronics, used to store data. (compare "floppy disk")

hard disk drive [HDD] - Drive used to read/write hard disks.

hardware - Electronic components, boards, peripherals, and equipment that make up a computer system.

HDSL [High-Speed Digital Subscriber Line] - A transmission method that makes it possible to transmit data at high speeds over ordinary copper telephone wires.

head crash - Accidental contact between a disk and its read/write head, causing physical damage and loss of recorded data.

helper application - Any application that is used to open or view a file downloaded by the browser. A plug-in is a special kind of helper application that installs itself into the Plugins directory of the main browser installation directory and can typically be opened within the browser itself (internally). Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, and other external applications are considered helper applications but not plug-ins, since they don't install themselves into the browser directory, but can be opened from the download dialog box.

Hertz {hurtz} [Hz] - Unit of measurement of electrical vibrations, equal to one cycle per second. It is a reference measurement for the speed at which a computer processes information.

high-density disk - High capacity floppy disk which stores more data than a double-density disk.

hijacker - a Trojan that may reset your browser's home page and/or search settings to point to other sites. Such sites are sometimes porn sites, often loaded with advertising. Homepage Hijackers may prevent you from changing your browser's homepage or from visiting a particular site.

hit - A single request from a Web browser for a single item from a Web server.

home page - the "front page" of an Internet site. A good one offers an overview of a range of information and, usually, contains hyperlinks that can connect you to yet more related information.

hoax - message, typically distributed via e-mail or newsgroups, which is written to deliberately spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Just like the viruses they purport to describe, they are sent from user to user, slowing network and Internet traffic and causing damage 'per se', by wasting users time and by prompting well-meaning, (albeit unnecessary) clean up procedures. These messages may be regarding completely fictitious viruses and Trojans, or they may be misleadingly warning users about legitimate programs (a common target of past hoaxes was screensavers and more recently, Windows utilities). Hoaxes prey on the lack of technical knowledge and the goodwill of all those that receive a hoax. Generally, hoaxes are warnings about threats to your computer.

home page - page your browser is set to display every time you launch it or when you click the Home button. Also used to refer to the main page for a Web site, from which you can explore the rest of the site.

home page hijacker – any software that changes your browser's home page to some other site. hijacks may reroute your info and address requests through an unseen site, capturing that info. In such hijacks, your browser may behave normally, but be slower.

host - Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers on the network. (see "server")

Hotspot - A hotspot is a connection point for a WiFi network. It is a small box that is hardwired into the Internet. The box contains an 802.11 radio that can simultaneously talk to up to 100 or so 802.11 cards. There are many WiFi hotspots now available in public places like restaurants, hotels, libraries, and airports.

HTML (see "HyperText Markup Language")

HTTP (see "HyperText Transfer Protocol")

hypertext - A term coined by Ted Nelson around 1965 for a collection of documents containing cross-references or "links" that, with the aid of an interactive browser program, allow the reader to move easily from one document to another. The strict theoretical vision of hypertext proposes that every piece of text be treated as a linkable element of an information system.

HyperText Markup Language [HTML] - Language composed of a set of styles (indicated by markup tags) that define a World Wide Web document and guide its display. HTML files are similar to Windows Help files. You can jump from one topic to the next by selecting highlighted text and can retrace your steps.

HyperText Transfer Protocol [HTTP] - standard transfer protocol for World Wide Web documents. The client sends a message to the server requesting a document, and the server returns it. The document is coded in HTML, and a browser is used to interpret the HTML, to identify the elements of the document and render it.