"Malware" is short for malicious software. It refers to a software program that has been developed to do harm to other computers. Types of malware include viruses, worms and spyware.

A piece of code or data created by a web server and stored on a user's computer. It is used to keep track of the user's usage patterns and preferences.

Encryption is the process of converting electronic data to an unrecognisable or encrypted form, one that cannot be easily understood by unauthorised parties.

Acrobat Reader is software that allows you to view a PDF document (a document that can be seen but not changed). It can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe.

Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) broadband technology that is used to connect to the Internet. It uses standard telephone lines to deliver high-speed data communications (up to 24 megabytes per second).

Analogue is a conventional method of transmitting data. Standard landline telephones use analogue technology. It is distinct from digital technology, which provides for greater quality and speed of data transmission.

Assistive technology refers to any software or hardware that acts to assist and improve the functional capabilities of people with disabilities. Examples include wheelchairs, prosthetics, voice-to-text technology and text-to-speech technology.

An attachment is a document sent with an email message. Many types of files can be sent this way (e.g. Word documents, PDFs, Excel files, JPEGs). Be wary of attaching large files because these can take a lot of time for the recipient to download. If you have a large file, it is considered good practice to compress the file using software such as Wi [..]

Back-end refers to the part of an application that performs an essential task not apparent to the user.

If software is backward compatible, it is compatible with earlier (superseded) versions of the same software. For example, the Microsoft word-processing program Word 2010 can read files created in the 2003 version of the same program, so it is backward compatible.