b
B Programming language developed by Ken Thompson
B+ tree A way to store information. Wikipedia
backbone cabling Connects the equipment and telecommunication rooms. Wikipedia
backbone router Has at least one interface in OSPF area 0.
background (bg) Send a job to the background. Website Wikipedia
backslash \ Wikipedia
Backup Designated Router (BDR)
backup ports (alternate) Configured in a blocking state to prevent loops.
Backus Wikipedia
Backus–Naur Form (BNF) Notation to define formal language syntax. Wikipedia
Backward Explicit Congestion Notification (BECN) Frame Relay congestion-notification bit. Wikipedia Wikipedia
Ball Grid Array (BGA) Type of surface-mount used for integrated circuits such as microprocessors. Wikipedia
bandwidth (aka: Throughput) The amount of data that can be transferred in a given period.
bang bang (!!) Executes the previous command in UNIX. Wikipedia
bare-metal Running a computer without an OS. Wikipedia
Barracuda Networks Website
Bash (aka: Bourne-Again Shell) Unix shell Wikipedia
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) Non-volatile firmware used to perform hardware initialization during the booting process (power-on startup). Created by Gary Kildall and first appeared in the CP/M operating system in 1975. Succeeded by Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). Wikipedia
Basic Rate Interface (BRI) Wikipedia
Basic Service Area (BSA) The coverage area where devices in a BSS can communicate.
Basic Service Set (BSS) One access point connecting all wireless devices.
Basic Service Set Identification (BSSID) The formal name of a BSS identified with the AP's MAC address. Wikipedia
batch file A script file that can be run in DOS, OS/2 and Windows. Wikipedia
Bayonet Neill–Concelman connector (BNC connector) (aka: British Naval Connector) Coaxial RF connector that was commonly used to attach stations to a 10Base2 (thinnet) network. Patented in 1951. Wikipedia
BBN Technologies (originally Bolt, Beranek and Newman) Contractor that helped with the development of ARPANET. Helped create the first router (IMP). Wikipedia
bcdedit Command used to control the boot manager for Windows. Example:
bcdedit /enum | Lists entries in a BCD store. |
bcdedit /set safeboot network | Sets Windows to boot in Safe Mode with networking on next restart. |
Beats Per Minute (BPM) Wikipedia
Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) High level programming language. Wikipedia
Bellman-Ford algorithm Used by RIP. Based on two algorithms developed in 1958 and 1956 by Richard Bellman and Lester Ford, Jr. Wikipedia
Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) Name daemon. The message format used by BIND is the most widely used DNS format on the internet. Runs on a DNS server. Originally developed in the early 1980s by four UC Berkeley students. Wikipedia
Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) Based off UNIX. Developed in the 1970s by Wikipedia
Bernard D.H. Tellegen Inventor of the pentode & the gyrator. June 24, 1900 - August 30, 1990. Wikipedia
best effort (UDP) Packet delivery is not guaranteed. Does not acknowledge if the data is received.
best path Network path with lowest metric.
Better Approach To Mobile Adhoc Networking (B.A.T.M.A.N.) Routing protocol. Wikipedia
Bill Gates Co-founder of Microsoft along with Paul Allen. Wikipedia
binaries (bin) Source code compiled into an executable program. Usually stored in a bin directory. Wikipedia
binary Base 2 number system using 1 and 0. The only language a computer speaks. Wikipedia Wikipedia
biometrics Human characteristics used for authentication such as a thumbprint or retina scan. Wikipedia
bit Smallest unit of data a computer can recognize. Wikipedia
bit interleaving Keeps track of the number and sequence of bits so they can be reassembled on arrival. Wikipedia
BitLocker Full drive encryption built into Windows. First included with Windows Vista Ultimate and Enterprise editions. Microsoft Virtual Academy Wikipedia TechNet
Bitmap image Image made of pixels. Wikipedia
bits per second (bps) A measurement of the data transfer rate. Wikipedia
Bitstream A sequence of bits. Wikipedia
BitTorrent Wikipedia
Black Hat Asia 2020 The information security community comes together for esteemed Trainings taught by industry experts, innovative research presentations at Briefings, the latest open-source tool demos in Arsenal, and the Business Hall featuring top-tier solutions and service providers. Black Hat returns to Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, September 29 - October 2, 2020. Website
Black Hat Briefings Security conference commonly referred to as Black Hat. Founded in 1997 by Jeff Moss, who also founded DEF CON. Website Wikipedia
Black Hat USA 2018 August 4-9, 2018 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Website
Black Hat USA 2019 August 3-8, 2019. Website
Black Hat USA 2020 Now in its 23rd year, Black Hat USA is the world's leading information security event, providing attendees with the very latest security research, development and trends. Black Hat USA 2020 will be entirely virtual this year, held over the same dates, August 1-6. August 1-6, 2020. Website
Black Panther Released February 16, 2018. IMDB
Blackhole exploit kit Wikipedia
blacklisting Technique used by an administrator to restrict access to a specific list of applications.
blade server Modular server that saves space and energy. Wikipedia
Blaise de Vigenère Vigenère cipher. April 5, 1523 - February 19, 1596 Wikipedia
Blaise Pascal French mathematician. Jun 19, 1623 - August 19, 1662. Wikipedia
blank page suppression Where the printer removes blank pages from a job. HP
blanks Artificial data added to fill blocks in a block cipher.
Blend GUI design tool developed by Microsoft. Wikipedia
Broadwell-E 14nm Microarchitecture from Intel. Intel ARK Wikipedia
block cipher Deterministic algorithm operating on fixed-length groups of bits, called a block, with an unvarying transformation that is specified by a symmetric key. Wikipedia
Blowfish Symmetric block cipher. Designed by Bruce Schneier in 1993. Wikipedia
Blu-ray Disc (BD) Typically 25GB to 50GB.
blue box Wikipedia
Blue Gene Supercomputer from IBM. Announced December 1999. Wikipedia
Blue Origin Founded September 2000 by Jeff Bezos. Website Wikipedia
Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) Similar to a kernel panic. Occurs when Windows encounters a "STOP Error". The iPhone 5S encountered a "BSoD" of sorts when trying to install iOS 7. Present in Windows as early as Windows NT 3.1 in 1993. Wikipedia How-To Geek Apple Forums PC Mag
Bluebugging Most serious variation of Bluetooth attacks. Attacker tries to take control of or use a Bluetooth-enabled phone to make unauthorized phone calls. Wikipedia
Bluejacking Sending unsolicited messages of files to a Bluetooth-enabled device. Wikipedia
Bluesnarfing Unauthorized access to information on a Bluetooth-enabled device. Wikipedia
Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15) Wireless standard that operates using short-wavelength UHF radio waves in the ISM band from 2.4 to 2.485 GHz to form personal area networks (PANs). Packet-based protocol with a master/slave architecture. One master may communicate with up to seven slaves in a piconet. Devices operate at very low power levels of approximately 1 milliwatt (mW). Invented by Dutch electrical engineer Jaap Haartsen, working for telecom vendor Ericsson in 1994. Named after the Denmark King, Harald Bluetooth because he united Denmark and Norway just as the protocol did for technology. Wikipedia (Bluetooth) Wikipedia (Harald Bluetooth) Website
Bluetooth 5 Increased signal range to 40 meters (~130 ft.) and offers playback on multiple devices. Announced June 16, 2016. First available in the Samasun Galaxy S8 April 21, 2017. Later availabe on the iPhone 8 September 22, 2017. Wikipedia YouTube (MKBHD)
bool C# Boolean variable. Wikipedia Microsoft
Boolean A data type. Example: true/false, 1/0, yes/no. Wikipedia Wikipedia
Boot Configuration Data Store (BCD Store) Contains all the information needed for Windows to boot.
| Apple | Option |
| Dell | F12 |
| HP | Esc or F9 |
boot loader (aka: boot manager) Menu that appears in the BIOS when multiple operating systems are installed.
Bootrec.exe Toole used to repair issues with a master boot record (MBR), boot sector, or Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store. Microsoft Support Wikipedia
Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) A precursor to the DHCP protocol. BOOTP is a network protocol used to obtain IP address information during bootup Wikipedia
Bootstrapping Process of writing a compiler (or assembler) in the source programming language which it is intended to compile. Wikipedia
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Exterior gateway routing protocol, path vector, classes. Designed to share prefix information between different autonomous systems. Version 1 was introduced in June 1989 under RFC 1105. Wikipedia RFC 4271 RFC 1105
Borderless Network The Cisco Borderless Network Architecture is a network solution. YouTube
botnet Computers connected to complete certain tasks. Generally looked upon in a negative way as they can be used to send out spam or perform DDoS attacks. Wikipedia
Bourne shell Wikipedia
Bower "A package manager for the web". Created in 2012. Website GitHub Twitter
break Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.
Brian Fox Author of the Bash shell. Wikipedia
bridge Network device that operates at OSI Layer 2. Joins similar topologies and divides network segments into multiple collision domains. Isolates network traffic and prevents unwanted traffic from entering a network segment where there are no recipients. More intelligent that a repeater but a router is needed to stop broadcast or perform path selection. Wikipedia
bridge ID (BID) (Bridge priority + MAC address.) Switches with the lowest BID become the root bridge. An exchange of Wikipedia
bridge priority Helps in the root bridge election process. Switch with the lowest priority becomes the root bridge. Default on Cisco switches is 32768. 0 is the highest priority.
Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU) Used by spanning tree to communicate between switches. If a BPDU frame is seen on a PortFast configured interface, it will shut down the interface to prevent a loop. Wikipedia
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Wikipedia
British Thermal Unit (BTU) Amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit.
broadband Wikipedia
broadcast address The address that is used to send data to all hosts on a subnet. For a /24 subnet, the broadcast would be 255.255.255.0.
broadcast domain The area limited broadcasts can be sent. All hosts on a local network. Separated by a router. Can also be separated by VLAN. Wikipedia
broadcast multi-access network Multiple router connected over Ethernet.
broadcast storms When broadcast frames form layer 2 loops and consume all bandwidth. Layer 2 LAN protocols can't eliminate loops on their own. A Layer 3 protocol is needed to fix the problem because they use routing tables.
broadcast transmission Sending a packet to all nodes in the network. Examples include ARP and DHCP. Usually restricted to the local network. Can be a directed broadcast or limited broadcast.
Broadwell Microarchitecture codename from Intel. Announced September 10, 2013 but dellayed formal unvailing until August 11, 2014. First released September 5, 2014. Wikipedia
Brownfiled Deployment Upgrading an existing network.
Bruce Schneier American cryptographer, computer security professional, privacy specialist and writer. Born January 15, 1963. Website Wikipedia
brute-force attack Attempting many combonations to guess a password. Wikipedia
buffer Area of memory used to hold data.
buffer Memory used to store data temporarily. Wikipedia
buffer overflow (aka: buffer overrun) When the fixed-length buffer reaches its limit and tries to write more data. Takes advantage of programming flaws that occur when data overwrites a program’s allocated memory address and enables arbitrary code execution. Can allow viruses, worms, and Trojans to cause damage. Wikipedia
bug Error or defect. First "actual" bug found in the Harvard Mark II when a moth was trapped in a relay on September 9, 1947. Wikipedia
Build Microsoft's annual developer conference. Wikipedia
builtin Utility or command that is built into the shell. Builtins do not fork a new process.
Buldozer Microarchitecture from AMD. Released October 12, 2011. Wikipedia
Burned In Address (BIA) Also known as a MAC address. Wikipedia
Burroughs, Univac, NCR, Control Data, and Honeywell (BUNCH) Wikipedia
bus A path for data to travel. Wikipedia
byte 8 binary bits. Wikipedia
bytes per second (Bps) Wikipedia