Appendix B, Trustworthy Computing Glossary

Like most technical initiatives, Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing has its own vocabulary. The following is a list of common terms used in this report. The relevant Trustworthy Computing topic is shown in parentheses next to each term. Note that other vendors may define these terms differently than Microsoft.

agents (Security-NGSCB)

Trusted software, including application components, complete applications, and services, that can be hosted by the nexus.

antivirus (Security)

A software program designed to identify and remove a known or potential computer virus or worm.

attack (Security)

An unauthorized attempt to exploit a vulnerability. Attacks are generally launched to disrupt normal business operations or steal information.

attack surface (Security)

The overall number of places, such as OS services or Office applications, in which an attacker can look for vulnerabilities. The more features installed on a server, the greater the number of potential vulnerabilities and the larger the attack surface.