The world of malware and antivirus protection can be a complicated and intimidating one to anyone who is not familiar. Grasping the following terms will help simplify things for you.

Malware
Any type of malicious software or code that is created with the intended use to harm, disrupt, or control unsuspecting computers.

Virus
Term often incorrectly used synonymously with malware, a computer virus technically refers to a self-replicating malicious code that infects files on a local system.

Encryption
The central part of security that allows for the safe storing and transmission of data by encrypting it so that it may not be viewed by a third party. Secure websites, particularly those dealing with financial transactions use encrypted pages to ensure that sensitive information is not intercepted. Encrypted pages can usually be identified by a indicative symbol usually found in the corner of your browser (look and placement vary by browser) and also you may note that the URL begins with "https" instead of the non-encrypted "http". Encryption is also an important part of wireless internet networks that serves to prevent the interception of data that is transmitted between the network and computers on the network.

Phishing
Phishing is a method of tricking unsuspecting internet users into divulging personal information that is collected and commonly used by criminals or spammers for purposes of fraud or illegal marketing. Users are generally tricked into clicking through to websites that they perceive to be official sites but are actually imposter sites that gather the data that is entered. Phishing occurs in several forms, including email, instant messaging, and via social networking sites like MySpace.com. In order to prevent becoming a victim of phishing, you should only enter your personal information on legitimate, authentic sites that you trust. Never trust external links from unknown sources, but rather type the address into your address bar manually.

Anti-virus
In this day and age, no computer connected to the internet should be without the protection of an up to date antivirus program. Having antivirus software installed will ensure that you are protected from malware such as computer viruses or Trojans. It is critical that you have your antivirus software set to receive automatic updates (if it is an option) in order to keep your system fully protected. New types of malware are released every day, and the better antivirus developers have people constantly working to keep their products updated with the latest information.

Patch
A patch is an addition to a piece of software created after the original software is released to correct any errors that the original software may have contained, or to simply improve upon it.

Botnet
A botnet is a group of computers that have been compromised by an operator by use of malware in order to turn them into slaves to perform an array of tasks.

Cookie
A cookie is a small file given to your browser by websites that it visits so that when you return to the site at a later time, the website will recognize you as the previous visitor. This technology is sometimes taken advantage of with malware that causes false cookies to be added to your browser, either to gather personal info or so that the developers of the malware can receive credit and commissions from online purchases.

DDoS
DDoS stands for "Distributed Denial of Service", which basically means a huge transmission of data that can potentially cause a server to crash. Such an attack usually requires several machines to accomplish.

Registry
The core part of all Windows-based operating systems.

Regedit
The basic tool used to inspect and modifying entries in the Windows registry.

Rootkit
The process of hiding computer activity from the computer's owner, usually for the purpose of disguising malware.

DNS
Essentially the internet's address book, containing the locations of all computers and servers online.

Signature
Any small string of data that identifies allows a piece of malware to be identified by anti-malware software.

Crash
When a program encounters a serious error that causes it to stop responding, it is referred to as a crash. It may also apply to serious errors occurring to an operating system or even an entire server.

Blacklist
List of websites known to contain or promote malware.

Keylogger
Malware that monitors keystrokes and transmits that data to the author.

Downloader
Small Trojan files that are known to execute larger, more elaborate Trojans when they are executed.

Vishing
Identical to phishing except it is done by voice transmission of VoIP to gather personal information from people.

EULA
The legal document accompanying most types of software that contains the agreement that must be agreed to in order to install the software.