#0592 – Dealing with Website Hackers, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 592 – Dealing with Website Hackers
GLOSSARY
hacker –
a person who tries to access and/or change the information on another
person’s computer or website, usually to get secret information or to destroy a
competitor’s computer system
* How long would it take a hacker to break into the government’s computer
network and access criminals’ records?
to access –
to be able to see or obtain something; to be able to get something
* Nobody can access the personnel files unless they have the keys to the filing
cabinet.
server –
a large computer that controls other computers on a network, sharing
information between and among the computers, and often hosting many
computer programs
* Is that computer program stored on your computer, or on the server?
to embed –
to put something inside something else; to lock something in place
as part of something else
* Do you like the new graphics we’ve embedded on the website?
malicious –
mean, cruel, and hurtful; with the intention of doing evil or hurting
another person
* The other kids made such malicious comments that she came home from
school in tears.
code –
computer programming language that cannot be read by people who
aren’t experts in that language; instructions that tell a program or computer what
to do or how to do something
* They had to review more than a million lines of code to find the error in the
program.
to redirect –
to send someone or something in a different direction
* When we walked into the room, we all looked at the paintings on the walls, but
the museum’s tour guide redirected our attention to the beautiful ceilings and
floors.
security –
safety; protection from danger or interference
* The office is increasing security by making all employees show identification
before entering the building.
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ESL Podcast 592 – Dealing with Website Hackers
to encrypt –
to protect information by writing it in a special language so that it
cannot be read by other people while it is sent
* Never send your social security number via email unless you’re sure the
message is encrypted.
database –
a collection of information stored on a computer in an organized way
so that it is easy to sort and to find pieces of data
* They created a customer database that includes each customer’s name,
contact information, and past purchase information.
to patch –
to fix something that is broken or isn’t working properly, usually
focusing on one part of a larger thing
* Harold patched the hole in the roof to keep the rainwater out of his bedroom.
vulnerability –
a weakness; something that leaves one open to attack or danger
* The army’s greatest vulnerability is on the northern side, where the mountains
make it more difficult to protect the soldiers.
to pay the price –
to suffer negative consequences for something one has (not)
done in the past
* Now in her 50s, Greta’s health is failing and she is paying the price for all the
smoking and drinking she did in her teens and 20s.
to be back up –
for a program or website to be working again after a period
when it was not working
* The technicians had to shut down all the computers to install an upgrade, but
everything should be back up again within an hour.
24/7 –
24 hours a day, 7 days a week; all the time; without stopping
* Our telephone support center is open 24/7, so if you have questions you can
call anytime.
security measure –
something that one does to try to keep something safe and
secure
* As a security measure, the embassy requires all its employees to be indoors
after 9:00 p.m.
to wreak havoc –
to create many problems; to create a disaster
* The weather is wreaking havoc on Florida’s tomato crops.
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 592 – Dealing with Website Hackers
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Which of these would be the best way to improve website security?
a) Embed malicious code.
b) To access the server.
c) Patch any vulnerabilities.
2. What does Valerie mean when she says the specialist has been working
24/7?
a) She has been working without stopping.
b) She has been working 24 hours and seven minutes.
c) She has been working 24 hours at $7 per hour.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
server
The word “server,” in this podcast, means a large computer that controls other
computers on a network, sharing information between and among the computers,
and often hosting many computer programs: “If your website traffic continues to
grow like this, you’ll need to pay for a bigger, faster server.” A “server” is also a
waiter, or a person who brings food to customers in a restaurant: “Hello, my
name is Sasha and I’ll be your server this evening. Would you like to hear about
our specials?” In sports, a “server” is the person who hits the ball to begin a
game of tennis or volleyball: “Christine is a really strong server, so I hope she’s
on our volleyball team again this year.”
patch
In this podcast, the verb “to patch” means to fix something that is broken or isn’t
working properly, usually focusing on one part of a larger thing: “The politicians
are trying to patch the old law by passing several related laws.” The verb “to
patch” is normally used to talk about putting a small piece of something over a
large hole or rip: “If you put patches over the ripped knees of your jeans, they’ll
look much better.” Or, “This jacket has patches over the elbows, making the
fabric stronger there.” The phrase “to patch things up” means to stop arguing
with another person or to end an argument: “I don’t know if Gregory and I will
ever be able to patch things up after what happened last weekend.”
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 592 – Dealing with Website Hackers
CULTURE NOTE
Some American hackers have “gained” (earned; received through their actions)
“notoriety” (fame for something bad that one has done) for their computer-related
crimes.
Jonathan James was the first American “juvenile” (child; someone less than 18
years old) to be “incarcerated” (put in jail) for a computer-related crime. When he
was 15 years old, he hacked into many computer systems, including those for
the BellSouth communications company and the Miami-Dade school system.
More seriously, he hacked into some of the computers that were part of the U.S.
Department of Defense, downloading software worth about $1.7 million.
A man named Kevin Mitnick was “convicted” (found guilty of a crime) of “identity
theft” (the crime of using another person’s name and other identifying
information). He hacked into computer networks to get the “birth certificates”
(official documents showing when and where someone was born) of very young
children who had “passed away” (died) and then used them as his new identity.
Other people hack into computer networks to try to steal money by accessing
credit card information. American hackers Adam Botbyl, Brian Salcedo, and Paul
Timmins got access to the computer system for Lowe’s, which is a large “chain”
(group of stores with the same name in many different locations) of home-
improvement stores. They created a program to steal shoppers’ credit card
information, but they were caught and convicted before they could do much
damage.
Finally, some hackers create “worms,” or special computer programs that move
across computer networks, causing damage to many computers. In 1988,
Robert Tappan Morris created the Morris Worm, which spread across the
Internet very quickly and “infected” (got into and made sick) thousands of
computers. It cost $200-$53,000 to fix each damaged system.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a
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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 592 – Dealing with Website Hackers
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 592: Dealing With
Website Hackers.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 592. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Visit our website at eslpod.com. Download a Learning Guide for this episode
that will help your improve your English even faster.
This episode is called “Dealing With Website Hackers,” people who go into a
website to damage it or hurt it. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Valerie: You’ll never guess what happened over the weekend.
Bill: What?
Valerie: Our website was attacked by hackers, and nobody could access it.
Bill: You’re kidding! What did they do?
Valerie: They got access to our server and embedded some malicious code that
caused the site to be redirected to their own website.
Bill: But I thought our site had really good security. Didn’t we hire a programmer
last year to encrypt the database and patch any vulnerabilities?
Valerie: That’s what we should have done. So now, we’re paying the price.
Bill: The site seems to be back up, though.
Valerie: Yeah, we brought in a specialist on Friday and she’s been working on it
24/7. Let’s hope she puts in the security measures we should have had all
along, and this will never happen again.
Bill: Right, at least until some creative hacker comes up with a new way to wreak
havoc.
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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2010). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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