Edexcel GCSE Computer Science key terms

An automatic check that input meets a program’s rules for acceptable data; it does not prove that the data is correct.

A named storage location that holds a value which a program can use or change.

An area of secondary storage used by the operating system to hold program instructions and data temporarily when managing available RAM.

Malware that embeds itself in another program or file and can replicate when the infected host is run.

Memory that loses its contents when its electrical power supply is removed.

A computer design in which program instructions and data are stored in the same main memory and instructions are processed by the CPU.

A weakness in software that could be exploited to compromise its security.

An internal testing approach in which testers have knowledge of the target system and may have basic user credentials, simulating an attack from inside the system.

An ethical hacker who has permission to test a system and helps protect it by reporting vulnerabilities.

Spaces, tabs and blank lines used to separate and organise code.

A network covering a large geographical area, often connecting LANs at different sites using telecommunications providers’ infrastructure.

A family of protocols for transferring data over a wireless local area network using radio signals.

A connection that transmits data through physical cables.

A device that allows wireless devices to connect to a network using Wi-Fi.

A connection that transmits data through the air using radio waves rather than a physical cable between devices.

Malware that can replicate and spread between computers, including across networks, without a user distributing it.