Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 834, Breaching Computer Security.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 834.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Our website is ESLPOD.com.
And take a look at the learning guide for this episode that will help you improve your English faster than ever.
This dialogue is between Jin and Dina.
It's all about computer security, making sure your computer does not get information stolen from it.
Let's get started.
Did you hear what happened to McEw Corp?
No.
What?
Hackers were able to get unauthorized access to its computer systems and cause a lot of problems over the weekend.
They destroyed data and rendered the system unusable.
In fact, the entire system crashed.
I hadn't heard that.
Why McEwcorp?
Well, the company announced last week that it had implemented new security measures which made their systems impenetrable.
Ah, that explains it.
Making an announcement like that is like issuing a challenge.
Yeah, it was definitely a challenge.
I bet a lot of hackers were trying to breach those security measures just to show that it could be done.
One of them certainly found the system's vulnerabilities and exploited them.
What was McEwcorp thinking?
They've had problems in the past with hackers, and then they issue this challenge.
I say that it serves them right.
They shouldn't have bragged about their new security measures, but those hackers caused a lot of damage.
I bet McEwcorp learned its lesson.
Don't wave a red flag in front of a bull.
Our topic on this episode is computer security.
We begin with Jin saying, did you hear what happened to McEw Corp?
McEw Corp is a company, a fictional company, not a real company.
Dina says, no, what?
Jin says hackers were able to get unauthorized access to its computer systems.
A hacker, H-A-C-K-E-R, is a person who uses their computer skills to illegally go into another website or to go into some computer software, often to steal some secret or confidential information.
The verb is to hack, H-A-C-K.
A hacker is someone who hacks into a computer system.
In this case, the computer system was at McEucorp and the hackers were able to get unauthorized access.
Unauthorized means not authorized.
Authorized means you have permission.
Someone said, yes, that's okay.
Access is the ability to reach something, to see something.
So unauthorized access would be going into somewhere where you don't have permission to go.
And the hackers did this with the McEucorp computer system and caused a lot of problems over the weekend.
Over the weekend means during this past Saturday and Sunday.
Jin says they destroyed data and rendered the system unusable.
Data.
D-A-T-A means information, especially when we're talking about computers and Or in scientific research.
It's the evidence that we use to examine our hypotheses, our ideas.
Data is technically a plural noun, but it is often used in the singular in more modern English.
Jin says the hackers destroyed, they got rid of, they damaged data and rendered the system unusable.
To render R-E-N-D-E-R means to put something in a particular position or to make something present in a certain way.
Basically, in this sentence, it just means make.
So they made, past tense, the system unusable.
Once again, we see the prefix un, U-N, which means not.
So unusable means not usable, not able to be used.
Jin says, in fact, the entire system crashed.
To crash, C-R-A-S-H, for a computer system or a network means to suddenly stop working.
If a computer crashes, it turns off, it stops working, you can't do anything with it.
This is a common problem for all computers at some time or another.
Dina says, I hadn't heard that.
Why McEucorp?
Jin says.
Well, the company announced last week that it had implemented new security measures which made their systems impenetrable.
So McEucorp announced or told everyone last week that it had implemented new security measures.
To implement I-M-P-L-E-M-E-N-T means to begin, to officially launch or to formally start something.
They started a new business or put into place a new security system, new security measures.
Our dialogue says
A measure, M-E-A-S-U-R-E, is just a procedure or a process or an action.
Security refers to keeping the computer system safe so people don't go in and steal things from it.
McEw Corp implemented new security measures which made their systems impenetrable.
We're getting a lot of prefixes in this dialogue.
One of them is impenetrable.
The I-M is the same as I-N as a prefix and that once again means not just like UN.
Sometimes we say UN, sometimes we say IN.
If it's before a P, the N becomes an M, so it's impenetrable.
Not able to be penetrated is what that means.
To penetrate means to go into something.
So if something is impenetrable, you're not able to go into it.
Obviously, the hackers were able to penetrate the system and of course that caused all the problems.
Dina says, ah, that explains it.
Making an announcement like that is like issuing a challenge.
To issue, I-S-S-U-E, here means to announce.
It can also mean to give something to someone.
You could say it also means that here too.
A challenge is when you say to someone, I want you to do this, or I don't think you could do this.
This is a very difficult task.
This is a very difficult thing to do.
I challenge you to do this.
They're using challenge as a verb.
So when McEucorp announced that it had new security measures, this was like issuing a challenge to the hackers.
It was saying to the hackers, see if you can break into our system.
See if you can penetrate our security measures.
Jin says, yeah, it was definitely a challenge.
I bet, meaning I'm guessing, a lot of hackers were trying to breach those security measures.
To breach B-R-E-A-C-H means to break a rule or to go past some limit that you're not supposed to go past.
In this case it means to get into the computer, to get around the security measures so they could get into the computer.
Jin says they were trying to breach those security measures just to show that it could be done.
Just to show here means only to demonstrate, only to let everyone know that these security measures were not as good as the McHugh Corp thought they were.
One of them certainly found the system's vulnerabilities and exploited them.
One of them, meaning one of the hackers, found the system's vulnerabilities.
Vulnerability, V-U-L-N-E-R-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y, is a weakness.
If you are vulnerable, you are weak.
There's something about you that someone could beat you with or take advantage of you with.
And the hacker found the system's vulnerabilities and exploited them.
To exploit E-X-P-L-O-I-T means to use something to your advantage which causes problems for someone else.
It's good for you, but it is hurting or harming someone else.
That's to exploit something or someone.
Dina says, What were they thinking means...
I can't believe they were so stupid.
That's really what that question means.
Dina says they've had problems in the past with hackers, and then they issue this challenge.
I say that it serves them right.
That's a common expression.
To serve, S-E-R-V-E, someone right, R-I-G-H-T.
To serve someone right means that the person got what they deserved.
It's used in a negative way when talking about the bad or negative results or consequences of something that someone has done.
So if you are driving fast down the freeway, above the speed limit, and the police catch you and give you a ticket, a fine, it serves you right, I could say.
You were doing something bad and now you have to face or deal with the negative consequences.
Jin says they shouldn't have bragged about their new security measures.
But those hackers caused a lot of damage.
To brag means to tell everyone how good you are.
Oh, I'm the best tennis player in Southern California.
I'm the best singer in Hollywood.
Of course, when you brag, it's not always true.
Well, Jin says that McEw Corp should not have bragged.
They shouldn't have said that their system was impenetrable.
Dina says, I bet McEw Corp learned its lesson.
To learn its lesson means they have learned from their mistake and they won't do it again.
Dina says the lesson is don't wave a red flag in front of a bull.
A bull.
B-U-L-L is a large animal that traditionally in countries like Spain and Mexico and a few other places, is used in bullfighting.
Which is you fight against the bull.
I'm not sure if they still do this in Spain.
I know they still do it in Mexico.
I believe bullfighting is when you have a huge animal, this huge bull, and a man gets in a circle with the bull and basically tries to kill the bull.
The tradition is that if you have a red flag, a small piece of cloth, a small piece of material, and you wave it meaning you move it back and forth in front of the bull that this will cause the bull to get angry and to try to run at you.
Now, I believe it's also the case that bulls are actually colorblind, so the color red doesn't really have any special effect.
But that's the expression, to wave a red flag in front of a bull.
It means to make other people angry without any good reason.
You're trying to make them angry.
And that's what Dina says the McEw Corp did with its computer system.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Did you hear what happened to McQ Corp?
No, what?
Hackers were able to get unauthorized access to its computer systems and cause a lot of problems over the weekend.
They destroyed data and rendered the system unusable.
In fact, the entire system crashed.
I hadn't heard that.
Why McQ Corp?
Well, the company announced last week that it had implemented new security measures which made their systems impenetrable.
Ah, that explains it.
Making an announcement like that is like issuing a challenge.
Yeah, it was definitely a challenge.
I bet a lot of hackers were trying to breach those security measures just to show that it could be done.
One of them certainly found the system's vulnerabilities and exploited them.
What was McEwcorp thinking?
They've had problems in the past with hackers, and then they issue this challenge.
I say that it serves them right.
They shouldn't have bragged about their new security measures, but those hackers caused a lot of damage.
I bet McEwcorp learned its lesson.
Don't wave a red flag in front of a bull.
Our scriptwriter doesn't like to brag, but I'll brag for her.
She's the best scriptwriter on the Internet.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2012 by the Center for Educational Development.
