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 you 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.
You'll never guess what happened over the weekend.
What?
Our website was attacked by hackers and nobody could access it.
You're kidding.
What did they do?
They got access to our server and embedded some malicious code that caused the site to be redirected to their own website.
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?
The site seems to be back up, though.
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.
Right.
At least until some creative hacker comes up with a new way to wreak havoc.
Valerie begins the dialogue by saying, you'll never guess what happened over the weekend.
That phrase you'll never guess means that you have some surprising news.
Some Valerie replies.
Our website was attacked by hackers and nobody could access it.
A hacker H-A-C-K-E-R is a person who tries to go into a website to either steal secret information or to somehow destroy or make the website not work properly.
To access means to be able to see or get something.
It's often used when we are talking about something that is private or secret.
Do not let anyone get access to your bank account.
They could steal your money.
Bill says you're kidding.
What did they do?
What did the hackers do?
She says they got access to our server and and embedded some malicious code.
The server S-E-R-V-E-R here means a large computer that is on the Internet, or it is a computer that is linked up to many other computers.
It often has certain computer programs or software on it.
All websites on the Internet are on a server.
It allows you to get to the website, to access that computer where the information for the website is stored.
Server has a couple of different meanings, however.
Take a look at the learning guide for some additional explanations.
The hackers got access to Valerie's server and embedded some malicious code.
To embed E-M-B-E-D means to put something inside of something else, to make it a part of something else.
So here the hackers have taken the good code, the good program on the website and they have added, they have embedded something, some malicious code.
Malicious means mean cruel, something you do because you want to hurt someone.
Code c-o-d-e is simply the computer programming language that you have to understand and know in order to use.
Basically, they are instructions that tells the computer what to do or how to do something.
So here, Valerie's server was embedded with some malicious bad code that caused the site to be redirected to their own, the hacker's website.
To redirect... means to send someone in a different direction.
They were going to your website.
You redirect them to another website, so they automatically get transferred, if you will, to another website.
And that's what happened with the hackers.
Bill says, but I thought our site had really good security.
Security here means protection from danger, safety.
Didn't we hire a programmer last year to encrypt the database and patch any vulnerabilities?
A programmer is someone who works with computer program languages, who makes, for example, software and websites.
Last year, they hired a programmer to encrypt E-N-C-R-Y-P-T, the database.
To encrypt something is to protect your information by using a special code or language that no one else can read or understand.
In computer terms, things that are encrypted usually require that the other person has the special key, the special code that would allow them to read what you have produced.
This is a case of the website having an encrypted database.
A database The programmer was also supposed to patch any vulnerabilities.
To patch P-A-T-C-H means to fix something that is broken or isn't working correctly, usually by focusing on one part of a larger thing, one area where the main problem is.
This is a term used nowadays to talk about fixing problems with computer programs on the Internet, especially problems related to security.
Patch, however, has other meanings in English, and those you can find in the Learning Guide.
A vulnerability... is a weakness, something that leaves you open to attack or danger.
Websites have vulnerabilities.
They have weak spots, weak points where someone can enter in illegally without permission.
Valerie says that's what we should have done, meaning they didn't hire the programmer.
Now she says we're paying the price.
To pay the price here means to have something bad happen to you.
We might say to suffer negative consequences for something that you didn't do in the past.
So if you come to Los Angeles and you rent a car and you decide, Los Angeles is a safe city.
I'm not going to lock my car.
I'm going to leave my car open.
Well... you will probably get your car stolen, and you will pay the price.
You will suffer the negative consequences, primarily to your insurance or to your credit card.
Bill says the site seems to be back up, though.
To be back up when describing something on the Internet.
A website means that the website is working again after a long period or a certain period when it was not working.
That is to be back up.
Is the website back up?
The opposite is the website is down.
When we say a website is down, we mean it's not working.
You can't access it.
Valerie says, yeah, we brought in a specialist on Friday, and she's been working on it 24-7.
This expression, 24-7, means literally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Or in other words, all the time, without any stopping.
Many large companies have technical support 24-7.
You can call them at any time.
You may not necessarily talk to someone who knows how to help you but you can certainly call them.
Valerie says let's hope this specialist puts in the security measures we should have had all along meaning before in the past and this will never happen again.
Bill says right.
I agree, at least until some creative hacker comes up with or invents creates, a new way To wreak W-R-E-A-K havoc H-A-V-O-C.
To wreak havoc means to create a lot of problems, to create a disaster where things are totally destroyed or they're a big mess.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
You'll never guess what happened over the weekend.
What?
Our website was attacked by hackers and nobody could access it.
You're kidding.
What did they do?
They got access to our server and embedded some malicious code that caused the site to be redirected to their own website.
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?
That's what we should have done, so now we're paying the price.
The site seems to be back up, though.
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.
Right, at least until some creative hacker comes up with a new way to wreak havoc.
The script for this episode was written by someone who's never malicious, Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2010 by the Center for Educational Development.
