[Term of the Day]: Backdoor

Term of the Day

"Backdoor"

Definition — What is a Backdoor in Computing?

In layman's terms, a backdoor is normally a door that is obscured from the general public. It is not normally used as an active passage in the everyday working of things.

Imagine you're a burglar casing a house for a potential robbery. You see a "Protected by…" security sign staked in the front lawn and Ring doorbell camera. Being the crafty cat burglar that you are, you hop the fence leading to the back of the house. You see there's a backdoor, cross your fingers, and try the knob—it's unlocked. To the casual observer, there are no external signs of a burglary. In fact, there's no reason you couldn't rob this house through the same backdoor again, assuming you don't ransack the place.

In Technology, Backdoor, also known as trapdoor — one of the most dangerous types of Trojan — is a type of malicious code — that allows cybercriminals to bypass normal security access controls to gain access to a program, online service, or an entire computer system to steal personal and financial data, install additional malware, and hijack devices.

A developer may create a backdoor so that an application or operating system can be accessed for troubleshooting or other purposes.