Dictionary of Information Security

T

tampering unauthorized modification that alters the

proper functioning of equipment or a system in a

manner that degrades the security or functionality it

provides

tarpit term is used for three slightly related means of

delaying and disrupting unwanted behaviour. A

group in Germany used the term “teergrube” to

refer to a mail transfer agent that uses SMTP con-

tinuation lines to hold a mail connection open for

long periods of time to disrupt spamming (www.iks-

jena.de/mitarb/lutz/usenet/teergrube.en.html).The

term is also used to describe throttling of the

number of connections a computer can make to

reduce the spread of worms.There is also a product

that uses the term tarpit to refer to a single machine

that emulates a large number of non-existent

machines ...