ICANN Acronyms and Terms

ICANN has hundreds of acronyms and terms, which can be confusing. We created this multilingual tool to help explain what these terms mean and facilitate your work within the ICANN community.

ICANN Acronyms and Terms

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In addition to English, translated versions of acronyms and terms are also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish. Links for each language are located in the top right of the page.
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M

  • malware hosting

    A scheme in which cyberattackers conceal malicious software files (malware) on a website to infect computers that visit the site. Often, the attackers place these files on legitimate websites without the site owner’s knowledge. When victims click a link that leads to the malicious software files, their computers are infected. In some cases, attackers distribute links to the malicious files through spam, adware, or mobile in-app advertising. In other cases, they rely on the site’s popularity to attract victims.