banner Hear it!

banner Definition

ban·ner (ban′ər)

noun

  1. a piece of cloth bearing a design, motto, slogan, etc., sometimes attached to a staff and used as a battle standard
  2. a flag the Star-Spangled Banner
  3. a headline extending across a newspaper page
  4. a long strip of cloth with an advertisement, greeting, etc. lettered on it

Etymology: ME banere < OFr baniere < VL *bandaria, ult. < Goth bandwa, a sign

adjective

foremost; leading; outstanding a banner year in sales

banner Synonyms

banner

n.

colors, pennant, standard; see emblem, flag 1.

Banner Hacker Definition

Many text-based protocols (FTP, SSH, Telnet, SMTP, finger, HTTP, POP3, identd/auth, and UUCP) issue text banners when users connect to the service, and the information displayed in the banner can be used to fingerprint the service. Because many banners reveal exact versions of the product, crackers can find exploits to use if they invest time looking. Crackers can look up the listed version numbers to discover which exploit works on a particular system. For example, the telnet server shipped with the 2.0.31 Linux kernel is known to be vulnerable to exploits. Here is how a cracker can be tipped off about the vulnerability for Telnet. The banner for the protocol would read as follows (note the line which reads “Kernel 2.0.31 on an i586”):

For this reason, many security experts recommend—and, in fact, doing so is required in some jurisdictions—displaying a banner “warning off” all unauthorized users. This warning also serves the purpose of avoiding a limitation imposed on system administrators through the U.S. Federal Wiretap Act. Communication on a network may not be monitored by anybody if the initiator can claim a reasonable expectation of privacy. System administrators therefore set up the banners for their services to state that access to their services will be monitored. Moreover, it is recommended to system administrators that all version information be suppressed in the banners. Some system administrators alter banners to purposely disinform an attacker so as to put an attacker on a wild goose chase. A perfect example is making Microsoft’s IIS Web server advertise itself as something else, such as a checkpoint server on a Solaris UNIX machine.

See Also: Acceptable Internet Use Policy (AUP); Administrator; File Transfer Protocol (FTP); Finger; HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol); Identd/auth; (Identity) Privacy; Protocol; Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP); SSH; Telnet UUCP.

Graham, R. Hacking Lexicon. [Online, 2001.] Robert Graham Website. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/resource_files/documentation/hacking-dict.html.

banner Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • unfurl: One unfurled a banner saying: " Nuclear: Wrong Answer.
  • hang: Protesters hung a banner at a Morrisons store in Bradford branding it the " UK's worst seafood retailer " .
  • carry: He carried the great banner at Lord Nelson's funeral.
  • erect: In Roger's absence, Dave took over control of erecting the area banner and flag whilst Ant supervised putting up the gazebo.

Adjective modifier

  • animated: I've also added a nice little animated MAME banner that I found elsewhere on the web.
  • heraldic: Lady Thatcher is now armigerous; her heraldic banner hangs in St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
  • expandable: The same expandable banner will appear subsequently on the front page of the Jobs site for two weeks.
  • colorful: We easily recognized the building from the throng of people outside and the colorful banners hanging from the balcony.
  • promotional: Link exchanges with websites is no longer encouraged. back to the top A Dictionary of Slang promotional banners: Feeling magnanimous?

Modifies a noun

  • ad: Some sites may rotate multiple banner ads into the cover page.
  • advert: To complete the entry, you have to click on a banner advert.
  • advertisement: Our website may provide links and banner advertisements to third party sites.
  • headline: Bates: The Sunday Telegraph recently ran a banner headline: Passive Smoking Does Not Cause Cancer It's official.
  • advertising: Banner advertising is the most popular way to encourage people to look at your web site.
  • advertisment: However, we would like to hear from you as we are considering implementing further advertising opportunities in addition to our banner advertisments.

Noun used with modifier

  • vinyl: Specializing in color printing, color vinyl banners, color copies, and poster printing.
  • advertising: For example, lets say you want to include an advertising banner across the top of all pages.
  • silk: Behind the head of the model is a blue silk pipe banner.

Preposition: of

communism: The realization of the united front is conceivable only under the banner of Communism.

Preposition: with

slogan: Thousands of Afghan and Iraqi refugees carried banners with anti-American slogans in the main streets of Mashhad.