Tech moves fast! Stay ahead of the curve with Techopedia!
Join nearly 200,000 subscribers who receive actionable tech insights from Techopedia.
Contamination
Definition - What does Contamination mean?
A contamination can occur when classified information is found on a computer or information system that is not accredited for classified information. Contamination of a computer can also occur when malware infiltrates it.
Techopedia explains Contamination
Contamination may have occurred in an information system when classified information is found on a computer system which is not supposed to be there. This may have happened:
- By accident
- By transmission of insecure data
- Because the information was changed to a different classification rating
- Because users did not follow protocol and transferred information through insecure methods such as floppy disks or thumb drives
Contamination can also occur through a computer virus or other form of malware. An anti-virus tool should be enabled to remove an active virus from a system.
