An application is a set of processes that work together in software to offer functionality. The functionality could be used by other applications and interacted with by a user. The operating system, device drivers, compilers and a word processor are examples of applications. Some applications require other applications present to function properly.

Auditing is the process of saving information so that past events can be viewed and analyzed at anytime. Companies that buy and sell are required to maintain several years of historical information for use if an audit is required. Auditing the events that occur within applications can help yield information about the misuse of an application by hackers.

Authentication is the process by which a user or system identifies itself to a system to gain access. A user or system can potentially gain access to a system and still fail authorization checks that determine which resources the user or system can access. The authentication process establishes the identity of the user or system then allows authorization checks to be possible.

Authorization is the process by which a user or system is or is not determined to have access to a specified resource. Authorization is determined on a resource-to-resource basis by checking the privilege level of a user or system against the required privilege level for the resource.

A connection is a user or system instantiating an instance of communication to a remote system. The connection can be established...