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Glite Dictionary
Shellshock

Shellshock

1 9.9
A security problem in a computer program that lets attackers run commands using hidden settings
  • noun
  • /ˈʃɛlʃɒk/
  • Specialized
: Shellshock
  • It was latent insanity, brought on by shellshock.

Examples

  • It was foregone by shellshock.

    A Bill of Divorcement (1932)

  • Shellshock.

    Ryan's Daughter (1970)

  • - Shellshock?

    A Bill of Divorcement (1932)

  • The war wasn't our fault can't blame anyone for shellshock.

    A Bill of Divorcement (1932)

  • I do have some sort of restaurant-related shellshock due to this: my second son, who is generally a sweet boy and a great eater, has thrown up onto the table at the last three restaurants we took him to.

    Blog text (24)

  • Welcome to shellshock ♪ ♪ I did it my way Sat back and let 'em live soft ♪ ♪ So he can die hard Yippie ka yay

    TMNT (2007)

  • Welcome to shellshock ♪ ♪ Ringin' in your ears Like the bells that el rock ♪ ♪ It doesn't matter whether or not the cell locks ♪ ♪ If you can find silence in the coldest cell block ♪ ♪ This is shellshock

    TMNT (2007)

  • The recent security breach was due to a vulnerability known as Shellshock, which allowed hackers to gain access to sensitive information.

  • Many system administrators rushed to fix the Shellshock vulnerability before their servers could be exploited.

  • After the discovery of Shellshock, developers were warned to audit their Bash scripts for potential security flaws.

Surface Forms

Shellshock singular
Shellshocks plural

Morphology

Shellshock = shell + shock (semi-transparent) = shell + shock

Formed as a compound of 'shell' + 'shock' whose components are clear, but the sense is a specialised product name (a security vulnerability) and not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Shellshock is a modern name that combines the computer shell, which is 'a program that takes your commands', and shock, meaning 'a sudden harmful hit'. It also sounds like the older phrase shell shock for wartime trauma, so the name helps you remember this was a sudden, dangerous bug in the Bash shell that could hit many systems.