backdoor
backdoor Lexical Profile
backdoor Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Achieved or conducted by indirect, secret, or unauthorized means rather than through official channels.
"Critics argued that the emergency regulation was a backdoor attempt to impose a new tax without legislative approval."
• noun
A hidden or undocumented method of bypassing normal authentication or security controls in a computer program, system, or encrypted device.
"Security researchers discovered a hidden backdoor in the router firmware that allowed remote access without a password."
An indirect, secret, or unauthorized means of gaining access or achieving an objective.
"The internship program often serves as a backdoor into full-time employment at the firm."
A door located at the rear of a building or house; a back door.
"Deliveries are usually brought in through the backdoor near the kitchen."
• verb
To install a hidden means of bypassing security in, or gain unauthorized access to (a computer system or software).
"The attackers managed to backdoor the server before the security patch was deployed."
To introduce, achieve, or pass (something) through indirect, covert, or unorthodox channels.
"Lawmakers were accused of trying to backdoor the controversial provision into the final budget bill."
Word Nuance & Usage
For a literal rear entrance, the open two-word compound "back door" is standard in formal writing, whereas the solid single word "backdoor" is the preferred form when used as an adjective ("backdoor negotiations") or as a noun in computing.