TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

snake oil [1 record]

Filter results by subject field Alphabetical list of terms

Filter results by subject field

Alphabetical list of terms

Record 1 2001-06-19

English

Subject field(s)
  • IT Security
  • Management Control
CONT

In general, snake oil is a name for the exaggerated claims made by vendors who are overly optimistic or who aim to take advantage of consumers who lack the expertise to accurately judge a product. In computers, cryptography experts have compared the exaggerated claims made by some vendors to the claims made by medicine show pitchmen in mid-19th century America, who bragged of secret ingredients much as today's marketers brag of secret proprietary algorithms.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Sécurité des TI
  • Contrôle de gestion
OBS

En informatique, cette huile représente les systèmes de chiffrement bidons, faciles à casser.

Spanish

Save record 1

Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

Display options

Change the order of display of the official languages of Canada
Option to display the non-official languages (Spanish or Portuguese)
Display definitions, contexts, etc., on records

Features

Language Portal of Canada

Access a collection of Canadian resources on all aspects of English and French, including quizzes.

Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.

Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.

Date Modified: