Can you explain what poisoning means in the context of computer systems?

In the context of computer systems, the term "poisoning" usually refers to a situation where data or the system's state becomes "poisoned" or corrupted, leading to errors or failures.

For example, in network protocols, "ARP poisoning" is an attack where an attacker manipulates ARP tables to intercept traffic.

In programming, "cache poisoning" is a situation where incorrect or malicious data gets into the cache.

Thus, "poisoning" is a process or state where the system receives unreliable or malicious data, disrupting its normal operation.