back door

 

noun

  • the rear door of a building.
  • [as modifier] achieved by using indirect or dishonest means: a back-door tax increase
  • a feature or defect of a computer system that allows surreptitious unauthorized access to data.

Phrases

by (or through) the back door

using indirect or dishonest means to achieve an objective: this form of franchising will be seen as privatization by the back door