What is Malware and How Can I Get Rid of it? Spyware, Adware, and Viruses Defined

by Robert J.

Spyware, adware, viruses, trojans, worms, keyloggers, and rogue anti-spyware are terms that you may or may not have heard before, so it’s probably best to just explain each one, so that you can take steps to ensure that your PC is protected against them. All of these are “malware”, which is short for “malicious software.”

Spyware -

Just as the name implies, it is a program that is installed on a computer and “spies” on or monitors it. Spyware programs are a type of “malware” that collect information about the user of a computer without the user’s knowledge. The user is usually unaware that spyware is even present on their computer. Although the name suggests that spyware simply monitors a user’s PC activity, spyware can also install additional software, monitor sites visited, internet activity, change home pages, and result in slowed internet connection speeds.

Adware -

As you can see that the word “Ad” is in the word, adware is software that supports advertising activities. Adware is a type of software that presents a user with advertisements by automatically playing them, displaying them, or downloading them after a user has installed a software application containing adware.

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Viruses -

A computer virus operates very similar to a virus that results in you calling into work sick with a cold. A computer virus is a computer program that infects a host, in this case, your computer, and duplicates itself and spreads throughout your computer. Viruses are different from spyware, adware, and others because they have the ability to duplicate themselves. A virus is only called a “virus” if it can be transferred from one computer to another in the form of an executable file or code. Once the virus is in your computer, it can spread itself to other computers by infecting other computers on your network, etc. A virus can cause major file corruption/modification and slow down your computer drastically.

Trojans -

Trojans are very similar to the story of the “Trojan Horse” that you may have heard or read about. Trojans are malicious software that infiltrates your PC, while appearing to accomplish something legitimate or useful. What they really do is allow unauthorized access to your computer to some hooligan. Once this hooligan has remote access to your computer, he or she can do just about anything that the user account that they are logged into is allowed to do. Some examples of things that trojans do that you don’t want them to are: steal passwords and credit card information, install malicious software, edit or delete your files, record your keystrokes, and even view your screen or crash your computer.

Worms -

A worm is like a virus in that it is a program that can duplicate itself and distribute itself to other computers on a network. Worms exploit security loopholes, consume large amounts of network bandwidth, and usually harm the network in some way. The worst part about worms is that they can allow backdoor access to your computer to some hooligan that would like to send spam email from your computer or engage in some other form of illegal activity.

Keyloggers -

Keyloggers are malicious software that secretly track and record your keystrokes on your keyboard so that some hooligan can steal your passwords and personal information without your knowledge.

Rogue Anti-Spyware -

Rogue anti-spyware is malicious software that tricks users into purchasing “fake” software to remove malware, viruses, etc. This fake software does not remove malware and simply convinces the user that they should purchase the fake software to solve some PC emergency or detection of errors. Many rogue anti-spyware programs contain a Trojan-like component that infiltrates your PC.

How can I ensure that my PC doesn’t have any spyware, adware, viruses, trojans, worms, keyloggers, or rogue anti-spyware?
In order to identify and get rid of such threats to your PC, you need to install an anti-spyware program that is able to effectively detect and clean your system of such infections. There are several product options for detecting and cleaning your system of all the problems listed above, but it is very important that you select a quality program and keep it updated. Keeping your anti-malware program updated it is crucial to detecting and stopping all of the malicious software described above.

About the Author:

Is your computer protected from spyware, adware, viruses, and other dangerous malware programs? Visit PC Tool Central to download software that quickly identifies and removes unwanted programs and shields your computer from future attacks. Protect your PC today! http://www.pctoolcentral.com

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Tags: Malware, Panda Security, Spyware Viruses

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at 7:13 PM and is filed under Product Shout. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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