Malware as many PC owners know to their cost is all too commonplace on the web lately even more so than the standard virus. In this article you will find explanations of the different types of malware, how to remove an infection and how to prevent an infection in the first. What is Malware anyway? Malware is software which is created to infiltrate your PC and cause damage or record your online and offline activities against your will. What follows is a list of common types of malware and their descriptions. Adware. Adware will hide on your computer and show popup windows containing adverts for various dubious products. This type of malware is more annoying than harmful. Virus. A virus is designed to hide within other executable software and to become active when the host software is activated. It will self replicate and place copies of itself into other software or documents. When this happens it can cause a rapid infestation of your computer system with catastrophic results. The worm. A worm is a self replicating and self executing virus specifically designed to send replicas of itself to other computers over the internet. Ransom Ware. Ransom ware is designed to force the computer owner to pay the creator a sum of money by locking important files on the computer system. It will then display a message demanding a sum of money to get your files unlocked. Trojan Horses. Trojan horses conceal their true identity by masquerading as or hiding inside legitimate software. They usually get on to your computer in some form of free software downloaded from the internet. Spyware. Spyware is designed to monitor and record all of your keyboard actions, computer usage and internet activity including passwords and credit card details, it then sends them to the maker of the spyware usually via email. Symptoms of an infected computer. One of the first signs of infection is a marked reduction in speed and performance of your PC. Sometimes even appearing to pause or hang. Another is that windows will be erratic and unstable. Malware will sometimes display popup windows at random. If you have a good antivirus program it should let you know of the presence of Malware and offer to remove it for you. How Does my Computer Get Infected. Emails. Malware can often be sent to you concealed in or attached to an email, so make sure you scan emails with antivirus software and if you have any doubts don’t open it. Websites. Browsing some websites that are suspect can lead to infection because the malware can be hidden as code in the web page itself. Peer to Peer File Sharing Software. Peer to peer software used to download illegal music, video and software is a malware creators dream. Malware will often be distributed on peer to peer networks disguised as or hidden in legitimate files. Popups. It is possible to use what is known as IP popups to infect your computer. IP popups can be sent strait to your computers IP address bypassing popup blockers. These popups are usually disguised as windows error messages asking you to ‘click here’ to remedy the error. Clicking the button will execute the malware. Instant Messaging Software. Increasingly popular these days instant messaging software can put you at risk if you don't excercise caution. Infection usually happens when sharing files with people so be careful who you share files with. Networks. All computers on a network are at risk of infection if one of those computers has malware on it. For that reason all network computers must be protected by antivirus software and a firewall. Making your computer immune to malware. Use Internet Securities Software I advise all computer users to invest in good quality internet securities software from companies such as Semantec and McAfee. I do not recommend that you use free antivirus software, these tend not be very effective and can be Malware in disguise. Which ever one you use just make sure that you keep it regularly updated and remember to renew your yearly subscription. Remember, out of date antivirus software is completely useless. Use a firewall Windows XP and Vista both have a firewall built in and you should have them switched on. Most internet securities applications will have an excellent firewall feature so use this in favour of windows firewall. Update Windows regularly. Update regularly to ensure you have all the latest critical security updates. Security holes in windows are often found and Microsoft will have patches for these available.. Curing your infected computer. With any good internet securities application removing malware is a simple task. If you set them up to do so they will remove malware automatically and then inform you once the offender has been dealt with. A fianl word of advice. Visiting illegal or immoral websites will increase your likely hood of becoming infected considerably, these sites tend to be set up and frequented by people who have no scruples and will think nothing of infecting your computer along with many others.
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