Malware is a general term covering a bunch of different internet security threats. Viruses, worms, trojan horses, adware, and spyware are all considered malware.

Let’s take a quick look at each one of them.

Viruses

A virus is a type of computer program that can make copies of itself and infects other computers, much like a human virus which is of course where the name comes from.

Viruses are not always destructive, but most have some kind of “payload” – the action they take when activated. This can include deleting files, showing a message on the screen, or damaging Windows system files.

Trojan Horse

A trojan horse is a program that “hides” inside other programs – usually something that appears to be helpful or useful in some way such as a free screensaver or other program you might download from the internet.

To activate the trojan, you need to run the program it’s hiding in. This is why it’s so dangerous to open unknown email attachments – you never know what is coming along with them.

Trojans often open up your computer for access by hackers via the internet, who can then use it as a “bot” for attacking other computers.

Worm

A worm is similar to a virus, but they use a computer network to infect other computers by sending a copy of themselves to the other systems.

Since the internet is really just a big network of computers, it can be affected by a worm. For example, the MyDoom worm is estimated to have infected 250,000 internet-connected PCs in a single day.

Spyware

Spyware programs are usually installed without your consent, or by tricking you into giving your consent. They collect various types of information about you and your computing habits and send them back to the source.

These programs could track sensitive information such as your online banking details or it could track less critical information such as the websites you visit for advertising purposes.

Adware

Adware programs is similar to spyware, but it is only used to display advertising of some sort. This usually comes in the form of pop-up windows, often when you are not expecting them.

Filed under: Internet Security

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