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Internet vermin is everywhere, and any computer can easily be infected with
a
virus,
Trojan Horse,
worm,
spyware,
rootkit
blended threat,
or
pop-ups. The types of malicious infections we can
encounter are seemingly endless -- as are the types of programs available to consumers to help keep infections under control.
In this Did You Know article, we discuss two areas of concern for Internet users: viruses and spyware. We look at how to
keep these types of vermin from infecting your computer and how to
minimize the overall risk to your home computer system.
What Are Viruses and Anti-virus
Programs?
A computer virus is a program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer
without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. All computer viruses are
man-made and they can also replicate themselves by making a copy of themselves over
and over again. Even such a simple virus is dangerous, because it will quickly
use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous
type of virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks and
bypassing security systems.
When people talk about a computer
virus, they generally call different types of computer viruses, like worms or Trojan
horses a "virus". While the words (Trojan, worm and virus) are often used
interchangeably, they are technically not the same. However, what they have in common is that they all are malicious
programs that can cause damage to your computer. They also can be found and
removed by the same security program (for the purpose of this article, we also
use the word virus to describe all three types of threats).
To protect your computer system from
this type of malicious code, you can install and use an
antivirus
program. This utility scans hard disk drives for viruses, worms
and Trojan horses and removes, fixes or isolates any threats that are found.
Most antivirus programs include an auto-update feature that enables the program
to download profiles of new viruses so that it can check for the new viruses on
your system as soon as they are discovered.
Most antivirus programs can be run
on your computer system in one of two ways. The first is as an
on-demand scanner.
This means the antivirus program actively scans your computer system for viruses
only when you prompt it to do so, or by scheduling it as a
time-specific task. On-demand scanners, while used to scan hard drives can also
be used to check removable storage devices before copying from those devices
onto your system. |
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The other option is to run the antivirus
program as an "on-access
scanner ". Here the program runs in the background and actively scans
your computer system constantly for viruses and other malicious threats, for
the duration that your system is powered on, unless paused by the
computer user. On-access scanners will monitor all system activity and
automatically scan files that have been downloaded from the Internet or
through e-mail.
What Is Spyware and Anti-spyware
Programs?
Spyware is software that covertly gathers user information through the
user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for
advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden
component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the
Internet; however, it should be noted that the majority of
shareware and
freeware
applications do not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors
user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the
background to
someone else. Spyware can also gather information about
e-mail
addresses and even
passwords and
credit card numbers.
Spyware is not a virus, as it does not replicate itself once on your system,
but it is somewhat similar to a Trojan horse in that users unwittingly
install the product when they choose to install something else.
Aside from the questions of ethics and
privacy, spyware steals from the user by using the computer's memory
resources and also by eating bandwidth as it sends information back to the
spyware's home base via the user's Internet connection. Because spyware is
using memory and system resources, the applications running in the
background can lead to system crashes or general system instability.
Because spyware exists as independent executable programs, they have the
ability to monitor keystrokes, scan files on the hard drive, snoop other
applications, such as chat programs or word processors, install other
spyware programs, read cookies, change the default home page on the Web
browser, consistently relaying this information back to the spyware author
who will either use it for advertising/marketing purposes or sell the
information to another party.
To help protect against malicious spyware,
users can run antispyware programs on their computer system. Antispyware
programs are designed to search your hard drive for traces of known spyware
and
adware. Since spyware is installed like any other application on your
system, it will leave traces of itself in the system registry and in other
places on your computer. Antispyware software will look for evidence of
these files and delete them if found, or prompt users to remove or
allow the marked files to remain on their system. Keeping it is something
you should only do if you believe your antispyware program has detected a
legitimate program as spyware.
The Similarities and Differences
Antivirus and antispyware programs work pretty much in the same way, the
difference being the type of malicious file and pattern the program scans
your hard drive (including the
system registry) for
and detects. Today some antivirus programs include
antispyware protection, and vise versa. While dual purpose and all-in-one
software has its advantages, most industry experts still agree that for
optimal protection, computer users should invest in both a good antivirus and
a good antispyware program.
Preventative Maintenance Tips
- Always keep your operating system and
programs up-to-date.
- Install an antivirus and antispyware
program that automatically scans for viruses when the system boots.
- Update the virus/spyware definitions daily to ensure your system is
protected against the latest threats.
- Do not download any files from the
Internet unless you are certain the source is not transmitting a virus
to you, or that the files are spyware-free.
- Do not use any storage media that has
been used in another computer unless you are certain the other computer
is free of viruses and will not pass the virus on to your system.
- Never open e-mail attachments from
people you don't know; and don't open any file attachment that ends in
'.exe., All downloaded files should be scanned by your anti-virus
application before you run or install it.
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DID YOU KNOW...
A computer virus attaches
itself to a program or file so it can spread from one computer
to another, leaving infections as it travels. A virus cannot be
spread without a human action, (such as running an infected
program) to keep it going.
A worm is similar to a virus
by its design, and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus.
Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it
has the capability to travel without any help from a person.
A Trojan Horse at first
glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do
damage once installed or run on your computer.
A blended threat is a
sophisticated attack that bundles some of the worst aspects of
viruses, worms, Trojan horses and malicious code into one
threat. |
By Vangie Beal
Writer, www.Webopedia.com
Last updated: June 13, 2008
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