Technology Tip: What is "Malware" and is it Malicious

Technology Tip:

What is "Malware" and is it Malicious

According to Wikipedia, “Malware” is: “software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner’s informed consent”

In this tip we have some definitions of names you might or might not have heard for various kinds of malware.

Computer Viruses:

This is a computer program that can copy itself onto a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user.  Viruses could be introduced to your computer from a disk, an internet download, flash drive, or CD.

Computer Worms:

Similar to a computer virus but a worm can “Self replicate” itself to other computers throughout a computer network without any user involvement.

Trojan Horse:

Just like the mythological Trojan Horse, these programs appear to be useful free downloads but when you download them to your computer you also download other unwanted and malicious programs onto your computer.  Trojans could thus be used to install all kinds of malware onto your computer.

Spyware:

This is malware that is downloaded to your computer with the purpose of tracking or recording the user's activities without the user's consent.  Such malicious software could be used to log keystrokes to get passwords, or just track internet search histories to target pop-up advertisements.

Adware:

Some free downloads from the internet will ask the user for consent to install spyware software on the users computer as part of the download agreement.  Such software is usually referred to as adware instead of spyware since the user has given consent to be tracked in exchange for some free software.

Web Cookies:

These are usually harmless bits of text that are downloaded automatically whenever you open a website. The cookie is used to track your visits to a specific website.  The creators of websites use cookies to gather data about whom and how often their website is being accessed.

How to find out you have malware on your computer:

For starters, if your computer is acting slow or non-responsive and you think it isn’t running the way it should.  You should probably give us a call.  We can diagnose most problems over the phone and determine your best course of action.

If you are worried your computer may be at risk for a virus or malware feel free to contact us, we can help!  We have great programs that help protect against virus and malware for your computers.  If you do have an infection we can safely and completely remove it for you.

For more information contact us at www.perfectss.com

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