Computer Viruses Explained and Contained

Viruses Explained: Malware — Malware is short for Malicious Software.  In other words, it’s almost always something that you yourself downloaded and was installed in the background without you knowing.  These are extremely dangerous as they can control your computer in a number of ways even to the point of shutting it down entirely. Trojan Horse — A trojan horse is a type of malware that has a hidden back door.  With it, users can access secure files or data without you even knowing. Worm — A worm is another type of malware that infects your computer with the purpose of infecting more computers.  This is especially dangerous when connected to a large network (like a business). Spyware — Spyware will not directly affect your system as much as it will watch it.  It can log anything from names, dates, and passwords to credit card information. Adware — Adware is probably one of the most noticeable problems.  It’ll create ads suddenly, pop-ups, banners, highlight words, or just in general be a nuisance.

Avoiding and Removing Viruses:

Let’s be honest, the ‘best’ way to avoid viruses is to simply never be on the internet.  That’s just plain not feasible, though.  The truth of the matter is that no matter how careful you are with the things you download and the websites you visit, if you don’t protect your computers then you will eventually end up with viruses. The best thing you can do is download an anti-virus system for you network.  Keep it up to date and let it run scans at least once a week.  It’s also a good idea to use an anti-malware system for good measure. If you are experiencing problems, do remember that not everything is a virus.  Sometimes, a computer really is just not working properly and it could be a hardware issue, a problem with the graphics card or drivers.  Keep your computer and drivers updated and remember to service them regularly. Lastly, if you’re concerned with security, check out this blog on how to keep you and your company secure.]]>