Viruses, Trojans and Scareware – Oh My! The Differences Between the Computer Threats Roaming About

As a computer user, you’re bound to come across terms such as ‘malware’, ‘adware’, ‘spyware’, or ‘virus’ – among others.

After all, the internet is riddled with warnings about the latest Trojan horse stomping its way onto user’s PCs and bringing all of its malware buddies or that nasty worm causing billions of dollars in damage.

Beyond knowing that the computer threats running amok can be anything from extremely annoying to downright devastating to computer users, do you know the difference between them?

Let’s go down the list.

Malware

Malware is short for “malicious software” and is a blanket term used for any type of computer threat, whether it’s a virus, spyware, adware, scareware, or worm.

Malware is created with the intent of damaging, disrupting or stealing data from your computer.

Adware

Adware is a form of malware that serves up advertisements on the infected PC. Adware is commonly bundled up with free programs (like MSN Messenger), presumably to help keep them free as the authors of the program you’re downloading likely generate revenue through ad impressions or clicks.

Typically you can avoid having adware piggybacking on free applications you download by unchecking options within the installation dialogs, but you’ll also find some adware prefers to sneak in without permission.

Spyware

Read the first three letters of the name and you already know what it was built to do – “spy” on you and your computer activities.

Yes, spyware is planted on the machines of unsuspecting users to monitor your browsing and search history, reset your browser home page or in some cases plant a keylogger to steal sensitive information like your banking details and account passwords. No privacy for you!

Scareware

Scareware is malware that’s posing as a legitimate antivirus solution that claims your PC is infected with hundreds of viruses that can only be removed if you purchase a full license. Like the name suggests, scareware feeds off the fear of the infected user in order to generate revenue for its authors.

You may have heard of the rogue application, “Security Sphere 2012” which was recently reported to rake in over $1million per month for the crooks behind it.

Trojan [Horse]

Trojan Horses pose as innocent programs that will do you no harm, only to later spring their trap to do all kinds of evil things like open up a backdoor to allow someone else to remotely control it or download additional malware to do even more damage.

Knowing that, I guess it’s not too difficult to figure out where Trojans got their name.

Virus

A computer virus is a self-replicating program designed to infect PCs and cause a world of trouble – from corrupting files and causing errors to flat out destroying hardware and rendering the PC inoperable.

Viruses commonly come attached to executable files (.exe) and require user-interaction (like running the program) in order for the virus to become active and spread.

Worms

Like viruses, worms are self-replicating programs created to wreak havoc on your computer. However, they do NOT have to attach themselves to a program and do not require any user-interaction in order to spread.

Worms use computer networks to spread from PC to PC, or even servers – often times making their way into the machines by exploiting system vulnerabilities.

Well-known worms include Conficker, SQL Slammer and the ILOVEYOU worm.

Avoiding the Dangers

Now that you’ve brushed up on your computer threat technology you may be tempted to shut off your PC and disconnect it from the internet, right? That won’t be necessary.

With the bad comes the good, which in this case is a list of steps that you can take in order to protect your PC from the latest malware threat:

1. Always run up-to-date antivirus and anti-malware software on your machine and perform system scans often.


2. Be sure to install any system and program updates to avoid malware from exploiting any system vulnerabilities that could’ve easily been patched with an update.


3. Don’t open unexpected email attachments and be sure to scan any attachments you do decide to download BEFORE opening them.


4. Exercise caution when following links to suspicious websites or content – especially if they’re found on social networking sites as they’re often a breeding ground for malware.


5. Avoid using pirated software as evil doers have been known to lace them with malware.


6. Make sure you back up your computer – and do it often! You just never know.

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Did you know? Hyphenet offers virus removal services to help you get your PC back to normal. Give us a call at (619) 325-0990.

Photo Credit: Bruno Biagioni Neto