Malware

Malware – The Threat Is Real, Protect Yourself

You hear the term malware bandied about quite a bit these days, and you may be wondering exactly what it is and why you should be concerned about it.  The fact is the term malware is sort of a catch all phrase, and it can refer to all sorts of computer related threats, including viruses, Trojan horse programs, adware, spyware and key logging programs.

What are the threats
Let’s begin by looking at each of these security threats individually, beginning with the oldest form of threat – the computer virus.  It seems that computer viruses have been around nearly as long as computers themselves, and there is a constant arms race between virus writers and anti virus software companies.  As the virus writers get more and more sophisticated, the anti virus software makers have to employ increasingly sophisticated measures to thwart them.

Computer viruses and Trojan horse programs work in a variety of ways, and the payloads they deliver can range from annoying to devastating.  Some viruses and Trojan horse programs merely generate spam or fill your screen with pop up ads, while others can steal your personal information or even erase your data.  It is vital to protect yourself against this type of malware by using a strong anti virus program, and by keeping that anti virus program up to date with daily updates.

Adware is a different kind of malware, and it can have serious effects as well.  Most adware, however, is used to track the web sites people visit, in order to provide information that is valuable to advertisers.  Advertisers are often willing to pay big bucks for information about individual consumers, and this makes planting adware a lucrative occupation for many people.

Like adware, spyware is often used by companies to track our movements on the internet, but spyware can often be the more intrusive of the two forms of malware.  Spyware often goes a step further by attempting to steal personal and private information, such as passwords, account number sand even Social Security numbers.  This type of information is extremely valuable to thieves and other criminals, and again this makes planting spyware on unsuspecting computers quite a worthwhile activity for the criminal minded.

Eliminating the threat
The only sure fire way to never come into contact with malware is to never surf the web, but this step is both counterproductive and unnecessary.  It is possible to visit your favorite internet sites without becoming infected with adware, spyware, viruses and other malware.  The key is to be smart and alert, and to use a strong anti virus protection program coupled with a good spyware and adware detection and elimination tool.  By running such software, and keeping it constantly up to date, you will be able to enjoy all the great things the internet has to offer without putting your valuable personal information at risk.  While it is true that malware is a problem on the internet, there is no reason to let that malware keep you from enjoying the power of the internet.