All About Malware
Why malware is so bad
Along with viruses, one of the biggest threats to computer users on the Internet today is malware. This includes spyware, adware, Trojan horses, etc. - all defined below. Some of the bad things malware can do are: hijack your browser and redirect your search attempts, track what websites you visit, capture all of your keystrokes and steal personal information - even your identity, hijack your entire PC and use it to infect others, erase your data files, and serve up nasty pop-up ads - even when you’re not on the internet. Most malware programs are poorly-written. They often use a lot of your PC’s resources and cause system crashes. Just a couple of malware programs can slow the fastest PC to a crawl.
How malware gets on your PC
How to you get viruses and malware? Some install themselves through vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer, so you can get infected solely by visiting the wrong web page. Many tag along with programs you download for file sharing - like Kazaa or Bearshare. And others come attached to the songs, toolbars, software, and other files you download. Some malware produce pop-up “warning” messages purporting to come from Windows, but following the instructions in these bogus pop-ups will install more malware on your PC. Sometimes your browser will serve you a pop-up window stating that you need to download a plug-in to continue viewing the website. Some plug-ins, like those from Macromedia Flash, are legitimate. But many malware developers use this function to get you to download their destructive programs. Look carefully whenever you are told you must download a plug-in or file to continue. Bring up another browser and research the program name. If you can’t verify 100% that the request is legitimate, decline the download and leave the website.
Why it’s important to avoid getting malware
Getting infected with malware is easy. Getting rid of it can be difficult as some malware programs multiply themselves, and others imbed themselves deep within Windows. Some actually pose as Windows programs by using the same filenames. All of these tricks make malware difficult to get rid of even by the best scanning software. Some malware programs will reinstall themselves even after you or your scanning programs have “successfully” eradicated them. The absolute best defense is to not get the malware in the first place. Except for the malware that sneaks in through holes in Internet Explorer, most malware is downloaded by the PC user! To learn more about PC security, go to the separate article What You Must Know About PC Security.
Terms and Definitions
Malware: short for "malicious software,” a generic term for any program or file that is harmful to your PC.
Virus: small, manmade program that attaches to a file and corrupts it by inserting its destructive code. A virus needs to be attached to a file or email in order to spread. Some viruses are programmed to delete files, damage programs, or even reformat the hard disk. Others are less malicious, but all viruses take up system resources such as memory and may eventually cause your PC to lose data, crash, or act erratically.
Worm: special kind of virus that can replicate and use memory, and can spread to other computers without having to be attached to a file or email.
Trojan horse: a program whose purpose is varied but always malicious. A Trojan often poses as a harmless program, but when executed is destructive. A Trojan can corrupt your data files or steal your passwords. Trojan horses can disable your security software, upload files to the creator, capture keystrokes, randomly delete files on your PC, download other malware to your PC, and take over your PC without you even knowing it! A Trojan can get installed on your PC in many ways: via an email attachment, being attached to a game or software you download, or just from visiting a website! If you have a Trojan running on your PC that has opened up your PC to the entire world, the hackers can control every aspect of your PC and use it for malicious purposes.
Dialer: a program designed to hijack your modem and connect to a toll (900) or long-distance phone number. Dialers are usually used by pornographic vendors. Dialers can ad huge charges to your phone bill.
Keylogger: a program whose main purpose is to monitor the keystrokes on your PC to capture information like bank account numbers and passwords, and then send the information back to the originator. Since keyloggers need to “phone home,” the proper use of a firewall can help prevent any damage from a keylogger until you can eradicate it.
Bot: short for robot, a bot is a program that allows a hacker to remotely control and command your PC. Hackers use these "zombie PCs" to attack other websites and bring them down, hack into other PCs, or send thousands of spam emails. Anti-virus and anti-spyware software often do a poor job of detecting and removing bots because bots are so easy to create and distribute; the software companies have a hard time keeping up with the bots. Besides using a firewall, having a strong password on your PC’s administrator account can help prevent a bot from getting into your PC. (Note: there are good robots, too. Search engines like Google use robots to crawl the Internet looking at the content of web pages in order to service you when you do a keyword search.)
Spyware: a program whose main purpose is to collect and share personal information about you - such as your email addresses or websites you’ve visited. Spyware typically come bundled with downloaded software. Spyware programs secretly gather information about your Internet browsing activity and then shares that information with advertisers and other interested companies. Spyware can get into your PC as a virus or as the result of installing a new program - often downloaded software such as music-sharing programs, or perhaps by clicking in a website’s pop-up window.
Adware: a program whose main purpose is to present you with advertising - usually in the form of pop-up windows. Most adware comes along with software you download, or from websites you visit. However, adware can be acquired in other ways - even by clicking on a website’s pop-up window. Besides being annoying, some adware makes changes to your browser (i.e. your homepage) and uses bandwidth to retrieve the ads. Adware can slow down your PC because it uses memory and processing cycles. It can also corrupt your PC due to its poor programming. Often adware also includes spyware.
Data miner: a small program whose function is to gather data about you. Some data miners act much like spyware. But other data miners are used by retail companies to track certain information about you in order to analyze the coagulate data for significant patterns.
