November 25, 2009 in Internet by EnJ
What’s the difference between spyware, viruses, malware, adware and grayware?
Good question! While spyware, viruses, malware, adware and grayware are all bad, there are fundamental differences between the five which might help you combat them.
Firstly, let’s take a look at malware. Malware is a general term referring to all of the nasties that can infect your computer, from viruses to spyware! Malware is actually short for ‘malicious software’… that’s not surprising, considering what it can do to your computer!
Next up is one of the most well-known types of malware: computer viruses! In case you didn’t know, the first computer virus was Bob Thomas’s “Creeper”, created way back in 1971 on the US Department of Defense’s ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet. Out of that was born the first piece of anti-virus software, the “Reaper”. So, what is a computer virus? Strictly speaking, a computer virus is just a self-replicating computer program. It doesn’t have to be destructive, although many are. In fact, early viruses were often harmless and simply displayed a funny message or poem. Usually, computer viruses find their way into your computer by piggybacking on a legitimate program, for example, one that you might download from the Internet. Anti-virus programs such as Norton or McAfee will pick up most viruses, but you should always be careful when downloading files from the Internet. Some might spell doom for your computer system! Read more »
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- ~ Signs of Malware
"You all know there are millions of malware infections out there today. It seems as if there are tons of new infections that pop up everyday. In the past, I've written about how antivirus software and anti-spyware software don't always find all of the infections on your computer. After writing that article, I received several e-mails asking, "How do I know if I have a virus?" Well, today, I will cover some of the signs your computer will show if it's possibly infected with a virus or some other type of malware. 1.) Your computer slows down majorly. If your system slows down drastically, you may have an infection. Viruses and adware use resources on your computer. They can destroy files, send spam e-mail, redirect your browser and many other things that will slow your computer down. 2.) Internet browser crash. If your Internet browser stops working or shuts down often, you may be infected. Since most malware programs use the Internet to spread themselves, they will affect the performance of your browser. If your Internet browser just starts closing with no warning, you need to check for viruses.
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