What can put many people off from taking the leap in forming their own website, or even simply signing up for an email account, is the fear of their computer becoming infected, or of falling foul to online fraud.
So to help you become more informed, and therefore safer, in part 1 of this two part Jargon Buster post, I’m going to look at the different types of viruses and malware which can infect your computer, and the different ways they can be prevented and or removed.
Viruses
A computer virus is called a virus, because like biological viruses which cause diseases, they can copy themselves, and therefore infect other computers, in addition to their host.
The distinction is important because another type of threat, Malware, although also nasty, (see below) doesn’t have this reproductive ability. If your computer is infected with a Virus, you have double the responsibility, to protect your own computer as well as others.
The symptoms of a computer infected with a virus includes: slowing the computer’s performance; interference of performance such as starting random programs; corruption of the hard drive; and the blocking of certain key functions; such as automatic updates.
A virus can infect another computer in one of three key ways: when it’s sent as an attachment by email; carried manually from one computer to another, via a CD, DVD or USB key; or, when an infected file is made available on a shared network.
In other words, the virus relies on you, unwittingly passing on the virus, unless of course, it’s a Worm, a more pernicious type of virus, which has the ability to replicate itself, and exploit security weaknesses to automatically infect other computers, by, for example, sending itself to every contact in your email address book.
Amongst the worst Worms created, is the notorious Conficker worm, which targets a security hole in the Windows Server Service, and is believed to have infected some 12 million computers, where it gathers personal information, downloads additional malware, and worse, prevents you from accessing key security services.
Malware
Malware is a compound word formed from malicious software. Unlike viruses which are code embedded into other files, malware is actual software, designed to invade your computer without your consent. Malware is only malware, if the creator has a malicious intent, and shouldn’t be confused with software which has a well meaning purpose, but just happens to be ‘buggy’ i.e is poorly written and includes code which will interfere with the running of your computer.
If you are ever in doubt when considering downloading software from the Internet, you should check a site such as McAfee site advisor, which can tell you if the program has been tested or not, for both malware and ‘buggy’ software.
There are many different types of malware which you should be aware of.
Trojans
Taking its name from the Trojan Horse in Greek Myth, a Trojan is a program that appears to have a useful function for the user, but actually provides access by which a hacker can remotely access your computer to use it for their own ends. According to a recent survey Trojans account for over 80 per cent of malware detected globally in the first six months of 2009. The reason for this is thought to be that Trojans, are the key to creating so called ‘Botnets’ – networks of compromised, ‘zombie’ computers which are used together to send vast amounts of Spam (unwanted and illegal email).
Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs)
Like Trojans, these are programs that the user has consented to download, but then finds they don’t want it, because it contains other things, that comprise the running of their system. Often these unwanted elements are declared in the terms and conditions, which the user never bothers to read, before clicking ‘yes’.
These unwanted elements can include
- Adware – any type of software which automatically displays, or downloads advertisements, when the application is running. They are justified by developers as a way of recouping development costs, and yet for the user, can be immensely irritating, especially those that include pop-up windows, and the installation of menu bars to other programs such as browsers. Sometimes a Trojan will be disguised as Adware.
- Spyware – This type of malware, as the name suggests, steals your personal information, usually by logging your browsing details before sending them to a third party.
Prevention
As the old maxim goes, prevention is better than cure, and the same is true when it comes to internet threats and infections, as the vast majority of infections happen to unprotected computers. If your computer is central to your day to day operations, then you will want to take every step possible to avoid infecting the lifeblood of your business.
- Visit no free adult sites.
- Use no file sharing sites.
- Check any free software on Site Advisor.
- Scan attachments with anti virus software.
- Sign up to an ISP with strong security features.
- Back-up your data on a regular basis.
- Install a firewall and a range of anti-virus software, including one of the bigger players who offer good Firewalls, like McAfee , Norton or AntiVirus , as well as one of the specialist malware players such as Enigma Software’s Spyhunter or PC Tools Spyware Doctor . (To be clear, while bigger players claim to deal with Malware, the malware specialists, always score higher on independent tests.)
- Avoid downloading rogue anti-virus and anti-spyware programs such as Total Security, which are actually malware in disguise, and can change your computer’s desktop, hijack your browser, monitor your Internet browsing activities, or change system files.
If you found this Internet Threats post useful, please share it by bookmarking it with the icons below. I would also love to read your comments, please add them to the comments section. Thank you very much for your time. In Part 2 of this blog, I will be looking at Phishing, and other forms of Internet Fraud.
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