Internet Security ABC - Malware is bad for your Computer

Malware is bad for your Computer

Malware means software that was made to get into and damage your computer system without your consent. Once it appears on your machine, it can be very challenging to get rid of. While it differs from program to program, malware can either be annoying or seriously damaging to all components of your system. By law, malware is a computer contaminant, making it completely illegal.

There are a number of different goals involved with malware. The earliest malware programs were written as pranks or experiments. As some programmers begin to learn their way around systems and the internet, they wrote malware just to see what they can do with it. For example, a beginning programmer might write a virus code to see how far it could spread. Others, though, have far more hostile intents for writing malware. One reason they might write

code like this is to vandalize current websites. This is a lot like kids with a can of spray paint near a public wall. Another reason malware gets written is to cause a loss of data to major systems. Malware can completely erase the memory files of computer systems if written properly, and many malware authors have this intention, for one reason or another, as they write their vicious code. There have been many pieces of malware written for revenge. Employees who are about to lose their jobs can sometimes leave malware behind on the company system to do damage to their former employer's ability to do business. Lots of malware, though is written for profit. Malware can send e-mail spam (so the original sender is disguised), cause the computer to serve as a host to illegal data, or engage in other illegal activities. Moreover, malware can be used to spy on users, display pop-ups while the user is not on the internet, and obtain user information like bank accounts or credit card numbers.

There are two major types of malware: viruses and worms. A virus is a program that infects other programs. A worm transmits itself to infect other computers. The terms, though, are often used interchangeably by those who do not understand their meanings. No matter the type of malware, in order for it to work correctly, it must be able to run without the user shutting the computer down. Being hidden also helps the program to get installed in the first place. Because of this, malware is usually disguised as a Trojan horse. This is a program that quietly runs in the background, inviting the user to run it, while spreading its malicious code. This code can do any number of things. It can start right away or it may simply install a program that won't start for sometime. Once it does start, it can delete all of the files on the computer or it can infect the computer and try to infect other computers on the network. There are a number of ways malware is delivered, and as a Trojan horse is the most common. It usually comes with other pieces of software that a user might find interesting. This software is usually shared through a file-sharing network or downloadable off of the internet. Once the user installs the software, the spyware also gets installed.

As previously mentioned, in the last few years, the most common reason malware is infecting computers is for the profit of the malware creator. In most cases, it gets information about the computer user and shows them pop-up ads related to their needs. It can even redirect internet search engine results to the benefit of the malware creator. In addition to these things, malware can infect your e-mail address book. Once this occurs, spam will be sent to every single person in your address book. This spam will usually be an advertisement of some sort for the malware creator's website. Once infected with malware, the creator can also profit from it by stealing important information like bank account information, credit card numbers, or contact information. It can steal the password information for your software licensing. Malware can also take control of your modem to make expensive telephone calls from the creator.

Once infected, a malware computer is very difficult to clean. It usually takes a complete system deletion to restore your computer to its normal state.

Picking Blackberries Why Mobile Technology Needs More Security

Maintaining Your Privacy on the Internet Five Things you can do

Hijacked at Home Five Steps to Protect Your Home PC

Computer Junkyard Does Spam Filtering Really Help

Top Five Worst Viruses and How to Protect Your Computer against Them

Internet Security
◦ Are You an Enabler? What Enabling Cookies
◦ Can the Spam-How to Filter Out All the Unnecessary Junk
◦ Channel the Cookie Monster in You - Computer Cookies Can Be Bad For Your Computer's Health
◦ Chat Room Challenge - Five Tips to Ensure Your Anonymity
◦ Computer Band-aid - How to Know if You Need to Download that Security Patch
◦ Computer Deep Freeze - Ten Tips to Keep your PC Up and Running
◦ Computer Junkyard - Does Spam Filtering Really Help?
◦ Dial-Up vs. Broadband - Which is the Safer Alternative?
◦ Doesn't Ad up - Three Things that Adware does to your Computer
◦ Don't Click No! How to Safely Close those Pop-up Windows
◦ Don't Get Hacked Off-How to Stop Computer Interlopers in their Tracks
◦ Exercise Parental Control - Five Tips to Keep Kids Safe on the Internet
◦ Exterminate those Bugs on your PC
◦ Getting Down With Downloads - How to Protect Your Computer
◦ Hijacked at Home - Five Steps to Protect Your Home PC
◦ Identity Theft via Internet Security Flaws
◦ Inoculate Yourself against Computer Viruses
◦ Internet Anonymizers - Why and When You Should Use Them
◦ Key Logging Capers Part Two - Three Reasons why it is a Problem
◦ Key Logging Capers - Three Reasons Why You Need It
◦ Let's Go Phishing! - Five Ways to Avoid Being Hooked by This Scam
◦ Maintaining Your Privacy on the Internet - Five Things you can do
◦ Malicious Instant Messages-Three Ways Instant Messaging Compromises Internet Security
◦ Malware is bad for your Computer
◦ Picking Blackberries - Why Mobile Technology Needs More Security
◦ Pound Those Pop-Ups
◦ Six Tips for Staying Healthy in a Computer Virus World
◦ Something Doesn't Register - Cleaning your Computer's Registry for Safety
◦ Spies Everywhere - What is Spyware and Why is it so Bad?
◦ Squash those Worms - Four Ways to Keep your PC Critter-Free
◦ That Wasn't Scripted! Why Scripted Viruses are Bad News
◦ The Basics of Internet Website Encryption
◦ The Cookie Monster - How Do Cookies Influence Internet Security?
◦ The Digital Certificate - What's It Mean and Why is It Important?
◦ Three Benefits to Using an Internet Remailer
◦ Three Reasons to Wipe Your Computer's Internet History Files Clean
◦ Three Ways that an Internet Firewall Can Be Compromised
◦ Three Ways to Identify a Virus Hoax
◦ Three Ways to make sure your Online Credit Card Transaction is Safe
◦ Toolbar Traps - What You Should Know BEFORE Downloading that "Helpful" Toolbar
◦ Top Five Reasons to Install a Firewall
◦ Top Five Spyware Threats to Internet Security
◦ Top Five Vulnerable Areas in Internet Security
◦ Top Five Worst Viruses and How to Protect Your Computer against Them
◦ Top Four Ways to Ensure a Secure Password
◦ Top Ten Tools to Boost your Internet Security
◦ What IP Addresses Mean in the Scheme of Internet Security
◦ When Formatting the Hard Drive is Your Only Recourse

Internet Privacy
◦ Remote Access Trojans Hijacking your Computer
◦ Precautions You Should Take When Installing WiFi in your Home
◦ Sold! How to Maintain your Privacy and Still Indulge in Online Auctions
◦ Social Networking Be Careful of What You Post!
◦ Sneaky Ways to Get Around those Internet Privacy Issues

Identity Theft
◦ Electronic Mail Identity Theft
◦ Facts on Identity Theft
◦ Fighting Identity Theft

ID Theft

Download Free eBook "The Dangers of Identity Theft and How to Protect Yourself!"