First, why? Why are viruses spread and why do people spend their time writing viruses? The answers to this question are many. Sometimes, someone has an ax to grind and they are putting out a piece of software that might exploit a weakness in a piece of software like Windows. Whole groups of people feel vindicated and even vigilante-like and victorious when they make Windows send out a hotfix or a patch due to a piece of software they may have written and spread in the wild. It’s simply for sport.
Next, there are people who write this stuff because there is money in it. Countless numbers of people click on balloons and windows that pop up (and many look like an official notice from Windows) and tell you that you are infected and need to spend $19.95 to “renew” or remove your infection. Most of these are bogus, but many are so strong in their kung-fu that your computer becomes unusable. You may even release the offending software by clicking on what you might think is the “Cancel” “X” or “No” buttons. The programs are written to make you think you are clicking “no” but in actuality you are clicking “Ok” even though the button says “no”. See how sneaky they are?
So there is incentive from a sporting nature of underground programmers and there is money to be made, so that explains why these things keep popping up (pun intended). I am also not a conspiracy theorist, but if you sell an antivirus, malware, or spyware removal product, you probably like these infections.
Malware, Spyware, Virus? What is the difference? In general, all of these types of programs can do harm to your computer, so I’d like to coin a term “nuisance-ware”. This term incorporates all three of these types of programs.
In general, a virus is much like its health care counterpart. It is a program that replicates itself and is programmed to spread in the wild. I can cause hard drive damage, or even render your PC unusable. There are worms, Trojan-horses and other types of viruses in this category. Typically, a good antivirus program will work on these types of threats, although you must keep your virus definitions up to date since there are many different iterations and “strains”. Operating system updates also help with these types of threats and should be performed regularly.
In general, a virus is much like its health care counterpart. It is a program that replicates itself and is programmed to spread in the wild. I can cause hard drive damage, or even render your PC unusable. There are worms, Trojan-horses and other types of viruses in this category. Typically, a good antivirus program will work on these types of threats, although you must keep your virus definitions up to date since there are many different iterations and “strains”. Operating system updates also help with these types of threats and should be performed regularly.
Spyware is a different animal. Typically, spyware will install itself and you’ll never know it is there. This is the kind of software that will steal passwords and find banking information and send it to someone behind the internet curtain and then that person can use your information for malevolent purposes or use your email program without your knowledge to spread itself. If your computer suddenly starts running VERY slow but otherwise seems ok, this is probably your issue.
Malware is a kind of virus-spyware hybrid. It uses techniques used by both. It tries to spread itself in the wild and it also tries to get you to buy a product or spend money to get rid of a problem your PC may have. This is probably the most active kind of program I usually see. They usually have very important sounding names like Antivirus2011, VirusWareUpdate, or even official Windows sounding names like WinVirus etc. (I might also add here that most viruses, spyware and malware do target Windows based computers for reasons I mentioned above and the fact that they are 90% of the installed base - Mac's and Unix based systems are far less susceptible. They have their share of security issues, but are targeted much less frequently.)
Ok, so how do you mitigate your exposure? There are a few simple things you can do to minimize your risk.
DO NOT click on links in email or on facebook (unless it is meatmeter.com:) )
DO NOT view videos in emails or on facebook (videos spread more problems than anything)
If you get a link to a “cool” video and can’t stand it, go to YouTube first and then search for the video.
DO NOT click any balloon or pop up window that says “Your Computer is infected, click here to…” Even if you click the “NO” “Cancel” “Close Window”, “IGNORE” or the “X” in the right hand window part of the pop up, you will release the virus. JUST DON’T CLICK. A great way to close a potentially offending window or pop up is to hit the CTRL + F4 button. This will close the active window without clicking.
DO NOT install any toolbars
DO NOT go to Coupon Savers, FREE SOFTWARE, or any other sites that promise savings and/or free stuff. (Coupon sites will say things like “Click here to install the print drivers so you can print coupons”) DON’T DO IT. If you want a coupon for your product, go direct to that product’s website and look there.
DO NOT search for “VIRUS SOFTWARE REMOVAL TOOL” or any iteration thereof. These programs, are almost ALWAYS viruses or malware themselves.
DO NOT download free music , free software, or free movies from the internet. They are rife with malicious code.
Just remember, there is no such thing as a “free” lunch, so stay away from any free content and/or any “amazing” new links in any emails or on facebook and you’ll be much safer in your surfing.
Ranks ALL Virus, Malware or Spyware a great big "RARE"
STEER CLEAR (mooooo!)
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