What
are malware, viruses, spyware, and cookies and what differentiates them?
Let us take the easy one first. "Malware" is short for malicious software
and is typically used as a catch-all term to refer to any software designed
to cause damage to a single computer, server, or computer network, whether
it's a virus, spyware, etc.
What exactly is a virus? Is a "worm" also a virus?
Viruses are computer programs or scripts that attempt to spread from
one file to another on a single computer and/or from one computer to another,
using a variety of methods, without the knowledge and consent of the computer
user.
A worm is a specific type of virus that propagates itself across many computers,
usually by creating copies of itself in each computer's memory. Many users
define viruses simply as trick programs designed to delete or move hard
drive data, which, strictly speaking, is not correct.
From a technical viewpoint, what makes a virus a virus is that it spreads
itself. The damage it does is often incidental when making a diagnosis.
Obviously, any incidental damage is important, even when authors do not
intend to create problems with their viruses; they can still cause harm
unintentionally because the author did not anticipate the full effect or
unintentional side effects.
The most common method used for spreading a virus is through e-mail attachment
(although there are other ways of spreading a virus). Sending a virus, even
if designed to be harmless, can cause unforeseen damage.
What is a "Trojan Horse"? Isn't this a virus by any other name?
A Trojan Horse, similar to its Greek mythological counterpart, often
presents itself as one form while it is actually another. A Trojan horse,
also known as Trojan appears to perform a desirable function but in fact
performs undisclosed malicious functions that allow unauthorized access
to the host machine, giving them the ability to save their files on the
user's computer or even watch the user's screen and control the computer.
Trojan Horse malware is a virus subset but there are differences worth mentioning.
A Trojan Horse meets the definition of virus that most people use, in the
sense that it attempts to infiltrate a computer without the user's knowledge
or consent. A recent example of malware acting as a Trojan horse is the
recent e-mail version of the "Swen" virus, which falsely claimed to be a
Microsoft update application.
Trojans typically do one of two things: they either destroy or modify data
the moment they launch, such as erase a hard drive, or they attempt to ferret
out and steal passwords, credit card numbers, and other such confidential
information.
Trojan Horses can be a bigger problem than other types of viruses as they
are design to be very destructive or disruptive. Essentially this distinction
does not matter in the real world. You can lump viruses, Trojans, and worms
together as "things I don't want on my computer or my network".
What are cookies and spyware? How are they different?
A cookie is just a bit of text in a file on your computer, containing
a small amount of information that identifies you to a particular website,
and whatever information that site wanted to retain about the user when
they are visiting.
Cookies are a legitimate tool used by many websites to track visitor information.
As an example, I might go to an online store and place an item in the basket,
but decide not to buy it right away because I want to think about it. The
store can choose to put the information about what products I put into my
basket in a cookie stored on my computer. This is an example of a good use
of cookies to help the user experience.
The only websites that are supposed to be able to retrieve the information
stored in a cookie are the websites that wrote the information in that particular
cookie. This should ensure your privacy by stopping anyone other than the
site you are visiting from being able to read any cookies left by that site.
Do some websites use cookies to exploit user information?
Unfortunately, yes. Some may deceive users or omit their policies. For
example, they may track your Web surfing habits across many different websites
without informing you, and then use this data to customize the advertisements
you see on websites, etc., typically considered as an invasion of privacy.
It is difficult to identify this and other forms of "cookie abuse", which
makes it difficult to decide if, when, and how to block them from ones system.
In addition, the acceptable level of shared information varies between users,
so it is difficult to create an "anti-cookie" program to meet the needs
of everyone.
How does spyware exploit user information?
The spyware problem is similar to the cookie problem from the point
of view that both are an invasion of privacy, although spyware is different
from cookies, technically speaking. Spyware is a program that runs on your
computer and, again, tracks your habits and tailors these patterns for advertisements,
etc.
Because it is a computer program rather than just a bit of text in a cookie,
spyware can also do some nasty things to ensure that the spyware keeps running
and keeps influencing what you see.
How do I know if spyware is running on my computer?
We can use detection programs. Similar to anti-virus software, these
programs compare a list of known spyware with files on your computer and
can remove any that it detects.
How does spyware install itself on computers?
Common tactics for surreptitious installation include rolling up advertising
programs into "free" shareware program downloads, and once the spyware is
installed it can download advertisements 24 hours a day and overlay them
on websites and programs you are using.
Anti-spyware programs can combat spyware from being installed, but the best
strategy is to discriminate what you choose to download and install.
Can spyware send tracked information to other people?
Some forms of spyware monitor a target's Web use or even general computer
use and sends this information back to the spyware program's authors for
use as they see fit. To fight this kind of problem, a spyware removal tool
is obviously helpful, as is a firewall that monitors outgoing connections
from your computer.
Other forms of spyware take over parts of your Web browsing interface, forcing
you to use their own search engines, where they can track your browsing
habits and send pop-up advertisements to you at will.
The biggest concern regarding spyware is that most of them are poorly written
or designed. Many people first realize their computer is running spyware
when it noticeably slows down or stops responding, especially when doing
certain tasks such as browsing websites or retrieving e-mail. In addition,
poorly written spyware can often cause your computer to function incorrectly
even after it has been removed.
How can I protect against Malware?
The biggest concern for computer users today is security. Identity theft
is the fastest growing crime on the Internet. In addition to identity theft
are viruses, trogan horses, spyware and spam. This is where we come in to
protect you. |
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• Your computer's software need to be kept patched and current. Your computer
operating system, your firmware, your anti-virus application, your anti-spyware
application, your anti-spam application, your Internet browser and all
your applications must be updated on a regular basis. We can take care
of this for you to keep you safe.
• Updates
should only be downloaded from reputable sources. It is best that we take
care of that for you. We know what sources are reputable.
• Use encryption so viruses and other malware can not get in. We use the
same encryption banks use. Very safe.
• Use a firewall.
Our bank-grade firewalls add the protection you need.
• You need identity protection. Our identity protection ensures
that your personal information such as usernames, passwords, security
codes, account numbers and credit card numbers stay protected as you bank,
shop and interact online.
• Prevention
is always better than cure. Let us protect you. Or, if you already have
a problem let us get rid of it for you.
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