But what is Malware? Malware is any form of malicious software that can cause damage to a computer system. It can corrupt data, cause system slowdown and can be downright annoying.

In order to protect your computer from malware, it’s important to have knowledge of the various forms of malware, the most well-known of which, is the computer virus.

A computer virus is a self-replicating program that works by attaching itself to various hosts. A host can be any executable code such as the executable files of applications or the boot sectors of floppy disks.

The virus is set to run when you execute the infected program. It will then proceed to make copies of itself, and try to infect other hosts on your computer, or other computers connected through a network.

Viruses commonly spread through e-mail in the form of attachments. Most e-mail viruses replicate by sending copies of itself to other e-mail addresses in the infected user’s address book.

It’s perfectly safe to read normal text e-mail since a virus needs to have some sort of executable code to run in order to be activated, so the danger lies in running possibly infected attached files.

Probably the most well known e-mail virus is the infamous ILOVEYOU virus, which was an e-mail with the words “I love you” in the subject line. It contained an attachment that when opened causes the e-mail to be sent to everyone in the victim’s address book, along with corrupting files in the user’s computer.

The virus was immensely effective due to users’ willingness to open the attachment. It’s vital to be cautious with e-mail attachments. It’s recommended that if you’re going to open one, that you save it to a disk and scan it with an updated anti-virus program first.
If you receive an attached file and unsure of the source or purpose, it’s best to just delete it.

A computer worm is similar to a virus in a sense that they are both self-replicating and can spread possibly modified copies of itself from machine to machine. The difference is that it can work independently of other files, unlike a virus which needs a host.

Instead, a worm spreads itself through computer networks by exploiting security holes in a target system’s software or operating system.

The most deceptively simple form of malware is the trojan horse. It’s basically a damaging program disguised as something else. It appears to be a legitimate program but will cause damage to your computer instead.

Unlike worms and viruses, trojan horses can’t replicate and rely instead on tricking users to spread itself. Trojans can come hidden in an otherwise legitimate program or can simply be mislabeled.

Another form of malware that’s plaguing the internet is spyware. This software collects information about a user and sends it back to the manufacturer, all without the knowledge of the user. Like trojans, it usually lies hidden in other programs especially in p2p programs.

Now that you know the enemy you can now begin to protect yourself from these online threats by taking the proper precautions and counter-measures. Here are some of the basic practices to bolster your online security:

Use an updated anti-virus program. It’s important to keep your anti-virus software updated, as new threats are appearing daily and the anti-virus manufacturers are constantly providing new virus definitions.
These definitions allow your anti-virus software to detect and stop new viruses. Be sure to scan your computer regularly and scan all new programs or files before opening them.

Update Windows with the latest security patches. Security holes within windows can be exploited by worms and malicious users. Microsoft provides security patches to fix these problems as soon as they’re discovered, so be sure to keep up to date.

Tired of Internet Explorer? I suggest you to try Firefox (free Web browser). It has an intuitive interface and blocks viruses, spyware, and popup ads. Easy to install, has many useful features.

Use a firewall to monitor programs coming in and out of your computer. It will notify you when a program tries to access the internet from your computer and asks if you want to block it.
This is useful in detecting and preventing spyware, and also from sending data back to the source. Block whatever programs you think could be malware.

Use spyware removal tools. Ad-aware and Spybot - Search & Destroy are two of the most effective spyware removal tools and can be downloaded off the internet for free.

These safety measures while highly effective can be greatly aided by good surfing practices. Always practice caution when using the internet. Avoid risky web sites with dubious content. Sights offering warez or free giveaways are more likely to contain malware.

Be careful of running files obtained from dubious sources. Avoid downloading from unknown web and ftp sites. Be careful of files that you receive while chatting and e-mail attachments from unknown sources.

P2p file sharing programs such as kazaa are some of the most common places to acquire trojan horses and spyware. Be wary of the file your downloading. Check the file size if it’s relatively accurate for the file your downloading and check the actual name of the download.

These precautions should help keep your computer safe from harm and ensure victory in the battle against malware for internet security.

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Gilles Rais

Categories: Articles