Malware And Antivirus Software

by: Joel Walsh

Warning: most antivirus programs will not protect you against all forms of malignant software (often called "malware") on their own. Find out how to protect yourself. Sure, your antivirus software will protect you against viruses. It will probably even do a good job against worms. But what Trojans, exploits, backdoors, spyware and the dozen other nasty software parasites? Malware and Antivirus Software: a History The war on computer viruses has led to an arms race between the designers of antivirus software and the designers of viruses (you didn't think viruses just created themselves did you?). Some years ago, virus designers responded to ever more successful antivirus software by creating the descendents of viruses, worms, which did not infect files but rather installed themselves directly on the hard drive, making them harder to detect. The arms race has since led to a total of at least eleven distinct types of what is now called malware, a neologism meaning bad (as in malignant rather than shoddy) software. According to Wikipedia, these eleven types of malware are: 1. Virus 2. Worm 3. Wabbit 4. Trojan 5. Backdoor 6. Spyware 7. Exploit 8. Rootkit 9. Key Logger 10. Dialer 11. URL injection There's a twelfth kind of malware: adware, which Wikipedia considers simply to be a subset of spyware. Why Antivirus Software Isn't Enough for Malware As you can see, makers of antivirus software have their work cut out for them if they're going to keep every instance of malware off your system. As a result, antivirus software makers have often had to pick their battles. Adware, whose makers often claim they are doing nothing illegal or even questionable, often gets treated more lightly. Even when antivirus software makers do come out with a product that fights all twelve or so kinds of malware, responding to each new instance of malware to come on the market isn't easy. First the malware has to be identified, which means someone's computer, and probably tens of thousands of computers, will be infected first. Then, the malware has to be dissected. Then a removal program and a filter must both be written. Then the removal program and filter must be tested to make sure they work, and that they don't interfere with any other functions of the antivirus software or the computer itself. When a fix for the virus is out, it then has to be loaded into an antivirus software update and transmitted to every single computer worldwide that has the antivirus software installed. The speed with which antivirus software makers are able to deliver updates for newly discovered malware would impress even Santa Claus. Yet there's still a crucial window of one to a few days between when the new malware has reached a critical mass of thousands of computers, and when the update is released. If your antivirus software is not set to check for updates automatically every hour or so, that window opens even wider. Practically speaking, then, you're better off having more than one line of defense against malware. Even if two different anti-malware programs utilize the exact same database, there might be a crucial difference in the speed of getting updates. It makes sense to back up your antivirus software with anti-spyware software. When you consider that dedicated anti-spyware software developers make protection against the non-virus forms of malware their stock-in-trade, you can see why anti-spyware software is so essential. In fact, you should strongly consider having two anti-spyware programs running on your computer at all times, since the gap in updates between two anti-spyware programs can be even longer than for two antivirus programs. After all, with a dozen kinds of malware out there, shouldn't you at least have two pieces of software to fight them? About the author: Joel Walsh writes for http://www.spyware-refuge.comon how to remove spyware: http://www.spyware-refuge.com?spyware adware blocker [Publish this article on your website! Requirement: live link for above URL/web address w/ link text/anchor text: "spyware adware blocker" OR leave this bracketed message intact.] Circulated by Article Emporium

Use A Spyware Remover Now

by: Kenth Nasstrom

If you use the internet, “There is over 90% chance your computer is infected with spyware” - Source CNN. Just think about it. You probably have at least one, if not more computers in your home. Most computers today have internet access. And if you receive email from others and surf to a couple of sites can you be almost completely sure you have some kind of spyware installed in your computer. How dangerous are spyware? Let me give you a short list of things spyware can do, • Spyware can run completely hidden on your computer • It can slow down your computer a lot • It can spy on you and send everything you type to someone else • It can record everything you do, allowing someone to see it later • It can spy on you and send account information, passwords, credit card numbers and similar to a third party • It can “steal” files, pictures, videos and more from your computer Some spyware will do just a few things and others everything from the list above, and more. You must keep your computer clean from spyware or risk loosing personal information, financial information and even your private photos or family videos. Run a spyware scanner regularly to clean out any spyware that may have sneaked their way into your computer. Do note that antivirus software (even the most expensive ones) have problems to keep spyware out. So get a good anti spyware software and use it! No matter what the spyware's purpose really is, the bottom line is that at the very least it will cause you countless hours of problem solving and slow downs on your computer. Scan your PC now to make sure it is clean. If you find anything, avoid using any credit cards or visit your online bank until the PC is cleaned with a top anti spyware software. There are many different types of software that can harm, cripple or just reside quietly inside your computer. Beside virus, the most common types are Spyware, Adware, Malware, Trojans, Backdoors, Bots and Dialers. They all have different agendas but will to a degree change the way your computer function and how well it works. This beside the obvious threath the program itself impose. About the author: Kenth Nasstrom, Learn more about Spyware removers and see our top three list at http://www.free-spyware-remover-reviews.com/

Virus prevention and removal

by: Ashish Jain

A virus is a piece of code that gets loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. The first known occurrence of viruses goes back to 1987 when the ARPANET was infected by one. One common misnomer among people is that you can infect your computer just by opening an email and reading its text. That is not possible; it is usually the files attached to the email that contain the virus. The most common file types are ".SCR" ".VBS" ", ".PIF" Prevention is better than a cure: Here are some tips to make sure that your computer does not get infected. * Get a good Anti-Virus software like Norton Anti-Virus, MacAfee, PC Cillin etc. * Keep your anti virus software updated by downloading new virus definitions regularly. Most Anti-Virus software comes with the feature of updating virus definitions. * Keep your windows operating system updated by regularly downloading new updates from the Internet. Windows O/S's have a lot of security loopholes and bugs that can be easily exploited by worms and viruses. * Make sure the anti virus scans the file each time before its opened. * Floppy disks and removable media are a good source of viruses; always scan them before accessing files on them. * Never open email attachments from sources that are unknown or suspicious. * Do not open emails that have questionable subject lines. * When in doubt about a file, don't open it. * Even with the best of precautions bad things can still happen. Backup all your data and important files. Even after taking all these precautions if your computer does get infected, then here are a few things that you can do: Online clearing tools - are a good source of trying to clean out the virus, there are many Anti-Virus websites that offer free online virus detection and removal services. Removal tools - If you have an Anti-Virus software then you can go to the website of that software and download removal tools designed specifically for the virus. However, you must find out the name of the virus that infects your PC beforehand. If you have a backup of all your important files, you can also consider formatting your hard disk. About the author: Ashish Jain M6.Net http://www.m6.net Ashish is an integral member of the M6.Net Web Helpers team. Circulated by Article Emporium