Devious Malware

We know what spyware is, and many of us, as computer users know how to deal with such problems. We run our virus scans, we check for spyware and so on, but a form of spyware has risen that can be very problematic for anyone with an internet connection. You may have heard the term before, Malware. These programs are much like spyware with one huge difference. Spyware is designed to access you computers history and send you ads matching popular websites you visit in order for you to buy a specific product, or in more extreme cases the spyware will attempt to obtain personal information such as credit card numbers and passwords in order to take your money. Malware on the other hand is a much more malicious intruder.

Malware is a combination of two words, malicious and software, and it is what both of those words personify. Malware, much like its cousin, spyware, will install itself without user consent or knowledge. Many times this is in the form of a pop up ad declaring that if you download this company's web accelerator for free you can surf the web faster and safer, when in fact it is a Malware program in disguise. The really evil and tricky thing is the fact that clicking either yes or no will start the download because the creator of the Malware program has designed both the yes and no buttons to connect your PC to the download.

Malware was created first by novice computer programmers as an experiment, just to see how far they could spread their virus or programs and observe the damage they could possibly do. Malware is a category that includes viruses and worms, as well as some kinds of spyware. Viruses do differ from worms in the sense that viruses need user intervention to become active, like opening an e-mail, and worms automatically replicate themselves by finding flaws in system networks and attaching themselves to folder and files.

The first official worm was discovered in 1988 and that one invasion works in almost the same exact way as current worms. Internet transmitted viruses and worms have only recently been eclipse in terms of damage done to PC's and businesses by the market pertaining to spyware. Spyware may be more costly in the long run, but it is an easier application to deal with, while Malware can be devastating.

The full purpose of Malware is to vandalize ones PC and cause data loss. Many DOS viruses and ExploreZip worms were designed to erase data on a user's hard drive or corrupt data and files by writing junk data. Network born worms such as the Code Red Worm, and Ramen fall into this category. These worms would be the equivalent of online graffiti tagging, with the person or group who wrote the worms program appearing everywhere the worm travels.

These worms were not as harmful as many we see in the current internet base. With the expansion of broadband internet access more Malware has been designed for company profit, or personal gain. Since 2003 the majority of Malware programs, like wide spread virus and worm outbreaks have been targeting individuals to take control of their PC and use it for their own exploitation and needs. Infected computers are often referred to as "Zombie Computers" because people controlling the various Malware program are controlling your personal computer and all its information, including your e-mail account, all files on your hard drive, and even your IP address.

The horrors that Malware can inflict with this vital information is limitless. Many times users in control of your computer through these exploits will send spam e-mails using your name and IP address, engage in marketing scams directed at the creation of more Malware or spyware programs without being caught and host illegal contraband files. These illegal files often times include Child Pornography, and using your PC data, IP address and so on. These people in control of your computer construct illegal websites and forward these images and/or videos to others around the net.

They will never be caught because everyone is not as protected from these threats as they should be. If your computer is being the target of a Malware infection and used in an illegal act, I guarantee it's not the first or last in a trail that leads nowhere. Many times creators of Malware will use multiple computers to distribute contraband and submit false e-mails routing through their multiple "Zombie Computers" they have under their control.

Are you scared yet? Well you should be, many users do not even have the slightest idea about the influence Malware and security threats have over their computers. More then three quarters of the population have reported having a Malware infection at one time or another and those reports are just from those who caught the infection at some point in their experience with computers. Many of the users who reported having Malware only caught the problem during a software update of a preexisting program designed to detect such threats. So the question becomes, how long had it been there, and how often was it used?

Things are looking up however. Microsoft and AOL have both realized the growing problem facing our security and privet information. Both companies are striving to create better security systems that will detect these threats before they can cause any kind of harm. Even companies such as Mcafee and Norton Anti-Virus have already implicated many anti spyware and anti Malware measures. This is indeed a step in the right direction, but common sense will help you to stop much of the threats presented.

For one, don't download anything from a company you don't know or trust. If you do, then you have just opened yourself up to any and all kinds of infection. Don't visit any strange websites, or click any links that look suspicious or dangerous. You could possibly be bombarded with pop up ads and anyone of them could be potential spyware or Malware. Also get a free version of AVG, a great anti spyware and anti Malware program. Also see about obtaining other free protection from websites such as download.com here you will find many helpful programs to help detect a possible infection. One indicator of an infection is a spyware or virus scan that detects multiple threats. In this case you must be absolutely sure that all threats are removed before returning to work on that PC or laptop computer.

This guide to Malware is very basic. There are so many variations of these kinds of threats that it's not even remotely funny. As the computer industry gets faster and faster, so does the market for stealing your personal information. In the past it was enough to have simple security measures in place, like never handing out credit card information freely, or the most basic of anti-virus programs, but in today's world the threat is ever more efficient, and we as users must be as vigilant as possible to stop these threats.