Understanding Malware and How it Effects Your Computer

Whenever you see a word that starts with mal, it is a literal sign that something is bad. The common definition for malware is programs or files that are developed for the purpose of doing harm. Malware includes computer viruses, worms and Trojan horses (known as Trojans). It is far to easy these days while surfing the Internet to run across malware.

Let us start with viruses. One primary characteristic a piece of software must possess to qualify, as a virus is a programmed-in urge to reproduce. It must include some mechanism for distributing copies of itself. Another characteristic common to viruses is that they are covert and do not advertise their presence or their attentions - namely viruses arrive on systems with their own agendas, and act on their own without any instructions or permission being sought from the users of the machines they occupy. Like biological viruses, computer viruses seek to exploit systems for their own purposes. They arrive uninvited, hide in secrecy, and generally work in obscurity.

A common definition given to a virus is a program or programming code that replicates by being reproduced or initially, it is copying to another program, computer boot sector or document. Viruses can be transferred in the form of attachments to an e-mail note or downloaded file; or be present on a diskette or possibly onto a CD. Generally speaking, viruses hide in computer files rather than sitting out in the open, in some obvious, visible and separate form. A virus though must run, a computer must execute the code out of which they are programmed to do their dirty The most effective way of fending off viruses is to inspect all files and media that enter a system, looking for signs of potential infection, and refusing to copy any potentially infected files into memory or storage.

There are three specific types of viruses:

· File infectors: that are capable of planting themselves (particularly, the code they need to execute) inside another file in a computers' file system.

· System or boot - record infectors: infects the special innermost sectors on a hard drive or floppy disk that is read as a computer is starting up.

· Macro viruses: a virus in the form of a macro embedded in a document, such as a Microsoft Word document. After it is on your computer, a macro virus will infect any new document loaded.

E-mail viruses are another form and really the most common due to the ease of transmission. E-mail viruses are a computer code sent to you as an e-mail note attachment, which, if activated, will cause some unexpected and usually harmful effect, such as destroying files on a hard disk or causing the attachment to be remained to everyone in your address book.
Worms seek to infect and replicate without targeting any infecting specific files already present on a computer. They may show up through an e-mail, network or instant messaging software, or other forms of transport and then creates more e-mail, messages, or whatever to duplicate them.

Trojan Horses more commonly known, as Trojans is a program or file the user allows or invites onto their system, believing that the program or file is normal software. In reality, the program or file contains malware that seeks to take over the system or provide a way for an outsider to reach in and take control.

There also some malware that are blended threats. Some viruses include Trojans; some worms include viruses or Trojans; many malware instances combine characteristics from multiple types of malware within their capabilities.