Malware The Enemy Within.
By Drew Pilton
Malware as many pc owners know to their cost is all too commonplace on the web lately even more so than the standard virus. The purpose of this article is to explain to you the concept of malware, various types of malware and what to do when your PC gets infected by it.

What is malware anyway?

Malware is a malicious piece of software designed to damage your PC or spy on your computer activities without you knowing about it. Here are the descriptions of the various types of malware infecting computers today.

Adware.
Adware is one of the less harmful forms of malware which will display a popup advertisement on your computer when your not expecting it.

Virus.
A virus is designed to hide within other executable software and to become active when the host software is activated. It will self replicate and place copies of itself into other software or documents. This can lead to an increasing infestation of your PC and cause all sorts of damage.

The Worm.
A Worm is a self replicating and self executing virus specifically designed to send replicas of itself to other computers over the internet.

Ransom Ware.
Ransom ware is designed to force you to pay the creator a sum of money by locking important files on your computer system. A message will be dispayed demanding the appropriate ransom before giving access to the files.

Trojan Horses.
Trojan horses conceal their true identity by masquerading as or hiding inside legitimate software. Common ways to get infected by them are from downloading various forms of free software from the internet.

Spyware.
Spyware when activated will record your computer activities such as key strokes, internet activity and personal information such as credit card details and passwords sending them via the internet to the Spyware maker using email.

Symptoms of an infected computer.

If your computer has developed a considerable reduction in speed it could be infected with malware, sometimes even appearing to pause or hang. Another is that windows will behave erratically and unstable. You may experience popup windows when you don’t expect. If you have a good program it should inform you of the presence of Malware and offer to remove it for you.

How Does my Computer Get Infected?

Emails.
If you receive any email from unknown or unexpected senders make sure that you scan it before opening it with your software and if you have any doubts do not open it.

Websites.
Browsing some websites that are suspect can lead to infection because the malware can be hidden as code in the web page itself.

Peer to Peer File Sharing Software.
File sharing software enables the user to share illegal music, software and video and is a common way to get infected. A lot of the files available on peer to peer networks have

malware hidden within them or are not the files you were expecting at all.

Popup messages.
It is possible to use what is known as IP popups to infect your computer. IP popups are sent direct to your computers IP address and can not be stopped by popup blockers. Popups like this are often disguised as windows error messages instructing you to 'click here' to rectify the error. Clicking the button will execute the malware.

Instant Messaging Software.
Increasingly popular these days instant messaging software can put you at risk if you don't excercise caution. Infection usually happens when using the file sharing feature to share files with people so be careful who you share files with.

Networks.
Computers on a network can all get infected from one computer as data is passed from computer to computer. That is why all computers must be protected with a firewall and software.

Making your computer immune to malware.

Use Internet Securities Software
The most effective way to protect your computer is with good quality and antispyware from a reputable company like norton or mcafee. It is not advisable to use free software as these don’t tend to be as effective and can also be malware disguised as software. Which ever one you use just make sure that you keep it regularly updated and remember to renew your yearly subscription. Remember, out of date software is completely useless.

Use a firewall
Firewalls are included in Windows Vista and XP so you should ensure that you have it enabled on your computer. Most internet securities applications will have an excellent firewall feature so use this in favour of windows firewall.

Use windows update.
Update regularly to ensure you have all the latest critical security updates. Security holes in windows are often found and microsoft will have patches for these available..

How to remove malware from your computer.
All and internet securities software will be equipped to remove Malware easily. It is even possible to set your software to remove the affending item automaticlay and then inform you that the job has been done.

A word of advice.
Visiting illegal or immoral websites will increase your likely hood of becoming infected considerably as these sites tend to be set up and frequented by people who have no scruples and will think nothing of infecting your computer along with many others. You have been warned.

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