Anyone that has a computer or relies on them to work, study, or communicate with friends and colleagues should be aware of what computer viruses are, and what they can do. The sad truth is that there are many forms of virus, and they can infiltrate your computer or network in several ways. They can be harmless, but generally they can be a real menace – chewing up bandwidth, slowing down your computer, and even stealing personal information. For your safety and the safety of everything on your computer, it is important that you understand exactly what computer viruses are.
To start with, the correct term for a ‘virus’ is actually ‘malware’ – a virus is a form of malware, although ‘virus’ is a term which many people use to describe all sorts of computer based problems and bugs. There are several forms of malware aside from viruses, such as worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and even phishing attempts. Each form is distributed in a different way. Viruses, for example, can only be transferred from one computer or network to another by a host – such as a disc or other form of portable memory. Worms, meanwhile, can spread independent of human help – they don’t rely on someone carrying them around on a disc, and spread of their own accord. Trojans are different again – they can be downloaded or initiated by a user who believes them to be something else, such as a game, animation, or image. Phishing is not a strict form of malware, but many people regard it as being just as nasty – it may be a fake email, link or webpage which attempts to steal private information.
In essence, each form of malware is a program, code or piece of software that infiltrates a network or computer, without permission or knowledge of the user.
To start with, the correct term for a ‘virus’ is actually ‘malware’ – a virus is a form of malware, although ‘virus’ is a term which many people use to describe all sorts of computer based problems and bugs. There are several forms of malware aside from viruses, such as worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and even phishing attempts. Each form is distributed in a different way. Viruses, for example, can only be transferred from one computer or network to another by a host – such as a disc or other form of portable memory. Worms, meanwhile, can spread independent of human help – they don’t rely on someone carrying them around on a disc, and spread of their own accord. Trojans are different again – they can be downloaded or initiated by a user who believes them to be something else, such as a game, animation, or image. Phishing is not a strict form of malware, but many people regard it as being just as nasty – it may be a fake email, link or webpage which attempts to steal private information.
In essence, each form of malware is a program, code or piece of software that infiltrates a network or computer, without permission or knowledge of the user.