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Q:
I
have antivirus and it did not fix the spyware on my PC.
What is the difference between viruses, worms, Trojan
horses, spyware, malware, hijackers and adware?
A: Viruses, worms and Trojans are different software programs
all detected by anti-virus programs. A computer is usually
infected by an email attachment or by having an unsecured
network. No one ever asks for a virus nor wants
one. Malware,
spyware, hijackers and adware are a lot like viruses and
are unwanted, but there is usually one distinct
difference. You, or someone who uses your computer
agreed to them. Users usually get malware
"Malicious Software" two different ways:
-
Free
software. Some software vendors disclose that in
order to use their software for free, you must agree
to random advertisements "adware".
This is how the vendor get paid. Keep in mind
that even though a software vendor may disclose
"adware" they do not control the company
that provides the "adware" or their
policies. Other vendors never disclose
anything. Adware and malware are usually
bundled with Screensavers, Games, Music & Video
Applications and Weather Reporting tools but can be
bundled with anything that is free.
-
Popup
Ads. All computer users know how annoying
popup ads are while browsing web pages on the
internet. The problem starts when a popup
looks like a legitimate Windows warning message
stating something like; "Security had detected
infections on your computer. Click here, to scan
now." Once the user clicks on "Scan
Now" then the computer is infected with malware.
The
exception.
-
Malicious
Web Sites. Some web sites will upload a
Trojan through exploits in Microsoft Explorer,
Firefox and other web browsers. Once the
Trojan is installed, it is programmed to upload a
host of malware, spyware, adware and viruses to the
user. These sites typically offer illegal or stolen software licenses and
offer software to download copyrighted music and videos
illegally. Antivirus will protect a user from
these types of websites. In
a growing number of case, viruses
and malware work together.
Difference
between a Virus, Worm and Trojan Horse:
http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2004/virus.asp Difference
between Adware and Spyware:
http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2004/spyware.asp
Computer
users should research any free software they download on
the internet and be careful of what they click on while
browsing the internet. In addition to anti-virus,
computer users should install a good anti-malware
program.
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