The Little Bugs that Bug Us

Clients often ask what the difference is between Malware, Spyware, Trojans and viruses. Or they don’t ask this question; many people do not realize they are distinctly different types of rogue programming. In the heat of an infection, the “what” is often secondary to the “how” and the “can it be saved” panic which often ensues once an infection is discovered. Later though, often folks want an explanation; they want to know where it came from, how to protect from future infections and what they were infected with. Those questions and answers are definitely part of your prevention strategy. Most iterations of bad stuff will fall under the category of MalWare. MalWare is any MALicious SoftWARE. So technically, any Virus, Trojan, Worm, or other rogue software is MalWAre. It is a general and broad category which encompasses the several incantations. Most people use the MalWare term to describe what is actually AdWare or “NagWare”. This software has the primary purpose of delivering advertising content in a manner or context that is usually unwanted and unexpected by the computer user. Basically, AdWare nags you to buy a product or service that is not only ineffective, but usually costly. In rare instances, Adware collects credit card information, and then feeds it to an underground network. These networks in turn attempt to resell the information for fraud purposes. This scenario is not as common right now, but it is the next logical step. Mostly, makers are “just” ripping you off at this time, selling you “anti-virus” which is actually nothing of the sort. Another often seen MalWare is SpyWare. SpyWare alone does just as the name suggests. It spies on you, tracking your moves and keystrokes, without your notice or consent. Sometimes SpyWare also transmits that information back to an underground network for sale or use. These programs are often very difficult to remove as they run in the background. Normally, they aren’t obvious and only a trained eye or experienced technician will spot SpyWare when it runs alone. A Trojan Horse is malicious software which tricks a user into installing it on their machine. Many Trojans are downloaded or emailed, presented as one type of program (such as a free music player) which may or may not install, along with a rogue program. Trojans are well known information stealer’s; most often keystroke loggers are installed this way. Viruses and Worms are similar in that they are both viruses, they both replicate themselves and infect the user. The difference is a virus needs a host program to replicate and propagate, a worm does not. Worms have the ability to replicate by themselves. Virus and Worms cause a variety of problems, but usually they are not recorders or information stealer’s. Virus and Worms are often used to cause destruction of some kind and wreak havoc on users’ computers. You must protect yourself against these threats. It is imperative to use an anti-virus. You must also be a vigilant user, don’t click every window that pops up while using the Internet, don’t open attachments from anyone unless you are expecting it and don’t visit disreputable sites on the Internet. With good software, (kept up to date) smart use and a trusted advisor for you and your network, your computers will have a long and healthy life.