Take the pc virus threat seriously by Collheath Computer Services

Thousands of different viruses and other malware are released on to the Internet every year by malicious hackers. Viruses insert their code into another program so that when the program is run, the virus is initiated.

There are three main types:

Macro virus: cause corruption in documents and are spread by copying themselves into new documents you create.

Network virus: designed to spread via a local network. They have become more common in homes now that families often network 2 or more computers so they can share the internet through a broadband router.

Logic Bomb: triggered by certain events, the most common being Friday 13th.

Trojans, named after the mythical Trojan horse, look like an innocent application, tricking you into running the program which then installs malicious code on your system. Fortunately, Trojans do not replicate like some other viruses.

Worms crawl from pc to pc, spreading infection and often creating ‘backdoors’ through which a hacker gains access to your computer. Unlike most viruses, worms propagate on their own, making them extremely dangerous.

Spyware is a newer threat. Usually bundled as part of another software application, Spyware is designed to report PC statistics back to its maker – for example by monitoring your web browser activity. This information has value to on-line marketers, to whom it is sold enabling them to target adverts to your infected PC.

Adware is similar to spyware. It is designed to hijack your web browser and send advertising to you while you’re surfing.

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