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Malware, Spyware, Adware Or Trojan-
What's the fuss?
by: Austin Akalanze
Introduction:
Very often, malware is spoken of as viruses,
trojans, dialers, adware and sypware. Being knowledgeable about how
to diagnose a service running as a malware is an important part of
fighting this nuisance. The probblem of Malware is getting worse by
the day, and it is not just for funny any more. Fighting malware is
a daunting task. This is because rootkit-shielded malware is
installed in the system. This makes it difficult for traditional
antivirus scanning applications to see the malicious program. Also,
many new malware codes are being written everyday. As a result, the
only good solution to malware sometimes, is a complete Operating
Systems reinstall.
Malware
Malware is usually installed on your computer
without your knowledge. Frequently, malware is designed to send
itself from your contacts e-mail account to your computer and vice
versa. Until now, most malware is limited to Windows systems. This
is however changing as more and more malware are being written for
the Linux system. One of the first signs of malware is the speed of
your computer. Indications of the presence of malware can also be
found in the temporary decompression folders. If the only signs are
in the temporary decompression folders it is unlikely that the
malware has been activated. The usual way of detecting malware is
through heuristics. Most malware is easy to remove. Once the
presence of a malicious code is confirmed, it could be removed with
a scan and remove software. Files that contain the known codes are
quarantined and scheduled for deletion.
Trojans
Trojans take their name from the term 'Trojan
Horse'. They are typically malware with a payload. It spreads itself
by posing as legitimate software. The term Trojan has usually been
used to refer to malware that performes unexpected or unauthorized
actions. For instance, a Dialer Trojan is malware coded to secretly
dial phone numbers. This leaves the infected victim with a large
phone bill. The trojan can also install spamming malware. It can
present itself as a legitimate Windows Live Messenger advertisement
from Microsoft. Unlike Viruses or
Spyware
Spyware has become a generic term that also
includes adware, malware and many Trojans. For the most part, these
have inter-related behavior and features and are commonly referred
to as Spyware. Most spyware can be broken up into two major groups-
adware and malware. All spyware are rogue software programs that
typically install themselves without a user's knowledge. You can get
infected with spyware, malware and other malicious programs just by
visiting a website. You can also get infected by installing a
software which seems genuine but is bundled with malicious codes.
Getting rid of spyware is not instant, and certainly not a one time
event. It is a process. It requires the use of detection and removal
tools that scan explicitly for spyware. However, many spyware
experts have noted that no one anti-spyware product catches all
malware and spyware. That's why some spyware appears so invincible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have seen that malware is
short for malicious software and a catch all phrase for viruses,
worms, adware, spyware, Trojans, etc. Malware we also learned is
getting more resistant due to the fact that rootkit-shielded malware
is installed in the system. This makes it difficult for traditional
antivirus scanning applications to see the malicious program. As a
result, the only good solution to malware sometimes, is a complete
Operating Systems reinstall. Malware we noted can be distributed
through email and other file sharing. Some of the early signs we
observed is a system slow down. Fortunately, most malware can be
easily removed by a simple scan and remove application. The
difficulty and reason why some seem invincible is because no one
application can take care of all the threats.
This article is brought to you free by
http://www.allspywarefree.com
About The Author
Austin Akalanze is an Educator, a Freelance
writer and webmaster at http://www.allspywarefree.com
He has been published on several article directories across the net.