All About : Malware, Viruses, Worms, Adware, Spyware, Trojans

What is a virus, spyware, malware, rootkit, hack tool, trojan, trozan, adware, what is, what is hack tool, what is trojan, what is adware, difference between virus spyware adware malware trojan rootkit threats:

RELATION BETWEEN VIRUS, MALWARE, WORM, ADWARE, SPYWARE, TROJANS :

In the field of IT - we hear many different terms. Many time the most confusing scenarios is when a computer becomes infected with malware since the infection can be referred to as viruses, malware, adware, spyware, rootkits etc. Some of these terms have the same meaning, some are sub-categories, and some are even just simply network tools. Some of the different forms of malware can be trojans, worms, hacktools, password revealers, etc. depending on the purpose of the program. To clarify things a bit, here is a list of common “infection” terms and their definitions:

Malware: Short for malicious software, (sometimes referred to as pestware) designed to harm or secretly access a computer system without the owner's consent. The expression is a general term used to define a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, scareware, crimeware, most rootkits, and other malicious and unwanted software or program. Essentially, it is the broadest term to cover all forms of infections.

Virus: A computer program that can copy itself and infect another computer. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, carried it on an external drive, or unintentionally spread it through email. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.

Worm: A self-replicating malware computer program, which uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computers on the network), and it may do so without any user intervention. This is due to security shortcomings on the target computer. Unlike a computer virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program. Worms almost always cause at least some harm to the network, even if only by consuming bandwidth, whereas viruses almost always corrupt or modify files on a targeted computer.

Spyware: A type of malware that can be installed on computers which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. Spyware is typically hidden from the user and can be used to observe and collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habits and sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software and redirecting Web browser activity. Spyware is known to change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and/or loss of Internet connection or functionality of other programs.

Adware: Advertising-supported software, is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer. These advertisements can be in the form of a pop-up. The object of the Adware is to generate revenue for its author. Adware, by itself, is harmless; however, some adware may come with integrated spyware such as key loggers and other privacy-invasive software.

Rootkit: Software that enables continued privileged access to a computer while actively hiding its presence from administrators by subverting standard operating system functionality or other applications. The term rootkit is a concatenation of "root" (the traditional name of the privileged account on Unix operating systems) and the word "kit" (which refers to the software components that implement the tool). The term "rootkit" has negative connotations through its association with malware. Rootkits are considered to be one of the most difficult forms of malware to detect and clean as one of their main functions is to remain undetected, sometimes by residing in the kernel; reinstallation of the operating system is sometimes the only alternative.

Trojan: Software that appears to perform a desirable function for the user prior to run or install, but (perhaps in addition to the expected function) steals information or harms the system. The term is derived from the Trojan Horse story in Greek mythology.

HackTool: Can be malware used by hackers for various purposes. It can include port scanners , and sniffers , keystroke loggers and tools for sending spam. Many types of legitimate network utilities that administrators use are falsely identified as hacktools as they can be used by the administrator to obtain important information about a network they are responsible for. For example, a password revealer can be used to record a user’s password for their email prior to reformatting their system. This can be quite handy since the user may not be available to ask or may have forgotten it since it is cached. Other tools can be used to scan networks to obtain information about the computers on the network such as IP addresses, hostnames, and various other details that are necessary to properly manage a network.

It is always recommended to have an antivirus or antimalware program running on your PC and to ensure that it is up to date. And while everyone does the best they can, some malware can still manage to find its way in. Especially when an unsuspecting pop-up comes up stating that your computer is infected (which is the malware itself) and it is allowed to infect the system simply because it was clicked on; this of course applies to email attachments and links as well.

WHAT IS A SPYWARE ? WHAT IS A COMPUTER SPYWARE ?

WHAT IS SPYWARE : Spyware is a type of malware (just like detective or malicious software) installed on computers that collects information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user and can be difficult to detect. Spyware is often secretly installed on a user's personal computer without their knowledge. However, some spyware such as keyloggers may be installed by the owner of a shared, corporate, or public computer on purpose in order to intentionally monitor users.

While the term spyware suggests software that monitors a user's computing, the functions of spyware can extend beyond simple monitoring. Spyware can collect almost any type of data, including personal information like Internet surfing habits, user logins, and bank or credit account information. Spyware can also interfere with user control of a computer by installing additional software or redirecting Web browsers. Some spyware can change computer settings, resulting in slow Internet connection speeds, un-authorized changes in browser settings or functionality of other software.

Sometimes, spyware is included along with genuine software, and may come from an official software vendor. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is provided by the term privacy-invasive software. In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security practices for computers, especially those running Microsoft Windows. A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user's computer.

In Other Words : Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet; however, it should be noted that the majority of shareware and freeware applications do not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.

Spyware is similar to a Trojan horse in that users unwittingly install the product when they install something else. A common way to become a victim of spyware is to download certain peer-to-peer file swapping products that are available today.

Aside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware steals from the user by using the computer's memory resources and also by eating bandwidth as it sends information back to the spyware's home base via the user's Internet connection. Because spyware is using memory and system resources, the applications running in the background can lead to system crashes or general system instability.

The Difference Between Spyware And Viruses :

They're both infections that can damage your computer, but the goals of the authors, techniques and damage they can do are very different. Learn how to tell them apart. First of a series on anti-spyware for the consumer and enterprise.