Sorting Out Malware, Viruses and Phishing

Turning on your computer everyday can lead to a variety of threats and infections if you're not properly protected by anti-malware and anti-virus software. Sometimes it's hard to know which threats are most dangerous or even what they're doing. The terms virus, worm, spyware and malware refer to different kinds of threats, and phishing is a scam designed to steal money, usernames, passwords and other personal information.

First up: viruses. These are programs that infect computers and attempt to corrupt or delete data. Some viruses are even more aggressive and seek to wipe all the information from hard drives. Viruses typically travel by attaching themselves to software or emails, such as database files sent via email. Your computer can also become infected with viruses when you download things such as video files from the internet. The main goal of all viruses is to destroy as much data as possible.

As a variation of viruses called worms also spread easily and quickly replicate themselves. A worm can hijack your computer and send out countless copies of itself via your email without your knowledge. The goal of worms is to spread as quickly as possible from computer to computer while also attempting to corrupt data files.

Spyware is an insidious form of malicious software that you download unknowingly when downloading something legitimate. Spyware usually latches onto free software offered online, and when you download the software you want, that spyware hitches a ride and embeds itself in your system. The spyware then proceeds to collect information about your internet visits and sends that data to the creator of the spyware. The main goal is to monitor your keystrokes to gather usernames and passwords and scan your hard drive for sensitive information.

Malware, the shortened name for malicious software, is the umbrella term for any type of software that' designed to steal information or disrupt computer operations. Viruses, worms and spyware can be considered malware because they're all created for criminal aims.

Now, phishing differs from malware, which usually infects your system without your knowledge. In phishing scams, you receive an email asking for sensitive information and you provide it voluntarily without realizing the email is illegitimate. Phishing emails may appear to be from your bank, credit union, loan holder or other institutions, and the sender will try to convince you to provide private information that will be used to steal your identity. Often these phishing emails ask you visit a website to reset a password or access your account, and then that website captures your personal data.

The best protection against viruses and malware is to install both anti-virus and anti-malware software and run scans routinely. If your anti-virus software includes firewall protection, all the better. Your aim is to block as many virus and malware infections as possible and scan to find and remove those that slip through your security screen.

As for phishing, the only way to protect yourself from money – and identity-stealing – scams is to delete any suspicious emails and never give anyone your account usernames and passwords. It seems like obvious advice, but over time, scammers have created emails that are more believable, and even smart people sometimes fall prey to phishing scams. Note that malware and virus scanners will not protect you from phishing scams.

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