Malware is another word for malicious software. There are several different types of malicious software: worms, trojan horses, adware, crimeware, computer viruses, bugs and much more. It is bad enough that malware creators are out to disrupt a perfectly functioning computer, but many are after personal information that may lead to identity theft and password retrieval.

Computer Malware

I once thought that virus threat was for other people until two of my computers crashed. One of them shut down after downloading an album cover for my sons school project; the other computer picked up malware from some God-forsaken site. I tried a boot scan with Avast, and it failed to get rid of the virus. I also tried other boot scan methods, including Spybot, without success.

Unfortunately, there are ten to fifteen thousand computer viruses generated daily, and this number continues to increase. Most antivirus software uses a reactive approach for preventing attacks. This means that a computer virus must be discovered and reported before it can be put on the virus list. Too bad several thousand people picked up the virus before it was reported.

Avast antivirus software along with Stopzilla malware protection software were being used, which did not completely defend my computer from the attacks. I am not saying that these products are deficient, as they may be sufficient for some users who have not been a victim yet.  In fact, when I used to hear or see the occasional message stating that your virus protection has been updated, it gave me a sense of security. It is now apparent that the automatic updates were providing protection against viruses that had already been in cyber space for perhaps days.

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2011 that one out of every 14 downloads may contain malware. Even social media such as Facebook and Twitter are experiencing a rise in virus threat. Think of a computer virus like a human virus: a computer virus is a program that can reproduce itself, and spread to other computers. Other mediums that can carry computer viruses are CD, DVD, Floppy Disk, USB drives and external memory devices.

Malware Trojan

A Trojan is a form of malware that does not duplicate itself. One of the sneakiest forms of a Trojan is a program that claims to get rid of a virus, but when clicked, it actually introduces a virus into the computer. A real danger inherent to Trojans, is the fact that hackers may access personal information. To me, this is one of the scariest forms of malware, for it is used for identity theft.

Malware can cause several types of identity theft; however, data theft seems to be the most popular crime pursued by hackers. This includes the stealing of credit card information, and the retrieving passwords. Closely related to this is keystroke logging, and viewing the user’s computer screen. It makes me extremely angry that hackers may be watching my computer screen without me knowing about it.

Prosecuting malware creators and cyber-criminals is increasing with time. When hackers first came on the scene, criminal convictions were rare. They claimed that they were motivated by political, educational or artistic rights. They were covered under the informal code of ethics, otherwise known as white hat hackers. I believe that laws against cyber crime should be written to discourage hackers to the point where 10 years to life sentences would become common.

My 17-year-old daughter was a victim of a cyber crime. Without going into details, I want to point out that when we went to our local police department they told us that there is nothing that they could do. We then contacted the F.B.I and they told us that they will not take on cases that involve theft under $200,000. She lost her life-long college savings from the crime, which is one reason why I am trying to help others understand how dangerous malware can be. We need to work together to help prevent these violating crimes.

I discovered a company that uses a proactive approach for preventing the virus threat. With their white listing technology, they are able to offer 100% protection against all malware, including same day viruses. This is also called Zero Day, or Early Life threats. A full scan was ran of my previous antivirus software, before I removed the software to make room for the new product. After installing the new software, I ran a quick scan and it picked up and removed 20 infections! If you want the latest and best antivirus software available, please click here. I am certain that malware currently does not have a chance with this product installed your computer.

Malware

Malware

Malware