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Defining Malware: FAQ
Questions about
Malware (malicious software)
Q: What are malware,
viruses, spyware, and cookies, and what
differentiates them?
A: "Malware" is short for
malicious software and is typically used as
a catch-all term to refer to any software
designed to cause damage to a single
computer, server, or computer network,
whether it's a virus, or spyware.
Q. What are cookies
and spyware? How are they different?
A.
"Cookies" are just a
bit of text in a file on your computer,
containing a small amount of information
that identifies you to a particular Web
site, and whatever information that site
wanted to retain about the user when they
are visiting.
Cookies are a
legitimate tool used by many Web sites to
track visitor information. As an example, I
might go to an online computer store and
place an item in the basket, but decide not
to buy it right away because I want to
compare prices. The Web site store
can choose to put the information about what
products I put into my basket in a cookie
stored on my computer. This is an example of
a good use of cookies to help the user
experience.
The only Web sites
who are supposed to be able to retrieve the
information stored in a cookie are the Web
sites who wrote the information in that
particular cookie. This should ensure your
privacy by stopping anyone other than the
site you are visiting from being able to
read any cookies left by that site.
The spyware problem
is similar to the cookie problem from the
point of view that both are an invasion of
privacy, although different from cookies,
technically speaking. Spyware is a program
that runs on your computer and again, tracks
your habits, tailors these patterns for
advertisements, etc. Because it is a
computer program, rather than just a bit of
text in a cookie, spyware can also do some
nasty things to ensure that the spyware
keeps running and keeps influencing what you
see.
Q. Do some Web
sites use cookies to exploit user
information?
A.
Unfortunately, yes. Some may deceive users
or omit their policies. For example, they
may track your Web surfing habits across
many different Web sites without informing
you, and then use this data to customize the
advertisements you see on Web sites, etc,
typically considered as an invasion of
privacy.
It is difficult to
identify this and other forms of “cookie
abuse”, which makes it difficult to decide
if, when, and how to block them from one’s
system. In addition, the acceptable level of
shared information varies between users, so
it is difficult to create an "anti-cookie"
program to meet the needs of everyone.
Q. How do I know if
spyware is running on my computer?
A. Many
people first realize their computer is
running spyware when it noticeably slows
down or stops responding, especially when
doing certain tasks such as browsing Web
sites or retrieving email.
The biggest concern
regarding spyware is that most of them are
poorly written or designed. In addition, poorly
written spyware can often cause your
computer to function incorrectly even
after it has been removed.
You can use
detection programs such as SpySweeper, MS
Defender and
others. Similar to anti-virus software,
these programs compare a list of known
spyware with files on your computer and can
remove any that it detects.
Q. How does spyware
install itself on computers?
A. Common tactics for
surreptitious installation include rolling
up advertising programs into "free"
shareware program downloads, and once the
spyware is installed it can download
advertisements 24 hours a day and overlay
them on Web sites and programs you are
using. Anti-spyware programs can combat
spyware from being installed, but the best
strategy is to discriminate what you choose
to download and install.
Q. Can spyware send
tracked information to other people?
A. Some forms of
spyware monitor a target’s Web use or even
general computer use and sends this
information back to the spyware program's
authors for use as they see fit. To fight
this kind of problem, a spyware removal tool
is obviously helpful, as is a firewall that
monitors outgoing connections from your
computer. Other forms of spyware take over
parts of your Web browsing interface,
forcing you to use their own search engines
where they can track your browsing habits
and send pop-up advertisements to you at
will.
Q. Do you have a
quick summary of how to prevent malware
problems?
A: Yes — see below.
Two of the
biggest concerns for computer users
today are viruses and spyware. In both
cases, we have seen that while these can
be a problem you can defend yourself
against them easily enough with just a
little bit of planning:
Keep your
computer’s software patched and current.
Both your operating system, spyware
removal software and your anti- virus
application must be updated on a regular
basis.
Only download
updates from reputable sources. For
Windows operating systems, always go to
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
and for other software always use the
legitimate Web sites of the company or
person who produces it.
Always think
before you install something, weigh the
risks and benefits, and be aware of the
fine print. Does the lengthy license
agreement that you don’t want to read
conceal a warning that you are about to
install spyware?
Install and use
a firewall. If you are running Windows
XP you can use the built-in software
firewall under Control Panel, and there
are free versions of firewalls that work
on all versions of Windows.
Prevention is
always better than cure.
See PCTNT Security
Page
Q. What exactly is
a virus? Is a “worm” also a virus?
A. Viruses are
computer programs or scripts that attempt to
spread from one file to another on a single
computer and/or from one computer to
another, using a variety of methods, without
the knowledge and consent of the computer
user. A worm is a specific type of virus
that propagates itself across many
computers, usually by creating copies of
itself in each computer’s memory.
Many users define
viruses simply as trick programs designed to
delete or move hard drive data, which,
strictly speaking, is not correct. From a
technical viewpoint, what makes a virus a
virus is that it spreads itself. The damage
it does is often incidental when making a
diagnosis.
Obviously, any
incidental damage is important, even when
authors do not intend to create problems
with their viruses; they can still cause
harm unintentionally because the author did
not anticipate the full effect or
unintentional side effects. The most common
method used for spreading a virus is through
e-mail attachment. Sending a virus, even if
designed to be harmless, can cause
unforeseen damage.
Q. How can I
prevent a virus from infecting my computer?
A. Virus
scanners are the most common tool for
prevention. This utility attempts to scan a
computer program before it runs, and if it
recognizes the signature of a malicious
code, it shuts it down. Many scanners also
evaluate programs to determine if it
contains any virus-related characteristics.
The best way to
stop viruses is to use common sense. If an
executable computer program is attached to
your e-mail and you are unsure of the
source, then it should be deleted
immediately. Do not download any
applications or executable files from
unknown sources, and be careful when trading
files with other users.
Q. What is a
"Trojan Horse"? Isn't this a virus by any
other name?
I have heard some
arguments that Trojan Horse malware is a
virus subset (and vice versa) but there are
differences worth mentioning.
A. A Trojan Horse
meets the definition of virus that most
people use, in the sense that it attempts to
infiltrate a computer without the user’s
knowledge or consent. A Trojan Horse,
similar to its Greek mythological
counterpart, often presents itself as one
form while it is actually another.
Trojans typically
do one of two things: they either destroy or
modify data the moment they launch, such as
erase a hard drive, or they attempt to
ferret out and steal passwords, credit card
numbers, and other such confidential
information.
Trojan Horses can
be a bigger problem than other types of
viruses as they are design to be destructive
or disruptive, as opposed to viruses and
worms where the coder may not intend to do
any harm at all. Essentially this
distinction does not matter in the real
world. You can lump viruses, Trojans and
worms together as "things I don't want on my
computer or my network".
Q. How do I prevent
a Trojan Horse attack?
A. The methods for
dealing with Trojans are generally the same
as for those for dealing with viruses. Most
virus scanners attempt to deal with some of
the common Trojans with varying degrees of
success, there are also specific
"anti-Trojan" scanners available, and your
best weapon is common sense yet again. Score
another point for safe computing!
Understanding the Dangers
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