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WHAT IS MALWARE?

   VIRUSES

Computer viruses themselves are not new. They've been around for about 15 years, but as DSL and cable access increase internet usage and available bandwidth, viruses are becoming more numerous and more complex every day. Viruses vary widely in the amount of damage that they do - some can delete files or erase your hard drive, others email themselves to addresses in your address book. Any of them will slow your machine down if they are running in background.

The recent problem is, with the increasing skill of virus creators and complexity of the viruses, some of these are not easily removed. A virus scan may detect the virus, but in order to completely remove it such that it doesn't reinstall, manual removal, including editing of the system registry, is needed. This generally should not be done by the average user, as incorrect editing can render the system useless.

  HIJACKERS

Browser or Home Page Hijackers are perhaps the newest annoyance to hit internet users. Because sites that host advertisements are paid according to the number of "hits" the site receives, some owners of these advertising sites download programs onto your PC, redirecting your browser homepage or attempts to reach popular search engines to their sites instead. The more recent hijackers such as "Cool Websearch", "Only The Best" and "Home Shopping Assistant" have proven to be very difficult to remove, renaming themselves at each startup and replicating themselves using random 5 or 6 letter names. These must be manually removed using a difficult and time consuming process. Left alone, they will use large amounts of memory, slowing or freezing the machine, and making use of your web browser difficult or impossible.

   SPYWARE

Spyware can be installed on your machine without your knowledge simply by your viewing of a particular website. Spyware ranges widely in function and purpose.  The most common type is a program that monitors your internet usage and sends the info back to a server for the purpose of delivering pop-up and banner ads for things that seem to interest you. At the other end of the spectrum are keystroke loggers capable of stealing info such as user names. passwords, and other private information as you type it on your keyboard, before the secure site can encrypt it.

ADWARE

Adware is the least harmful of the pests described here, but nonetheless an annoyance and invasion of privacy. Adware programs may installed along with file-sharing (Kazaa, Morpheus, etc.) programs and other "free" programs that you knowingly download and install. If you were to read through the fine print accompanying the license agreement before clicking "I agree", you would likely see vague references to the fact that other programs will be installed on your computer. Adware allows advertising specific to your browsing habits to be displayed on your screen in the form of pop-up or banner-type ads. Adware is generally easy to remove using free tools available online.