Malware is a pretty uncommon term, and is not familiar to a lot of users of computer software. Basically, the term refers to any kind of software that has been created to cause harm to its host computer by installing things and doing procedures unknown to the user.
The term can also encompass adware and spyware as well, similar software that don’t necessarily damage the computer but interfere with its general operation, track and send information, and operate without the user knowing about them. Although malware isn’t quite the same thing as a virus, they share the same basic purpose – of screwing your computer up. It’s important to distinguish them from ordinary programs that may have running problems because of unintentional or unforeseen issues. Freely downloaded programs and files tend to host malware more often than purchased software does, and malware can also sneak in by piggybacking on Trojan viruses and rootkits.
Trojan horses are harmful installations that disguise themselves as seemingly innocent programs. These installations may seem harmless when running, but behind the scenes the malware covertly installs itself at the same time. Once installed, malware needs to remain concealed to continue working on your computer. This is done through rootkits, which work by concealing the malware from the list of running system processes, ensuring that the malware remains undetected.
Once installed, advanced rootkits are tough to get rid of. This is because many malware programs create ‘ghost’ versions of themselves, and whenever the original malware program detects that one of these ghosts has been deleted or deactivated, it quickly responds by replicating the deleted or deactivated files. Also, because the rootkit conceals the actual malware program from your system, whatever defenses your system may have continue going after the ghosts. Thus, the system is stuck chasing down one ghost decoy after another, while the actual malware itself remains untouched.
Some common examples of malware include Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom. In addition to these and other versions of malware, there exists another category of unauthorized software, often termed grayware. Unlike malware, grayware does not actually harm your computer ? it is usually merely annoying. Examples of grayware include unauthorized advertisements on your computer and harmless, but nonetheless irritating, joke programs.
Even grayware, though technically non-malicious, can be difficult to remove and almost equally disruptive to effective use of the computer, so it is often lumped in with malware. Grayware can also unintentionally compromise your computer’s safety and open up your network to worse things like actual malware. Malware and grayware are able to infect you through your USB ports as well as through the internet, and through your general admin network.
Since it is virtually impossible to keep your system free of malware, you should routinely check for it by using a reputable anti-malware system, such as Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool. This program — compatible with Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 — can both identify the specific malware installations on your system and assist you in removing them.
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