"Fight fire with fire" is an advice often handed out today to help people with various problems. In fact, this advice is being taken very seriously by people in the software industry. Many people today are becoming aware of the problems posed by malicious software. In fact, 80 percent of computer users today have their systems infected with spyware. Of these people, only about 5 percent know that they have spyware installed into their computers. These are very troubling figures indeed. This is the reason why people today look for solutions against spyware in anti-spyware tools.
Anti-spyware stops spyware from doing damage to your computer using two methods: prevention and solution.
1) Prevention – Anti-spyware stops spyware from ever being installed inside your system. This is done through different ways. Some anti-spyware tools scan every type of information that passes into your computer. The anti-spyware software then checks it against a database of known spyware. Because of this, if a known spyware tries to npenetrate your system, it is immediately prevented from doing so. Of course, this is only effective as long as the spyware database is kept updated.
Another method used by antispyware to prevent spyware from being installed into your system is to limit the activities of cetain programs known to be used in distributing spyware. One such program is ActiveX. By doing this, anti-spyware tools will lessen the chance that any spyware will be installed in your system.
2) Solution – on the off-chance that any type of spyware already exists in your system, anti-spyware tools are also able to get rid of those. This is done by regular scanning of your system. Anti-spyware deletes spyware and makes sure that no traces remain of it to damage your computer.
Usually, programmers find this type of method easier to incorporate into anti-spyware software than preventive measures. This is because of the fact that most methods used by people to introduce spyware into a system cannot be stopped without affecting the common operations of a computer. For example, some spyware creators make use of the program Flash to introduce spyware into a computer. However, some legitimate sites do use Flash to make your web surfing more entertaining. This means that disabling Flash entirely would not be feasible for many users. Hence, anti-spyware manufacturers are faced with the dilemma of setting parameters for such programs that would prevent spyware but ensure the satisfaction of the customers.
Of course, there are alternatives to using anti-spyware against spyware. But these solutions may prove to be impractical. One method is to just limit your computer’s contact with other networks. This means that you should limit your internet use.
Of course, this solution would seem horrendous to some people because of the fact that most people today depend on the internet for their needs.
Another solution is to try and remove any spyware yourself. However, this may take some time and could cause some serious damage to your system if you have no idea what you are doing. Because of this, it is not really recommended that you tinker with spyware on your own.
As you can see, using anti-spyware against spyware is still the best thing you can do to solve your spyware problems. By using specialized software, you can fight fire with fire and rid your system of all those problems.
The term "malware" is an amalgamation of the words "malicious" and "software". When it comes down to it, the term "malware" actually gets its definition from the intent of the creator and not from the function of the software itself. This is because a piece of software cannot be termed "malicious" unless it is used for malicious purposes. As we all know, the purpose of a tool such as software depends on the creator.
Here are some types of malware that you should be aware of:
1) Infectious – This type of malware is composed mainly of computer viruses and worms. These are the most commonly known types of malware. In fact, the word "virus" today is more often used today to indicate a computer virus than an actual physiological virus. Viruses differ from worms in their operation and distribution.
A "virus" used to be spread via the use of floppy disks. A virus would copy itself into an executable file and would be run whenever a certain program is activated or a certain disk is opened.
The concept of a computer worm was introduced when the internet was first used to infect systems with malware. This type of malware would scan different networks for any vulnerable systems and then copy itself to those systems. From its new base, the worm would then begin a new process of scanning and copying.
Although these two terms used to have very distinct meanings and uses, they are now actually used interchangeably to indicate any type of infectious malware.
2) Concealers – generally, this type of malware is used to hide any type of activity within a user's system. There are various types of concealers, such as:
a) Trojan Horses – serving the same purpose as its mythical counterpart, today's Trojan horse may have different appearances. Some Trojan horses take the form of utilities. His appearance encourages a person to make use of them and make improvements on their system. When the unwitting user downloads the program, this then opens a door for other types of software and malware to be introduced into an end-user's system.
Trojan horses are often used by creators of viruses in order to cause a massive computer virus outbreak. By introducing a virus into one network via a Trojan horse, the creator ensures the spread of that virus to other networks.
b) Backdoors – this type of malware creates an alternative pathway or route inside your system. It is used by hackers to create an alternative pathway into a computer. This helps them avoid any sort of security systems that people nowadays place inside their computers. Once inside a system, the hackers will then be able to do anything they want.
3) Profit malware – some forms of malware are created by companies who wish to increase their profits. This type of malware often comes in the form of a dialer. A dialer is a type of malware which messes with your internet connection. Dialers reroute your net connection through an expensive phone line thus, increasing the bills that you have to pay. An unwitting person who has his or her system infected with this type of spyware is forced to pay a huge amount of cash for a service that he or she definitely does not need. Being infected with this type of malware is just like flushing your wallet down the toilet.
This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our Privacy Policy