Is it a Virus, Spyware or Malware??

I thought I'd take a moment to clarify many misconceptions users face when their computer is affected by some form of malware. Today the term Malware is used to lump all computer infections together.

I get many calls daily asking what it costs to remove a virus. 99.9% of the time the user has spyware or grayware, many users aren't awareof the different terms related to computer infections. Maybe these will help.

Malware: Malware is the term used to describe any form of unwanted software.

Grayware: Grayware or greyware is the term used to describe borderline malware. Such as many tool bars include, like user surfing tracking.

Virus: A virus is the very worse malware. It replicates itself, can stay well hidden, changes or replaces system files and can often not be removed. A true virus always has a payload of some type. Most often leaving your computer useless.

Spyware: Spyware is pretty much self explanatory. It adds code to track your activities and attempts to send sensitive information back to the author. It is also able to disable your anti-virus software.

Worms: Worms are dangerous and hard to detect. These forms of malware hide well and are used for several purposes. They can steal your private information, make your computer a bot, server, or worse. They allow the author complete backdoor access to your computer.

Trojans: Trojans usually appear to be useful legitimate programs. For instance, video codecs, a content player, a game crack. When installed they add malicious code that may take the form of any of the types of malware. Most Trojans are easily detected by anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.

Scareware: These programs are usually more of an annoyance then anything. They install a fake anti-virus that informs the user he or she is infected with some type of malware and to remove it they must purchase the software. These programs are able to disable your anti-virus, anti-malware programs and your firewall. Often they can contain a Trojan horse as well.

No computer infection should be ignored. Many have the ability to phone home and download additional copies, making data loss quite likely. A good virus scanner, anti-spyware scanner, and regular updates are essential. Please note however, not any one scanner can find everything.

Hope this helps you understand some of the online threats you face every day.