Types of viruses

Malicious software is often called Malware. The most common are viruses and spyware. Viruses of many different types are found floating through the Internet. Consider yourself lucky if you have never been the victim of a virus as over 80% of computer users presently have malware installed on their system.

Virus

The typical virus requires activation by the user, such as double clicking or sending outgoing email with an infection. Once activated, a virus could essentially wipe out or compromise existing data or send spam emails to everyone in your contact lists. Viruses are scary which is why we take virus solutions so seriously.

Worm

A worm releases a document containing the “worm” macro and sends copies of itself to other computers through network flaws, therefore bypassing any need for user intervention.

Trojan Horse

A common yet difficult computer threat to remove is called a Trojan Horse. This is a program that tricks the user into installing it, often by claiming to be a beneficial program that has detected problems with your system.

Rootkits

Rootkits are software packages that install themselves “underneath” the operating system. With a rootkit, a malicious user can maintain full control over your system and remain invisible to most anti-malware software. This type of infection can be difficult to detect on your own, but our experts can determine if you have been compromised and will quickly eliminate the software.

Malware infections multiply and download more on the internet in the background, without you knowing until your laptop stops completely.  Viruses & Spyware will cycle the processor (CPU) at a very high rate constantly, along with a very high memory usage. This results in a very sluggish, un-responsive, “freeze” or locked-up computer.  Viruses & Spyware run your computer or laptop hotter and can damage hardware, and damage the hard drive, which can result in complete loss of your data. In fact, computer viruses account for 15% of total data loss.

Updated security programs, along with your knowledge of your surfing habits, are the best defense against computer viruses. However, computer viruses and spyware are getting very complex and difficult for anti-virus programs to detect and block. Another very common infection these days comes in the form of a fake, rogue, false anti -virus program. This one is slipping by all security programs, and is infecting many computers & laptops. Maintaining scheduled backups of all your computers or laptops important data at all times is critical!