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Confused about all those terms you hear
about and not sure how these impact the use of your computer? You are not
alone, most users of computers are unaware how to tell if their computer is
infected with a virus, spyware, Trojans or others. Further they are
unaware that these can lead to identity theft and loss of their data off
their computer. |
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MALWARE |
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Short for "malicious software," malware refers to software programs designed
to damage or do other unwanted actions on a computer system.
Common examples of malware include:
viruses,
worms,
Trojan horses,
and spyware.
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SPAM |
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"spam" refers to junk e-mail or irrelevant postings to a newsgroup or
bulletin board. The unsolicited e-mail messages you receive about
refinancing your home, reversing aging, and losing those extra pounds are
all considered to be spam. |
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SPYWARE |
VIRUS |
 Spyware
can capture information like Web browsing habits, e-mail messages, usernames
and passwords, and credit card information. If left unchecked, the software
can transmit this data to another person's computer over the Internet. Just
like viruses, spyware can be installed when you open an e-mail attachment
containing the malicious software. It can also be installed when you install
another program that has a spyware installer attached to it. |
 Computer viruses are
small programs or scripts that can negatively affect the health of your
computer. These malicious little programs can create files, move files,
erase files, consume your computer's memory, and cause your computer not to
function correctly. Some viruses can duplicate themselves, attach themselves
to programs, and travel across networks. In fact opening an infected e-mail
attachment is the most common way to get a virus. |
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WORM |
TROJAN HORSES |
 A computer worm is a
type of virus that
replicates itself, but does not alter any files on your machine. However,
worms can still cause havoc by multiplying so many times that they take up
all your computer's available memory or hard disk space. If a worm consumes
your memory, your computer will run very slowly and possibly even crash.
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 Trojan
horses are software programs that masquerade as regular programs, such as
games, disk utilities, and even antivirus programs. But if they are run,
these programs can do malicious things to your computer.
For example, a Trojan horse might appear to be a computer game, but once you
double-click it, the program starts writing over certain parts of your hard
drive, corrupting your data. Unlike viruses, however, Trojan horses don't
replicate themselves. Though it is possible for a Trojan horse to be
attached to a virus file that spreads to multiple computers.
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ZOMBIE COMPUTERS |
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A zombie computer (often shortened as zombie) is a computer attached to the
Internet that has been
compromised by a
hacker,
a computer virus,
or a Trojan
horse. Most owners of zombie computers are unaware that their system is
being used in this way. Because the owner tends to be unaware, these
computers are metaphorically compared to
zombies.
(1): Spammer's web site
(2): Spammer
(3): Spamware
(4): Infected computers
(5): Virus or Trojan
(6): Mail servers
(7): Users
(8): Web traffic
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Something pops up while surfing the internet and says your computer is
infected and to install this program.
DON’T DO IT.
XP
Antivirus Protection Also Known as:
XPAntivirus and many other name variations
is fake
antivirus software.
This program is typically known to infect a computer just after performing
an install of specific video codec or adobe flash upgrade. The corrupted video codec is usually
distributed with a Trojan, Malware and Virus. It is crucial to remove all
the components of XP Antivirus and all malware and Trojans such as
zlob.trojan, trojan.vundo and trojan.downloader that may have been installed
along with it.
There are many variations of
these fake programs and all are bad news if they are on your computer. I
have included several screen shots from computers I have repaired here in
Kermit. |
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