Alliance Link Internet Service Provider

By Tommy Carlile
Alliance Link

As if the newer threats such as Spam and Spyware weren’t enough for you to worry about, you must make sure that you don’t forget about the older threats. Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses have been around for a long while and they are still causing disturbances across the globe.

So what is the difference between Viruses, Trojan Horses, and Worms? It has long been believed that any program that causes computer problems is a virus but actually the definition of a virus is different. Computer viruses most often will hide their selves throughout your computer in various places. But a program does not have to cause harm in order to be a virus. There have been instances of programs that simply replicate themselves and spread around but cause no harm; these sorts of programs must also be considered a virus. These pieces of software can spread in many ways. Perhaps you download a song and the MP3 is infected, or maybe you open a document you downloaded and the file is infected. Whatever way you become infected the virus will attempt to copy itself and infect other computers.

A computer Worm is another term that has been labeled as a virus. Worms are even peskier than a virus mainly because they spread without any user interaction. What this means is that your computer can become infected without you downloading a file onto your computer. The fact that your computer is merely on the internet is enough to become infected. Many of the security updates that Microsoft offers for its popular Windows operating system are because of “flaws” in Microsoft’s software that allows the worm to spread. As soon as a software company becomes aware that there is a “hole” in its software there are usually patches that are released that help to close these holes. These flaws are not limited to Microsoft I just used them as an example because that is what we hear about in the media more. Practically any software is susceptible to becoming exploited by a worm. Once your compute becomes infected the worm will use your connection to the internet whether it is through a network or over a dial up connection in order to spread itself around the world.

Trojan Horses are programs that pose as something they are not. Trojan Horses get their name from the ancient story of the Trojan Horse where a giant hollow horse filled with soldiers was built and presented as a gift to their enemy. This malware differs from viruses and worms in the matter that it does not generally attempt to replicate and spread itself. Rather it normally causes a hidden and unwanted effect. Usually it will create a “backdoor” that provides someone else an open invitation into your computer. Lately there have been Trojan Horses that open a backdoor so that Spyware can be loaded onto your system without your knowledge.

What can I do to protect my computer from infection? Although there is no guaranteed way that you can have 100% protection from all malware there are many things you can do to help limit your risk for infection. First and foremost the main thing you must do is to use anti virus software. It is not enough though to merely install anti virus but you must also make sure that your virus definitions are completely up to date. Every time you log onto the internet it is a good practice to check for virus definition updates. Although all anti virus is different generally all this involves is opening up your anti virus client and then clicking on the update button.

It is also good practice to not open up unknown programs or files. Unless you know exactly what the file is I would not even consider opening it. This is also true for email attachments. If you receive an email even from a friend that has an attachment on it I would think twice before opening it up. Where you expecting a file from this person, does the name of the file sound like something they would send you?

Basically you just want to use caution when connected to the internet. Use common sense. If you were not expecting a file or email from someone then don’t open it. If your anti virus definitions are old, download new ones. Precaution can do wonders to help limit your risk. Using common sense will help a lot but all of the precaution in the world won’t guarantee you won’t become infected.