Privacy, Security & Virus Information

Types of Virus Threats and How Best to Avoid Them

There are many virus threats which have been heightened by the wide availability and use of the Internet. A virus threat is basically some software or malicious code that harms your computer without your knowledge. This software or code will often damage both personal and system files as well as stealing data from your computer that could include your personal information, passwords and login details for different websites. There are many virus threats but the main types of virus threats to your computer are detailed as follows:

Trojan threats

Trojan threats hide themselves as useful programs, software or applications that can be downloaded to your PC. These files though are actually destructive files to give hackers’ access to your PC. The files are totally innocent looking and are most often downloaded from a website or opened through an email attachment.

Worm threats

A worm threat is a program that spreads over a network and has the ability to spread without human interaction. The worm spreads by taking advantage of file or information communication and transport on your computer. An example of a worm virus is when it can send a copy of itself to everyone in your email address book and manifest at each stop it makes.

Spyware

Spyware is a type of malware that is installed on a computer without the user’s knowledge. As the name suggests it then spies on your computer and Internet usage. These programs can therefore collect information on the user such as personal information, browsing habits, what websites have been visited etc. Spyware can even track your keystrokes to capture personal and login details to particular websites.

Phishing

Phishing tries to get personal information such as bank details and login details by posing as a legitimate form of communication. Often this occurs in the form of an email or pop-up asking you for personal information or requesting you to validate some account information.

Root Kill

A root kill virus is a software program that gains administrator-level access to your PC. This is done without your consent or knowledge and once the program is activated it can damage your computer’s system.

New viruses are being created on a regular basis and it is therefore important to avoid such threats to your PC. There are a number of ways in which you can protect your computer and avoid them as follows:

• You need to firstly ensure that you have an up-to-date anti-virus program installed on your computer that gets regular updates. This is the best way to protect against virus threats.
  
  
• Be vigilant when downloading attachments from your email. If you receive an email attachment from someone you should ensure that you were expecting them to send you some information, don’t just open any attachment if you weren’t expecting an email from that person.
  
  
• Be careful when downloading files from the Internet. You should only download files if your virus protection is up-to-date, so that it can check and ensure that the file is legitimate and doesn’t contain any viruses. You should also be wary about random pop-ups that appear when you are browsing the Internet as these are often considered spam and contain virus threats.
  
  
• Make sure that your PC’s firewall is turned on at all times and ensure that the firewall is on your Internet connection. A secure firewall will block any outside influence trying to connect to your computer.
  
  
  
  

 

Article by Sarah Wain, 5th December 2011. Content correct at the date of publication.