What is a Trojan?
A Trojan is mal-ware that performs unexpected or
unauthorized, often malicious, actions. The main difference
between a Trojan and a virus is the inability to replicate.
Trojans cause damage, unexpected system behavior, and
compromise the security of systems, but do not replicate. If
it replicates, then it should be classified as a virus.
A Trojan, coined from Greek mythology's Trojan horse,
typically comes in good packaging but has some hidden
malicious intent within its code. When a Trojan is executed
users will likely experience unwanted system problems in
operation, and sometimes loss of valuable data.
What is a Virus?
A computer virus is a program of executable code that has
the ability to replicate. Like biological viruses, computer
viruses can spread quickly and are often difficult to
eradicate. They can attach themselves to just about any type
of file and are spread as files that are copied and sent
from individual to individual. Some computer viruses can
also destroy files, reformat your hard drive, or cause other
damage. If the virus does not contain a damage routine, it
can cause trouble by consuming storage space and memory, and
degrading the overall performance and resources of your
computer. Several years ago most viruses spread primarily
via floppy disk, but the Internet has introduced new virus
distribution mechanisms. With email now used as an essential
business communication tool, viruses are spreading faster
than ever. Viruses attached to email messages can infect
an network or your computer in minutes, costing companies
millions of dollars annually in lost productivity and virus
extraction expenses.
What is Mal-ware?
Mal-ware, short for malicious software, refers to any
malicious or unexpected program or code such as viruses, and
Trojans. What is Spy-ware? Spy-ware is short for
advertising supported software (Ad-ware). Software that
sends information about your internet habits back to the
computer from which it's launched. Spy-ware is often built
into free downloads and works in the background without a
user's knowledge .Since it doesn't record an individual's
personal information, it's often used to create marketing
profiles based on surfing habits. Why is it called
"Spy-ware"? While this may be a great concept, the downside
is that the advertising companies also install additional
tracking software on your system, which is
continuously sending your tracking information over the
internet. While according to the privacy policies of the
companies, there will be no sensitive or identifying data
collected from your system and you shall remain anonymous,
it still remains the fact, that you have a "live" server
sitting on your PC that is sending information about you and
your surfing habits to a remote location.
What are Exploits?
Exploits are what keeps Bill Gates and Microsoft up late at
night. Hackers try to find flaws in Windows to bypass
security so they can get access to your computer. Service
Pack 2 is an example of a patch that is used to correct a
flaw in Windows. Is Spy-ware illegal? Even though the name
may indicate so, spy-ware is not an illegal type of software
in any way. However there are certain issues that a privacy
oriented user may object to and therefore prefer not to use
the product. This usually involves the tracking and sending
of data and statistics via a server installed on the user's
PC and the use of your Internet connection in the
background. These tools are perfectly legal in most places,
but, just like an ordinary |
