Viruses & Spyware = Malware
What is Malware?
Types of malware include viruses and spyware. Any program that runs for nefarious purposes
Is Malware special?
Not really. It is just a program like any other. The only thing “special” about is its purpose, which is evil. Although, it can be extremely difficult to uninstall in Windows. And the MacOS actually does not include an uninstall utility at all.
How do I get Malware?
It used to be that malware installed without your knowledge. however today, most operating Systems (even Windows) are pretty secure. so most malware is installed when agree or are tricked into agreeing to do so.
Well, I have a Mac, iPhone or iPad so i do not have to worry!
False. Since you must agree to install malware most times, Macs and iOS devices are just as susceptible to viruses as Windows PC. There are just fewer viruses written for them. In fact, one of the largest Virus outbreaks of the last decade happened on the Mac platform. Nearly 600 thousand machines were infected before it was detected mainly because most users were so certain of the invulnerability, they were not running an antivirus program to catch it.
What does Malware do?
Again this has changed over the decades. It used to try to destroy your machine or take it over to do whatever they like with it. Although these still occur, the lions share of malware nowadays just sit quietly in the background… stealing your credit card numbers, logging every keystroke and otherwise taking your entire digital identity.
Oh My Goodness! What can I do?
It is not hard to fight this kind of attack. most work site computers are all safe. However, if you worry for your home machine, contact me and I can give it a free inspection smile emoticon Oh and, do not open anything you receive in email from anyone you do not know. And if you open anything from a friend, and Windows prompts you to allow it to run or Mac warns you it is from the internet and may be unsafe, so no.
I will give my in depth overviews of specific types of malware in future tips. meanwhile, I hope you found this taste useful!