This
month’s article is part four in the series to understanding, in simple
language, “computer jargon”
Overview
Since my last
article the news has been full of the details of how it is alleged the American
and British governments are spying on internet activity. In relation to this
article it is important to note that it is also alleged that these governments
are also engaged in wide scale
hacking on the internet. The methods of hacking into systems are widely
known by computer programmers and are also available to cyber criminals who are
targeting your computer. This article explains some of the programs in
use and what their primary objectives are:
What Is
Malware
Malware, is
short for malicious software, and covers virtually all types of viruses, trojans,
hijackers, ransomware, or any software that seeks in some way to harm your
computer, compromise your security, and/or defraud you. Here is a brief
explanation of each of the most common malware programs:
Virus: The original and most often used term for
malware meaning any or all of the types outlined below. Initially these
programs were designed to cripple the computer but this is seldom the objective
these days as a crippled machine is of no use to cyber criminals.
Trojan: As the name suggests this is a program which
gets onto your computer disguised as something else or hidden within something
else. This can be a video, music file, or a software program that you believe
to be legitimate. The term Trojan
refers to how it gets into your computer. Trojans behave usually like any other
virus which may include stealing information from you or providing access to
others to your computer.
Hijacker: Designed to allow use of your computer by
others, to either spread viruses or in more recent cases crash website and
computer systems. Hijackers are now commonplace on the internet.
Ransomware: This is the latest type of virus in use by
cyber criminals and is designed to panic the computer user into paying out
money. The first versions featured a notice from the german police that your
computer had been locked due to illegal activity but since then the authors
have modified the software to use the local police logos. Hence if you get
infected by this virus you can expect to see the Garda Siochana logo appearing
on your screen. The notice asks you to
pay between 80 and 100 euro to unlock your machine.
Free Anti-Virus Trial
You can download a free trial of anti-virus
software at the following address if you suspect a malware infection. http://www.reidyonline.com/products.htm
