Jan 23 2006
Virus or Spyware: What’s the difference?
Author: Dave Fraser
Some of the biggest slowdowns in a PC are caused by viruses, adware or spyware.
Before users can benefit from any other PC optimisation tips or improvement, they need a system that’s free from those pests.
A virus is a piece of malicious software code written to cause some kind of damage to a computer system or network, or even the Internet itself.
Viruses spread, similar to their biological namesake, from one machine to another and can create havoc wherever they go. They are most commonly spread by sharing files with others or through email attachments where they can be set up to send themselves to all the contacts in a user’s address book.
Adware is usually downloaded and installed along with some other program without the person’s knowledge and – unlike a virus – doesn’t spread by itself. An example of this is: A person sees a “free” program on offer which they think might be useful and they download it without thinking. It has been known for some rogue anti-spyware programs to install adware wherein the writer of the program earns money from any ads that are clicked on by the user.
The benefit for the advertising company is that the spyware introduced are used to determine things like a person’s surfing habits, while the data gathered is used to serve up popup ads or redirect the browser to a page other than the one the person wanted.
Some of the programs can be used to install keyloggers which can send back information about any passwords, bank details, etc stored on the computer. Adware is not so much a security problem as it is an annoyance, especially when there are ten different programs trying to show ads. The amount of computer resources that get used for this can slow an average system to a crawl.
Spyware is more malicious and evil intentioned, and is designed to steal something.
It can be downloaded by visiting the wrong types of Web sites or along with other files – the same way as adware. Spyware can often be hard to remove as it continually recreates itself and hides somewhere on the PC’s hard drive.
It is always wise for someone to run more than one spyware checker as no one system finds them all. Users can never be certain that they have removed every one because the spyware checker has yet to be programmed to detectas new ones are constantly being created .
Two very popular spyware checkers are “Spybot search and destroy” and “Adaware 6.0” both of which are free.
Often, a dedicated system which not only removes spyware but also prevents infections – such as the one at Click – is also advisable. Utilise the free trial and thoroughly scan and clean a system.
People often ask the question “doesn’t my anti-virus software remove spyware”? Well the answer is, most don’t and even if they did, a specialist product usually works best. Computer users should also be aware of bogus spyware scanners available on-line which actually install their own spyware once they have removed their competitors.
Sometimes, a person will run a free scan and it finds all sorts of nasties that don’t actually exist. These programs frighten people into believing they have lots of spyware when all they have are advertising cookies. Some programs play this trick so that people pay to use the ‘remove‘ function of their software.
Cookies, actually, are small text files that Web sites leave on a computer so that when the person revisits the site, the page can be customised for the individual or the site can use it to count returning visitors. They are harmless and most of them are useful. They can be easily removed by deleting them in a browser’s tools section.
The moral of the story is, to stay protected. A person needs to be running a suitable – up to date – anti-virus program and one or more Spyware checkers. Be Safe!
Via.: MumbaiMirror
