We hear about new computer viruses all the time. What is the motivation behind developing computer viruses and watching them wreak havoc on the Internet? Fact Gathering Many viruses raid your documents including your email address book for information that can be used to make business contacts. This data is assembled into a database that …
Browser hijackers are malicious programs that redirect computer users to websites that the hacker wants and deploy the computer malware. The hijacker may change a computer’s default homepage or redirect computer users trying to visit legitimate websites such as their bank or Google to a maliciously crafted copy of the site to deploy computer malware …
Malware is a generic term for bad software. The word malware comes from the words malicious and software. Malware (Malicious Software) is software conceived to gain access to a computer without the end user’s knowledge or permission. Malware in general, pertains to a wide range of malicious software that includes computer viruses, Trojan horses, fraudulent …
A computer virus is designed to infect computer files through self-replication, and is able to infect other computers on its own. Viruses infect computers through boot sectors of portable drives, email attachments, other files, and by exploiting vulnerabilities in instant messaging and other real-time communication systems online. Not all computer viruses harm computers, but many …
There are many processes that run behind the scenes in Windows operating systems. One of these processes that may look suspicious is the SMSS.exe. This is an execution file with the full name Session Management Subsystem. The Session Manager Subsystem is responsible for starting a session. When this process begins, the system thread is responsible …
A logic bomb is a program, or portion of a program, which lies dormant until a specific piece of program logic is activated. In this way, a logic bomb is very analagous to a real-world land mine. The most common activator for a logic bomb is a date. The logic bomb checks the system date …
Manually removing spyware is not an easy task. Usually the best course of action to remove spyware from your computer is to download and install a free spyware removal tool that will do this job for you. However, sometimes a problem arises in which the spyware removal program is unable to delete the spyware files …
“Spyware” is a term in computer security that is used to refer to a type of malicious program that is capable of infiltrating a user’s computer and spying on his/her activities. Spyware is often used to obtain identity-related or financial information, such as usernames, passwords, social security numbers, and other confidential information. Spyware programs are …
A Trojan virus is a piece of software designed to look like a useful file or software program but performs a possibly nefarious function once installed on a client computer. The virus takes its name from the “Trojan Horse” from Greek mythology setup outside of the city of Troy. Trojan horse viruses differ from other …
New computer malware is discovered daily on the Internet. As computer security companies successfully combat emerging threats, computer virus authors grow more creative in designing attacks that take advantage of the many computer users that have not taken appropriate security measures or updated anti-virus software to defend against new attacks. Once a computer is infected, …