by Carrie Eckles

Created on: June 11, 2010

Viruses, Trojan horses, and worms are all scary words to any computer user; as with all scary concepts, the best way to alleviate fear (as well as to protect yourself) is to better understand what you’re afraid of. While all of these icky programs are termed ‘malware’ (short for ‘malicious software’), they have some key differences which are important to understand.

Viruses

Viruses are the most commonly talked about malware, but very few laypeople are aware of the mechanisms that actually make them so malicious.

Just like biological viruses, computer viruses infect a host and reproduce, infecting different files within the system. When those infected files are shared with another person’s computer, such as through downloads via the internet, a second computer is infected and the virus continues to spread like a roaring case of hemorrhagic fever.  And just like with the deadly and incurable Ebola virus, the best defense against computer viruses is to protect yourself from infection.

Trojan horses

The story of the Trojan horse is still widely known by adults and schoolchildren alike – and with good reason. It’s a cautionary tale, warning that what seems harmless can actually be filled with mal intent. Modern, computerized Trojan horses mimic their ancient namesake. In order to become infected with a Trojan horse, a user has to download the bad file; the Trojan horse has a backdoor program imbedded within it that can basically turn your computer into its unwitting minion. If your computer is infected with a Trojan horse, there’s a pretty good chance it’s being used for some pretty seedy purposes such as perpetuating spam on an epic level.

Worms

Worms are probably the most feared form of malware; again, there’s a good reason. Unlike Trojan horses and viruses, worms don’t have to be downloaded or installed by the user. Instead, authors of worms write their little monsters so that they exploit security flaws in major networks. Thus major sites and internet providers remain extremely vigilant, constantly updating their sites and services to protect users against these sneaky aggressive code-creatures. The good news is that those in charge of such things can have some amount of warning, often staying a step ahead and keeping their networks as secure as possible.

Protecting yourself against malware

Preventative medicine is always the best medicine. That common knowledge translates well to protecting your computer. Computer users should always keep their anti-virus software up-to-date; if you don’t have anti-virus software, you need to procure some ASAP. Common brands include Norton, McAfee, and Avast (which happens to be free). Maintaining your firewall is also important. Standard users should never change their firewall settings, even when prompted; doing so can have major repercussions.

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