Malware Case Study

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One of the biggest worries and problems all internet users face today is Malware. Malware, short for malicious software, is a term that describes any software program designed to damage or do unwanted actions on a computer system. Some of these action may include disrupting computer operations, gathering sensitive information, gaining access to private computer systems or displaying unwanted advertising. The main types of Malware include the following, which we will go into more details about. (Contributor, Techterms.com, 2016)
• Viruses
• Worms
• Rootkits
• Trojan Horses
• Spyware
Computer Viruses are a form of malware that are small software programs that can spread to different computers. They cause interference to your computer’s operations,
Then this data may be spread or shared with others without the consent of its owner. It can also lead to the computer being controlled without the consumer’s consent. Spyware can consist of domestic or commercial. With domestic, computer owners may install this to monitor family members or employees, while commercial can be used by companies to track internet browsing and help marketers with advertising. Third parties can also install domestic spyware. Two of the main third party spyware installations are used in very different ways. Law enforcement agencies have used this to monitor suspected criminal information and criminals have used this to steal people’s information and cypher funds. Even though spyware is used to monitor, track and store a user’s movements and in many cases allow pop-up ads to be present based on the data collected, it can also be used to gather personal information including user login in, bank and credit card information and track where people use the net. (Contributor, TopTen Reviews,
(Consumer Information: Malware, 2016) One of the first and most important steps is installing security software from reliable and reputable companies. Companies such as Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky, Bitdefender offer some of the top internet security programs. (Egan, 2016)These companies and many others offer protections at reasonable prices and cater to different areas and levels of computer security needed by the user. There really is no excuse not to have security on your computer or devices because many companies will even offer basic protection for free. It truly is so tempting to click on things, download things for free or simply upload updates or add-ons that you believe are needed to properly run programs that you use and not uncommon for many people to do, even on a daily basis. We get things from people that we know and automatically trust the source, not knowing whether or not their computer has been infected with any of these malware. In many cases, things are spread unknowingly and sometimes innocently. I feel the best way to protect yourself is to be prepared, proactive and smart. Set yourself for

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