Technical Tuesday: Is your computer sick? It may have Malware.

Malware is a broad term that is used to describe all sorts of malicious code.

A virus is a part of this Larger Term.

The difference here is that not all Malware is a Virus. Some of it is easy and quick to remove and some Malware is hard and needs a special set of skills and knowledge to remove.

Always bring your computer to a cerified computer Technician if you suppect any type of Malware.

There are a lot of terms that Malware takes the place of. Below I am going to explain each one with the definitions that I have found from the Tech Terms Computer Dictionary. Many of them you may find that you are already familiar with.

Virus- Computer viruses are small programs or scripts that can negatively affect the health of your computer. These malicious little programs can create files, move files, erase files, consume your computer’s memory, and cause your computer not to function correctly. Some viruses can duplicate themselves, attach themselves to programs, and travel across networks. In fact opening an infected e-mail attachment is the most common way to get a virus.

Christensson, Per. “Virus Definition.” TechTerms. (August 16, 2011). Accessed Feb 6, 2019. https://techterms.com/definition/virus.

—– This means that some ways that you can Identify that you have a virus are

• Your computer is running Slowly
• You cannot open files or programs

Spyware- can capture information like Web browsing habits, e-mail messages, usernames and passwords, and credit card information. If left unchecked, the software can transmit this data to another person’s computer over the Internet.

Christensson, Per. “Spyware Definition.” TechTerms. (2006). Accessed Feb 6, 2019. https://techterms.com/definition/spyware.

There is no definitive way to tell that someone is spying on your computer… although if you suspect that someone is you should contact the authorizes…and by that I mean the POLICE.

Adware- is free software that is supported by advertisements. Common adware programs are toolbars that sit on your desktop or work in conjunction with your Web browser. They include features like advanced searching of the Web or your hard drive and better organization of your bookmarks and shortcuts. Adware can also be more advanced programs such as games or utilities. They are free to use, but require you to watch advertisements as long as the programs are open. Since the ads often allow you to click to a Web site, adware typically requires an active Internet connection to run.

Christensson, Per. “Adware Definition.” TechTerms. (2006). Accessed Feb 6, 2019. https://techterms.com/definition/adware.

Some ways that you can tell that you have a malicious form of adware would be you see an increased number of pop-ups and the URL Bar loads slowly and makes everything harder to use.

Nagware- Programs that incessantly reminded users to register and pay for the software. These programs are trial programs, which are also called “trialware” or “demoware.” These programs are provided as demos that you can try for a limited time, such as two weeks or one month. Once the trial period expires, you must pay for the software in order to continue using it.

Christensson, Per. “Shareware Definition.” TechTerms. (July 9, 2012). Accessed Feb 6, 2019. https://techterms.com/definition/shareware.

If you have a program that is great but you constantly are being told throughout your trail that you need to purchase and register the program then its Nagware.

Trojan Horse- are software programs that masquerade as regular programs, such as games, disk utilities, and even antivirus programs. But if they are run, these programs can do malicious things to your computer.

Christensson, Per. “Trojan Horse Definition.” TechTerms. (2006). Accessed Feb 6, 2019. https://techterms.com/definition/trojanhorse.

Trojan Horses are Dangerous. If you experience corrupted data or files that you cannot access then seek help.

The way that I imagine a trojan horse.. is kind of like a bull in a china shop… this shit will destroy your computer and F**K your shit up. So be a little smarter than the average bear. Only trust and download from known sites and programs that have reputable dealers.

Worms- is a type of virus that replicates itself, but does not alter any files on your machine. However, worms can still cause havoc by multiplying so many times that they take up all your computer’s available memory or hard disk space. If a worm consumes your memory, your computer will run very slowly and possibly even crash. If the worm affects your hard disk space, your computer will take a long time to access files and you will not be able to save or create new files until the worm has been eradicated.

Christensson, Per. “Worm Definition.” TechTerms. (2006). Accessed Feb 6, 2019. https://techterms.com/definition/worm.

This one is fairly simple also. If your computer starts to run slowly and doing a Disk Cleanup or Defragmenting the drive (Learn how too here)doesn’t speed it up then you should run a Anti Virus program. This will usually remove the worms and allow you to use the computer normally again.

As with all things computer or phone related seek help from a Certified Computer Technician if you don’t know how to solve the problem yourself. The reason why I say this so much is because a lot of the time people will seek help from their friends and the problems will get worse. A lot of companies will charge a diagnostic fee and then will let you know what the problem is before they work on your computer.

This is a good way to find out what is wrong and then to see if its worth it to fix the issue. Sometimes saving what you can and just replacing the computer with a new one is a good option.

If you know of another type of Malware that was not mentioned here then leave it below in the comments and if you liked this post subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to find out all the new things happening in the Geekdom.