A computer virus is a form of malware. Some viruses attach themselves to programs in the host computer. Viruses that are able to run independently are commonly known as worms.A virus is designed to compromise its host or to replicate itself and infect other computers.
Spam is an unsolicited email. Spammers send out millions of identical emails usually for financial gain. Over the years Spam has become much moresophisticated in an attempt to avoid detection and many of them now contain malicious links such as PDF`s, XLS and even Mp3 music files.
Phishing is becoming increasingly common and is a spamming technique used to lure victims into revealing confidential information such as bank account details and passwords, So called Cyber-Criminals send emails which mimic reputable companies such as banks in order to trick victims to fake websites where they are required to input their personal details.
Spyware is an application which installs itself and then runs in the background on the victims computer. The application then sends the victims privateinformation and web surfing habits to a Cyber-Criminals website. Spyware often installs itself without the users knowledge or permission.
Malicious links are found in the form of hypertext links that redirect the user to a website that may well appear on the outset perfectly legitimate. The site then infects the users computer with malware and viruses. Using web links is becoming a more increasingly common technique because it avoids the use of malicious code within an email, which provided the victim has adequate anti-spam software installed can be avoided.
 
Trojan's are disguised and are often much more destructive than they first seem. Trojan is a self-contained program unlike a virus that can run independently. They invariably conceal malicious payloads which download confidential information and transmit them to Cyber-Criminals.
 
Signs you have been Compromised:
If your computer starts to behave strangely or displays any of the symptoms listed, then you may have been Hi-Jacked and you will have Spyware, Malware or Root-Kits installed on your PC.
You see pop-up advertisements all the time when surfing the web.
Your settings have changed and you cannot change them back again.
Your web browser keeps on re-directing you to other sites and also downloads and executes attachments.
Your PC seems to act differently.
Your PC takes longer to boot than normal.
You can`t log in to your Facebook, Webmail or similar sites.
Your internet connection stops connecting and becomes unusable. - Your PC has toolbars installed in your browser that seem to remain, even when the PC is restarted.
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