Software That Will Piss You Off

As computer technology evolves, a lot of security threats are being discovered at the same time. When we talk about computer threats, virus is the first thing that will run across our minds. Well, this is understandable for those with no or little computer language knowledge. Some people may actually classify other malware under the concept virus. For instance, virus is just another type of malware. A malware or malicious software is a program designed specifically to damage or disrupts a system. Aside from viruses; spywares, rootkits, keyloggers, worms, and Trojans are also classified as malwares.

Viruses and Worms work very much the same way and go hand in hand. A virus executes itself by inserting its malicious code in the execution path of another application. Then, it replicates by replacing existing files with copies of files containing the viral code. However, a computer virus must find an infected host files to propagate itself and further spread the infection. A worm, on the other hand, is a software program that is designed to copy itself from one computer to another automatically, without human interaction. That makes it different from a virus.

A worm can replicates itself in a really huge volume in a very short period of time. Worms reproduce not by infiltrating files but by infiltrating systems. They operate through networks and work as stand-alone programs. They are hard to track and are often disguised, and can spread easily and rapidly via email  example, a worm can send out copies of itself to every contact in your e-mail address book, and then it can send itself to all of the contacts in your contact's e-mail address books. Melissa and ILOVEYOU are some examples of worms. Way back in 2000, ILOVEYOU wreaked havoc causing an estimated of $5.5 billion damage in total.

Another type of malware is Trojan horses or commonly known as Trojan. This program disguised as something innocuous or useful to the user. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses do not replicate themselves but they can be just as destructive. This program is being used by hackers to steal important information, passwords, etc.; or to take control of your computer and use it to attack others. Although Trojan cannot reproduce itself, it can start off a virus or worm outbreak, by injecting it into users' local networks. Some examples of Trojans are RemoteAccess, Data Destruction, Downloader, Security software disabler, and Denial-of-service attack (DoS).

To summarize how these malwares work, - a virus infects files; a worm just spreads its own files, usually by sending itself by e-mail; and a Trojan horse just sits on one place, doing annoying stuff on the user's computer.