Page 119 - Viva ICSE Computer Studies 6 : E-book

Malware

Malware, also called malicious software is a
program that harms the computer in use. These
programs are designed with intentions of
stealing or altering data from a computer. They
also monitor activities of the user on a computer
without his/her permission. Viruses, worms,
root kits and Trojan horses are some malicious
software.

Scareware
Scareware is a type of malicious software that
tricks the user to purchase and download
software that are harmful for the computer. This
software pops up a message window showing
information about infected fi les which need to
be fi xed thus asking the user to download the
malicious software. In reality, there are no such
problems and the software once downloaded
can harm the computer.
Trojans

Trojans are viruses that do not replicate themselves
and are designed to perform targeted activities.
A Trojan horse is a computer program that tricks
the user by acting as an original fi le. When the
user opens the fi le, the virus starts the program
automatically and begins to infect the system. A
Trojan horse will not replicate like a virus program,
but it does a lot of damage to our computer every
time we open and run it.
Worms

A worm is a small software program that uses
computer networks and takes advantage of security
weaknesses to replicate. The worm sends its fi les
through the cables that connect many computers.
When the security is weak, the computer that is
linked to the infected computer also gets aff ected.
Worms are similar to computer viruses, but are less
eff ective and are easy to remove. These viruses
replicate themselves and reduce the system
performances.

107