What is malware (part 4)

Previously we have looked at malware and viruses (part 1), trojan horses and cookies (part 2), and spyware and rootkits (part 3). This time we look at latest trends and the forms of protection you can take to prevent your computer being infected.

Latest trends:

Most malware these days are not written by students or amateurs but by highly qualified criminal gangs using all the techniques of modern software writers. Malware is becoming increasingly complex and clever and often “protects” itself against anti-malware solutions, even shutting them down. Some malware are extremely difficult to remove, and even when removed leave the computer “damaged” in some way.
Protection:

This all sounds very scary, but there are some good ways to protect yourself against getting malware on your computer.

Firstly, make sure you install a recognised anti-virus system on your computer. There are many good ones, some are even free for consumer use. Check out our links section if you need some examples. Never “surf” the web without protection.

Keep your computer’s software patched and current. Both your operating system and your anti- virus application must be updated on a regular basis. You should also check for other software updates on a regular basis. The bonus here is that as well as getting potential problems sorted out you often get improvements and additional features to the software.

Only download updates from the manufacturers websites, or use the software’s own updates tool (generally located in the “help” menu).

Always think before you install something, weigh the risks and benefits, and be aware of the fine print. Does the lengthy license agreement that you don’t want to read conceal a warning that you are about to install spyware?

Install and use a firewall. If you are running Windows XP SP1 or later, Vista and 7, you can use the built-in software firewall under Control Panel, and there are free versions of firewalls that work on all versions of Windows.

Make sure your important data, documents, photos, etc are regularly backed up, just in case the worst happens and a virus takes out your system.

Prevention is always better than cure.

Future articles will deal with removal of malware should you be unfortunate enough to get some.