Nowadays, computers and Internet play a major role in daily life. With the increasing use of computers, there has been a rise in security threats such as viruses, spyware, Trojans, worms, etc. Computer users are suffering losses due to malicious programs which easily install themselves from the Internet or other sources, and multiply by downloading other infected software. These malware are categorized as virus, spyware, and Trojans, just to name a few. Each of these programs harm your computer in different ways.
A virus is a program created with the intent of damaging important system files, corrupting the software, and causing various kinds of errors. A virus can infect other computers as it spreads through the Internet, CDs, DVDs, pen drives, etc. The common symptoms of a virus infected computer include slow system performance, frequent occurrence of blue screen error, and hanging of applications.
Spyware is a type of program that infects your computer and starts collecting confidential information stored on the system. A very common spyware program is the keylogger which records keystrokes while a user is typing on the keyboard. There are other spyware which will trace your actions and browsing behavior on the Internet.
It is necessary for users to take security measures to ensure computer protection. You can install an effective antivirus and antispyware on your computer. Users should periodically perform a full system scan for the detection and removal of malware. The virus definitions should be updated regularly so that the security software is able to detect the latest security threats.
