It is widely known that the average Internet user has difficulty distinguishing viruses from spyware. Secure PC Solutions explains the basics that can let anyone see a great difference between viruses and spyware components. Viruses and spyware programs are delivered via web visits and downloads, as well as email attachments. Both can attack systems through many vectors and both types of malware can cause havoc in your private system and even lead to a major financial loss. Why loose so much when you gain in security and peace of mind.

What is Spyware?

Spyware is the general term for a program that monitors and makes records of your actions with the scope of future advertisement targeting or even private information harvesting, leading to possible sensitive data loss. Many popular file-sharing programs come bundled with spyware. In fact, spyware is embedded in hundreds of programs -- including games, utilities, and media players - that can be downloaded for free from the Internet. Spyware is also how many file-sharing vendors make money while not charging for their products. With these programs, it has been said, you pay with your privacy instead of with money.

While you are surfing the internet and conducting several activities such as monetary transactions, account registering and other miscellaneous day to day online activities, spyware variants monitor everything and create logs that are later sent to third parties. This information is then automatically processed and used to make you a target for specific advertisements, spam, porn content and many other illegal/immoral issues.

Because the threats posed by these programs may be difficult to quantify, that doesn't mean they aren't a security concern to today's enterprises. Because spyware and adware programs are unauthorized software, average administrators have no knowledge of or control over what the programs may be running. A good comparison would be a vendor knocking at your door and offering you some extremely cheap and legal product while a thief comes inside your house through the open back door.

What are Viruses?

The differences between spyware and viruses are subtle. Both are widely known as malicious software (malware), known as being unwanted and most of the times a big threat to data, privacy or financial integrity.

While viruses seek to spread, malware seek to steal information in the most silent way possible. As viruses are of many types and this paper is not directed towards the thorough analysis of them, it is commonly known since the first viral days that a virus is commonly known as infecting files in a system and using those files to infect other systems that shell the previously infected hosts. Another more up to date example would be an email-delivered virus (a worm) that searches your computer's file system for your Outlook address book and sends infected email messages to contacts it finds in the address book.

In the same time, a virus will not rely on such simple spreading methods such as email spreading and file infection but also more advanced features such as network propagation, (self replicating, doesn't need any action from users to get a computer infected) file sharing, telnet, FTP, Instant Messengers, or any services and programs on your computer that communicate with other computers. Viruses seek to spread, but spyware tries to stay put, a behavior we typically associate with a parasite. This is very common in the world of cyber espionage and is typical to today's attack schemes and social engineering designs where users are tricked into clicking, downloading, installing and taking several actions that lead to their own ID theft and data corruption.

For the better chance of security, always have your system updated and never install unknown third party components or uncertified software. Keep 1ClickSpyClean's detection definitions updated and always check for news and new protection features that are always available to keep the privacy of all Secure PC Solutions customers intact.

Secure PC Solutions Security Research Centre

Back

"I recommend this to anybody that is interested in keeping their privacy!"
- Michelle Leach

"it was so simple to install and run for the first time.....I'm a novice and had no problems at all."
- Linda Shepard