Malware/spyware/virus/trojan etc. what are they?

[mr. fresh]

Adware
Adware are programs which will, after installation, display advertisements. These come in two types, the first being used in shareware programs to 'pay' for development, the advertisements are integrated into the program. Here adware means advertised supported software. The second category is the one which causes trouble, this adware, provided by companies like gator, but also included in messenger plus! (don't check the box next to install with sponsors), give you advertisements at random times when online. You don't see the software is there, and when getting those ads, it can be hard to tell with which program the adware came. The last category can also be recognized by a ridicilous ammount of advertisements and pop-ups.

Backdoors
A backdoor is a piece of software to bypass login procedures, thus giving the person who spread the backdoor, full access to your system. Having a backdoor exposes your computer to the internet in a seriously threatning way.
How does a backdoor work? Basically it opens your computer to anyone who knows your computer is infected. This usually happens by exploiting bugs in the operating system or just by installing and running itself. There are two types of backdoors:
Backdoor/trojan, the backdoor is part of a program, or a file is infected. Once you launch the file, the backdoor is installed. The program only runs when the infected file/program is run and spreads itself using the infected computer like a trojan does
Backdoor/worm, the backdoor is launched while booting and thus runs continually when the computer is turned on. Some of these backdoors login to an irc room so your computer, and thousands of infected others, can be used for different purposes like DDoS-Attacks (Distributed Denial of Service)
You can quite easily prevent backdoors with a good firewall and virusscanner

Browser Helper Objects (BHO's)
A Browser Helper Object (BHO) is a DLL module that loads everytime you start your browser. Usually, a BHO is installed on your system by another software program or installed when visiting a website. An example of a BHO installed by software is the Adobe PDF plugin so you can read pdf documents without manually starting Acrobat Reader, when surfing the web. An BHO installed by a website is the google toolbar.
BHO's can do "anything" but most of the time they provide some sort of extra functionality to the user like a toolbar. These BHO's require your permission to be installed on the system. Some BHO's get installed secretly or are shipped with a program as a 'third party application' such as the BHO's supplied with Messenger Plus. This last category, the 'hidden' BHO's are a safety threat. Most of the time they'l annoy you by creating dozens of popups or redirecting your site searches. But they can do virtually anything like reading or writeing on your system, sending data about you and your surfing habits etc.
Most BHO's require user approval before being installed even those semi-hidden BHO's, described as third party programs. Ever wondered where information about those third party programs is 'hidden'? It isn't that hard to find, before installing a, usually 'free', program take a good look at the license agreement. If it's too big, select all text (control-a) copy it (control-c) and paste it (control-v) in a word document. Then search (control-f) for terms like 'third (3rd)' or 'third (3rd) party'. See? The info is there but it's hidden in a lot of judicial terms.


Browser Hijacker
When starting your browser you notice a different homepage, not the one you set it be or, when you misspell a web address you get a search engine loaded with sponsored links or ads, finally, when you enter a web address you're sure of, is right, you end up at an advertising page. These are all signs of a Browser Hijacker.


Dialer

A dialer is a piece of software which changes your default internet connection to an expensive phonenumber even when you have a broandband connection you can be struck by the effects of a dialer.
You get a dialer by downloading/installing it, the same way you get adware and spyware, though viruses can also contain dialers or install them. Most of the time you get dialers after visiting a site with specific content only available to you when you call a special number with your computer, after you dial the number and break the connection the dialer sets itself as the default connection. This way you can browse the net but, unknowingly, pay great ammounts of money to do so. You don't notice anything wrong, untill the next phonebill arrives.


Keyloggers

Keylogging is the capturing of everything entered using the keyboard and storing this information. Viruses, Trojans and Worms can contain keyloggers and thus log everything you type, and send it to the creator of the malware. Not a real problem when you only use our computer for editing and printing word documents.
Think again, a keylogger wil save EVERYTHING you enter using the keyboard, including passwords, the, sensitive, information in the document and much more. Much more, well, everything, imagine having your creditcard info out in the open. Luckily most modern virusscanners can detect keyloggers even unknown keyloggers, since most of them use certain code which most keyloggers contain. Nevertheless the risk, how minimal it may be, is still a risk.


Malware
Malware/Malicious Software, is all software designed to damage, take-over or do things to your computer without you knowing it. So when someone speaks about malware or malicious software he/she can be talking about:
Adware
Backdoors
BHO's
Browser Hijackers
Dialers
Keyloggers
Spyware
Trojan Horses
Viruses
Wabbits
Worms
Etc.
Spyware
Spyware consists of a program or programs to collect data about your surfing behaviour and report it to advertisers so they can target you with spam, customize their ads when you browse the web etc. Programs confirmed containing spyware :
Bearshare
Bonzi Buddy
Dope Wars
Download Accelerator Pro (DAP)
Errorguard
Flashget (free)
Grokster
Kazaa
Radlight
Weatherbug
Wildtangent (they mostly produce winamp and WMP plugins/games)
Trojan Horse
Remember the story about the ancient Greeks and Troy? Instead of the wooden horse and a bunch of soldiers a computerized trojan horse replaces the horse by a program and the pack of soldiers by malware. A Trojan horse can contain everything, ranging from a 'simple' executable file which erases your harddrives to sophisticated viruses entering you into a bot network. So a Trojan horse is nothing more, or less, then disguised malware.
Most Torjan horses serve these purposes:
The Remote Control Trojan, which gives the creator of the trojan control over the entire computer of the victim or certain parts ie. a backdoor
The Password Trojan, which remembers/logs every password you enter and sends it to the creator of the trojan
The keylogger, which doesn't only save your passwords, like above, but anything you enter using the keyboard
The FTP Trojan. This variety creates an ftp server giving the creator of the trojan no direct control over your computer, but allows him/her to browse through all your files, modify, delete or downlaod files or even to add more files
The DDoS/bot trojan which turns your computer into a zombie used for sending spam, or atacking/infecting other computers
Since Trojan horses use specific ports to communicate, a good firewall will prevent trojans 'calling home'/communicating


Viruses

The term virus is usually applied to all forms of malware even spyware and adware, though a virus, usually, isn't. A virus is a piece of code which replicates itself, unlike a trojan horse for example, by infecting files on your computer or by creating infected files. Viruses can do a lot of things to your computer, ranging from annoying, infecting all your files, to destructive, deleting your data.
Viruses can reside anywhere on your computer, including
Macro's
Scripts
Executables (com, exe, bat, pif etc.)
Boot sectors of disks, like floppy's
The master boot sector of your harddrive
Wabbits
A Wabbit is very uncommon to encounter, one of the reasons is they don't spread to other computers by itself. Once a wabbit is executed it start to replicate itself real quick, hence the name, creating lots and lots of files on your computer causing your harddrive to be filled up and system unstability.
Some wabbits are a little more advanced and start copies of the newly created files, thus creating more wabbits in an exponential way,t aking up more harddrive space, pushing your CPU and memory and, finally, crashing or freezing your computer. Wabbits are annoying but not that harmfull, unless more malicious code is added but then a wabbit isn't a wabbit, but it turns into a virus.


Worms

A worm is the same as a virus but with these differences:
It doesn't need a host to attach to, it's stand-alone
It spreads using network connections (a virus only infects local files)
It can contain other malicious code such as a Trojan Horse or backdoor
Copyright Surfing Safe

[boomer]

this one is pretty accurate, hopefully people can sit thru it tho because its long

[YellowMSP]

Forgot rootkits

A rootkit is a set of programs designed to corrupt the legitimate control of an operating system by its operators. Usually, a rootkit will obscure its installation and attempt to prevent its removal through a subversion of standard system security. Techniques used to accomplish this can include concealing running processes, files or system data from the operating system. Rootkits have their origin in regular applications, but in recent years have been used increasingly by malware to help intruders maintain access to systems while avoiding detection

[j s i n]

any antidotes to fix these problems?

[Panther]

Usually FREE software is not always legitamate but I would put my rep on AVG

Antivirus
AniSpyware
AnitRootkit

AVG Free Advisor - Installation files & documentation

Enjoy !!

P.S. - As a rule you can only have one Anti-Virus installed on your PC, the more Anti-Spyware the better !!

For more reliable FREE tools !!
MajorGeeks.com - Download Freeware and Shareware Computer Utilities.
all software here is tested and safe

[JOEY EF KING]

Ok Im Using My Mom Dell Inpiron E1505 This Bich The Other Day Had A Pop Up Said Its Infected With A Trojan ....fukkkkkkkkkk So Wat I Did I Restore Th Computer 3 Weeks Bak And Re Installed Mcfee But Now I Got Pop Ups Like A Mufuka,,,,,so I Go To Tools Turn Popupbloker On And Set To Block All Pop Up Hi Still Doing It Helppppppppp

[B20TEG00]

bummmmp

[allmotorabe]

i heard norton was good what you guys think

[boomer]

Originally Posted by allmotorabe

i heard norton was good what you guys think

norton sucks
so does mcaffee

if i were you at this point i would backup my files and software keys (if you borrowed software) and then format/reinstall windows xp with SP2 and all 87 updates (minus IE7).
afterwards setup avg and spybot with immunization and auto updates.

and for gods sake dont click on the "fake" microsoft style boxes that pop up when your trying to download porn.

i have NEVER failed at removing a virus or any type of program that had nested itself in a system...however after doing this for 8 years ive discovered its easier on everyone to reinstall because after removal that motherfucker is going to go right back and download the same viruses...negating all of your hardship...its better to reinstall because then when they come back and complain a month or two later i can give them a big grin and explain what a format/reinstall means to a virus. No more freebies...thats what i say. Call firedog or geeksquad next time.

[YellowMSP]

Originally Posted by boomer

norton sucks
so does mcaffee

if i were you at this point i would backup my files and software keys (if you borrowed software) and then format/reinstall windows xp with SP2 and all 87 updates (minus IE7).
afterwards setup avg and spybot with immunization and auto updates.

and for gods sake dont click on the "fake" microsoft style boxes that pop up when your trying to download porn.

i have NEVER failed at removing a virus or any type of program that had nested itself in a system...however after doing this for 8 years ive discovered its easier on everyone to reinstall because after removal that motherfucker is going to go right back and download the same viruses...negating all of your hardship...its better to reinstall because then when they come back and complain a month or two later i can give them a big grin and explain what a format/reinstall means to a virus. No more freebies...thats what i say. Call firedog or geeksquad next time.

Norton has really stepped it up in the last year, i agree though that Mcaffee sucks