Malware
By: Serafin Sanchez 2/1/08
Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. It is a portmanteau of the words malicious and software. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. This paper will detail the different varieties of malware along with basic preventive measures.
Malware are one of the biggest threats to computer users of the Internet today. It can hijack your browser, redirect your search attempts, serve up nasty pop-up ads, track what web sites you visit. Malware programs are usually poorly-programmed and can cause your computer to become unbearably slow and unstable.
You can get infected by malware in several ways. Malware often comes bundled with other programs. These type of malware programs usually pop-up ads, sending revenue from the ads to the program's authors. Others are installed from websites, pretending to be software the website will need to be view correctly. Still others, most notably some of the CoolWebSearch variants, install themselves through holes in Internet Explorer like a virus would. These require you to do nothing but visit the wrong web site and you are infected.
Anti-virus companies are starting to pay attention to malware. Those anti-virus programs that do protect are generally not as thorough as a dedicated malware remover. However, some especially virulent malware that malware scanners may miss will be removed by anti-virus programs, so it is generally a good idea to run a virus scan as well.
At this time there is no official breakdown, which we may divide malware into categories so we will use the following: adware, spyware, hijackers, toolbars, and dialers. Most malware programs will fit into more than one category.
Adware malware is the class of programs that place advertisements on your screen. These may be in the form of pop-ups, pop-unders, advertisements embedded in programs, The pop-ups generally will not be stopped by pop-up stoppers, and often are not dependent on your having Internet Explorer open. They may show up when you are playing a game, writing a document, listening to music, or anything else. Should you be surfing, the advertisements will often be related to the web page you are viewing.
Programs classified as spyware malware send information about you and your computer to somebody else. Some spyware simply relays the addresses of sites you visit or terms you search for to a server somewhere. Others may send back information you type into forms in Internet Explorer or the names of files you download. Still others search your hard drive and report back what programs you have installed, contents of your e-mail client's address book usually to be sold to spammers. Spyware often works in conjunction with toolbars. It may also use a program that is always running in the background to collect data, or it may integrate itself into Internet Explorer, allowing it to run undetected whenever Internet Explorer is open.
Hijacker’s malware take control of various parts of your web browser, including your home page, search pages, and search bar. They may also redirect you to certain sites should you mistype an address or prevent you from going to a website they would rather you not view, such as sites that combat malware. Some will even redirect you to their own search engine when you attempt a search.
Toolbars malware plug into Internet Explorer and provide additional functionality such as search forms or pop-up blockers. The Google and Yahoo! toolbars are probably the most common legitimate examples, and malware toolbars often attempt to emulate their functionality and look. Malware toolbars almost always include characteristics of the other malware categories, which is usually what gets it classified as malware.
Dialer’s malware are programs that set up your modem connection to connect to a 1-900 number. This provides the number's owner with revenue while leaving you with a large phone bill. There are some legitimate uses for dialers, such as for people who do not have access to credit cards. Most dialers, however, are installed quietly and attempt to do their dirty work without being detected.