The Internet is full of many bad elements that will try and make your life difficult. From viruses that infect your computer through email to spyware that watches your every move and slows your computer down, these malicious programs are tricky and will try to implant themselves on your computer in any way that they can. Unless you take action and prevent them from ever visiting your computer.
You will need to know the differences between the various types of bugs to combat them effectively. We will now discuss what these bugs are and then a little later we will talk about how you can avoid them.
Viruses
Viruses are self replicating programs that spread from computer to computer much like viruses do in real life. Viruses can do many different things to your computer, from the trivial changing of settings to the complete wiping of your hard drive.
Viruses are often quite tricky and pose as appropriate programs or email. Never open an attachment from anyone unless you have previous knowledge of it. Also, do not open programs from non reputable downloading sites. Make sure that you scan any file you download from the Internet for viruses with an updated virus scanning program.
Spyware, Adware, and MalWare
Spyware is often installed with other programs, and it spies on your activities, reporting them to the spyware's maker. Spyware can also be installed when you visit certain web sites that distribute the spyware for money. Never click Yes to any dialogue box asking you if you want to install something, unless of course its from a source like Macromedia or Microsoft.
Adware is like spyware but it displays advertisements while you surf the Internet. These advertisements are often in the form of many popup ads and ads that appear when your web browser is not even open. If you ever go to Google and see a popup ad, it is very likely that you have adware installed.
Malware is more malicious than spyware and it often does things like dialing phone numbers that would be very long distance. The only point of malware is to be malicious. What is the difference between malware and viruses? Malware is not made to spread around the Internet, Viruses are.
Avoiding spyware, adware, and malware is sometimes difficult but it does not have to be. Keeping your web browser and operating system updated is very important. There are also special programs that scan the whole computer and its memory for such programs. AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy are the best choices.
Conclusion
There are many bad elements on the Internet but if you know what to avoid you can pass by much of it. The key is keeping your computer's software updated. Windows service packs are very important, updating your web browser is crucial. Help prevent the spread of spyware and other bad elements, don't let it on your computer.