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Viruses and other malicious codes |
Computer viruses, whilst not quite the threat they were in the past are still a major concern to many PC owners and security software houses. Viruses, in their many guises are still "wandering the net" and in many cases can actually cause damage to your stored data, even to your computer's operating system rendering it almost useless. Some viruses are designed just to cause as much general mayhem as possible; others are designed to deliver a "payload". Payloads can be instructions to your computer's software to do something at a specific time such as send multiple emails to a particular email address, in the hope that the site under attack will crash under the weight of traffic; these attacks are called "Denial of Service" or DoS attacks. Under these conditions your computer is often referred to as a "zombie" machine. An even greater threat these days is seen as "Spyware", often designed to attempt to "pharm" or steal confidential information such as bank details and passwords. Other virus payloads can include some kind of spyware such as a "keylogger". This kind of program is designed to effectively sit between your keyboard and the computer (in software terms). Its purpose is to listen to, and log everything you type on your keyboard and at predetermined times send all that information back to its owner; mostly it will be the ordinary stuff you use your computer for, but sometimes there will be the sort of stuff you would rather nobody else knew about such as your credit card name, number and that little three digit number on the back. Nuisance software can infect your computer which tends to invite in "pop-ups"; windows which open up without your permission or interaction, often with gambling or pornographic content, slowing down your computer to a crawl and ruining your internet experience. There has been a noticeable increase in "Rogue security software" in recent years. This software is designed to play on a user's insecurities by informing them that they have conducted a quick scan of your computer and found so-many threats present and you should "Click here to remove them". At that point the computer becomes infected with a program which takes over the machine and demands payment to remove it. There are indications that these programs are often run by organised criminal elements who want nothing more than your bank details. Removing this software can sometimes be difficult, especially for non-technical users. BW Data Designs can using the latest security tools and definitions locate and remove such threats, usually without the need to completely wipe your hard disk drive. We cannot guarantee that all your files will be recovered after a virus or spyware infection, but you will be notified if any major damage is located. Because the threats on the internet vary so widely BW Data Designs recommends that you employ a suite of fully up-to-date security software and occasionally run an on-line anti virus scan. Click here to go to the TrendMicro Housecall online scanner. |
| Your computer security is only as good as the last update. |
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