What is Malware?

February 3, 2008 on 4:27 pm | In Uncategorized |

Malware is a generic term I’ve long used primarily to mean adware, spyware and trojans, and which can also be construed to mean more traditional viruses. Basically it’s Bad+softWare, which you presumably don’t want and at a minimum means one more thing running and using resources on your computer, potentially slowing its performance.

We’re talking about unwanted programs, though unwanted tracking cookies are related and usually lumped in with the rest. These can be programs that deliver popups or other forms of advertising. The advertising can include phishing scams, or can try to fool you into installing other malware. These can be programs that “phone home” and report information about you, more actively than mere cookies. These can be programs that allow someone to take over control or make background use of your computer remotely. These can be programs that merely propagate and spread themselves, or that change settings, modify files, or cause other system damage.

You may see no overt sign anything is there, while your system slows noticeably. In a way, that’s the gentle way to be infested, but it’s insidious, frustrating, and a productivity drag.