Earn Points & Redeem with attractive offers !!!
You can earn points, by asking, answering, voting questions and redeem with
attractive offers. To view various available redemption schemes, please visit
"My Profile".
New User ? Sign Up  |  Sign In  |  Help
Information Systems Helpdesk
ask
Ask whatever question, you wish. Make sure you select the correct category for the question.
answer
Like to help other, then browse through the open questions to answer their questions.
discover
Find answer by browsing the resolved questions.
     
Search for questions :
My Profile
Categories

meowmeow

Open Question Bookmark and Share

Spyware, Virus, Tojan, Malware, Whats the difference?


Can someone please explain to me the difference between all these things and recommend some good free programs that I can download to clear them. I only intend to have real time protection for viruses, the other stuff I think I can just routinely scan to get rid of as too much running at once might slow down my computer.

125 day(s) ago

    Comment(s) (0)
    Report Abuse
   Find Intereseting  
   E-Mail to Friends  
   Bookmark  
   Subscribe to Answer Alert  
No comments yet !!!     Be the first to comment
Answers (4)

garfield 		Spyware looks at what you are doing. Malaware does stupid things like spy or place stupid ads on your computer. Spyware is a type of malaware. A virus is a program designed to dammage your computer and can spread itself to other computers by sharing files. A Trojan is a virus designed to use your computer to spread itself to other computers when you aren't trying to share files. Trojans do things like look at your email and sends itself on it's own. A Trojan is a type of virus.. Viruses can be malaware as well.

Posted 125 days ago

( 0 )
( 0 )
    Comment(s) (0)
   Report Abuse
No comments yet !!! Be the first to comment on this answer !!!


garfield 		For realtime protection, free MSE, to remove malware, Malwarebytes.org, also free.

Posted 125 days ago

( 0 )
( 0 )
    Comment(s) (0)
   Report Abuse
No comments yet !!! Be the first to comment on this answer !!!


garfield 		Malware = spyware, virus, trojan (malware is the generic term encompassing all these terms)

Spyware = snoops on you via keylogging (seeing what you are typing 24/7 and looking for usernames/passwords, etc.), tracks what websites you visit, or does other privacy invading things.
good program for spware removal? "spybot search and destroy"

virus = infects computers via exploits in the operating system, or other bugs. can cause damage to the computer by deleting files, making copies of itself, using up CPU/hard disk usage/space, installing other malware, or just being plain annoying (cause pop-up windows), etc.
good program for virus removal? "malwarebytes", "Avira AntiVir", or "Eset NOD32", etc. although the best ones you have to pay for.

trojan= malicious program that appears to be a legitimate program. it either gets you to install it somehow, or it gets installed along with other software. usually the hardest to remove for some reason (experience). may not be as obvious as a virus as far as the destruction goes, but as soon as it gets to your computer it can be just destructive as a virus, it just depends
most antivirus programs also remove trojans

hope i helped

Posted 125 days ago

( 0 )
( 0 )
    Comment(s) (0)
   Report Abuse
No comments yet !!! Be the first to comment on this answer !!!


garfield 		Ok....give the last poster partial credit...on the right track but not quite right on a few things. First and foremost malware is just a general name for malicious programs (viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, adware, rootkits, etc). A computer virus is malicious code. It replicates from executable files, taking some form of user intervention to get it going (say opening up an email attachment with an executable file). They can delete files, wipe out entire hard drives, and all kinds of nasty stuff. A trojan is a program that masks itself as something somewhat legit tricking the user into unknowingly downloading malware. A good example would be torrent downloads. These are breeding grounds for trojans. You get the file you want along with good ole fashion keylogger (these are a very common payloads for trojans) or some other goody. Last you have spyware. In the last example I spoke of the trojan's payload, or what was delivered to your PC. The payload was a keylogger, which is an example of spyware. As the name suggests, it steals every keystroke and sends it to whoever made the file you downloaded. Basically the goal of spyware is to obtain information on you without your knowledge. How to protect yourself? These two freebies are a must: malwarebytes antimalware and superantispyware. No active protection on these unless you pay, but that's alright. For active protection, I'd recommend a third program: kazpersky. It does cost money, but it's good. No issues here. Those are three great programs. To get rid of the stuff on your PC, you will have to make bootable disk with antivirus program on to wipe out the malware. Here's a link with some free ones. There's also some guides to help you out as well.

http://www.techmixer.com/free-bootable-antivirus-rescue-cds-download-list/

Hoped this helped! Good Luck!!!

Posted 125 days ago

( 0 )
( 0 )
    Comment(s) (0)
   Report Abuse
No comments yet !!! Be the first to comment on this answer !!!

Edit your answer. Click save, when done.
Question Title Spyware, Virus, Tojan, Malware, Whats the difference?
Your Answer
  |         |                            
bold  italic  underline  strike       big  small       superscript  subscript 
  Allows to add a link. Added links would only be converted to actual clickable link, when the domain of the link is white-listed by administrator.
Caption :
Link URL :
( Must starts with "http://" )
Add  |   Cancel
  Allow to insert an image. Must be among the following file types - *.jpg, *.gif, *.png & *.bmp.
Image Url :  
( Image url must always starts with " http:// " )
Width : pixels
( Must not be greater than 450px. Enter 0px for no resize )
Add  |   Cancel
  Allow to insert YouTube video. Insert the video embed code.
Embed Code :
Add  |   Cancel
Character Count ( Max. - 5000 ) : 323
Email this question link to friends
You must enter email-address, if name is entered and vice-versa for each friend.
Friend #1 -
Friend #2 -
Friend #3 -
Friend #4 -
Friend #5 -
Enter Security Code : *
  Your comment on this question
  |         |                            
bold  italic  underline  strike       big  small       superscript  subscript 
  Allows to add a link. Added links would only be converted to actual clickable link, when the domain of the link is white-listed by administrator.
Caption :
Link URL :
( Must starts with "http://" )
Add  |   Cancel
  Allow to insert an image. Must be among the following file types - *.jpg, *.gif, *.png & *.bmp.
Image Url :  
( Image url must always starts with " http:// " )
Width : pixels
( Must not be greater than 450px. Enter 0px for no resize )
Add  |   Cancel
  Allow to insert YouTube video. Insert the video embed code.
Embed Code :
Add  |   Cancel
Max Allowed : 5000 Characters Current Count : 0
  Your comment on this answer
  |         |                            
bold  italic  underline  strike       big  small       superscript  subscript 
  Allows to add a link. Added links would only be converted to actual clickable link, when the domain of the link is white-listed by administrator.
Caption :
Link URL :
( Must starts with "http://" )
Add  |   Cancel
  Allow to insert an image. Must be among the following file types - *.jpg, *.gif, *.png & *.bmp.
Image Url :  
( Image url must always starts with " http:// " )
Width : pixels
( Must not be greater than 450px. Enter 0px for no resize )
Add  |   Cancel
  Allow to insert YouTube video. Insert the video embed code.
Embed Code :
Add  |   Cancel
Max Allowed : 5000 Characters Current Count : 0