The Internet can be a pretty dangerous place for your computer – if you don’t have the right security measures in place, it’s shockingly easy to pick up viruses and other forms of malicious software which can be a significant threat to your data. However, the average computer user in many businesses is largely unaware of the threats – and what to do to avoid them.

What is...?

There are many different terms that you may hear used for this kind of malicious software. Malware – short for Malicious Software - is often used as an umbrella term for them all. Different types of malware pose different threats.

Virus

The defining characteristic of a computer virus is the fact that it is self-replicating. It inserts copies of itself into various computer programs or files, installing itself without the user’s consent. In addition, many viruses perform harmful activity on the infected computer – this can include spamming their contacts, logging the user’s keystrokes and corrupting data. Worms are similar, but they do not need to attach themselves to existing programs. It’s thought that viruses cause billions worth of economic damage every year.

Trojan Horse

Like the Trojan horse of Greek myth, the malware version attempts to persuade the user to install it themselves, usually by presenting itself as something else – something useful, interesting or routine. Once installed, it often acts like a back door into the computer, allowing hackers remote access to the computer. They may use this access to directly damage the infected computer, or they may use the infected computer to power their other activities.

Spyware

If your computer is infected with spyware, you may not even know it – many of these programs are designed to hide themselves from the legitimate user of the infected computer. Spyware can reach your computer either by presenting itself as a Trojan horse or by being bundled with authorised software. As the name suggests, they frequently monitor or spy on the actions of the authorised user, collecting data which can include logins and passwords, banking information and more. Some kinds of spyware also disable firewalls and other protective measures, leaving the computer open to further infection.

Ransomware

One of the most obvious kinds of malware, ransomware essentially holds the computer hostage and demands that a fee be paid to the controller of the ransomware in order for it to be released. This may, for example, appear to be a warning from law enforcement agencies, stating that the computer has been used for illegal purposes and a fine must be paid. Although the Metropolitan Police’s logo has been used in this way (see example below), they have stated that they would never lock a computer in this way – this would, after all, give the suspect warning and time to flee.

Scareware

Because so many users are aware of the threat from viruses, spyware and other malware, yet not sufficiently aware of how to protect their computers, some malicious programmers have created scareware which uses these fears against the user. Typically, you will see a pop-up, advert or other seemingly legitimate alert which tells you that your computer is infected and you need to take action to remove it – but clicking the accept button (and in some cases, even the cancel button) on such scareware alerts in fact installs a piece of malware on the user’s system.

What to do?

Knowing something about the different types of malware is a good start, but you need to know how to defend your system against them.

The first tip is, naturally, not to open any files or web pages unless you’re sure that they’re safe. Even a file or link that’s emailed to you by a trusted contact may be unsafe – if their computer is infected with a virus, it can email copies of itself out. If the text in the email doesn’t sound like them, don’t open any attachments or links until you check with them personally whether they actually sent it.

Similarly, with pop-ups, ransomware and scareware alerts, you will often find that the text doesn’t quite sound right –the example ransomware above shows both the Metropolitan Police and Strathclyde Police logos, despite these authorities being separated by some four hundred miles, and uses very poor grammar and spelling throughout.

However, as some malware can get bundled with authorised software, this isn’t the only preventative action to take. You also need to make sure that you have sufficient anti-virus, firewall and legitimate spyware protection software installed, which will identify any malware attempting to infect your computer and block it.

Removing viruses and other malware from infected computers can be difficult; different programs hide in different locations, and can take some time to find and remove. However, as specialists in IT support in London we are often already familiar with the right procedures, and can help you to clean your business computers and keep them safe.

For more information on our services, or to request a free IT health check, contact us on 01707 378453 today.