A worm is a program similar to a virus. It is considered by some to be a variant or subset of a virus in that it makes copies of itself but does so without needing to modify a host. Like viruses, worms may (or may not) do things other than replicate. They can act as Trojans, viruses, and cause computer damage as well. Their function may be nothing more than sending itself to as many addresses as it can harvest from the computer that it infects. Worms are generally distributed by email as attachments or via peer-to-peer file sharing programs. A worm can be polymorphic, which means that it assumes a different appearance each time it hits an inbox. Some worms with many different faces can have the same basic programming. Solution? Install a good anti-virus program and keep it updated! We recommend AVAST. The free version is excellent and will keep you protected. Visit http://www.avast.com/ to get your copy of AVAST. There's a free version for home/personal use.
Trojan horse programs are named for the giant wooden horse that concealed Greek soldiers who used it to invade the ancient city of Troy. Like that famous trick, a Trojan horse program conceals hidden programming. The hidden function may just be a joke, or something malicious. Vandals often use Trojan horse programs to destroy or steal other people's data, Normally a Trojan will be programmed to send information from the infected computer to another computer or Web server. Trojans can be concealed inside other software or distributed via email as attachments. Having a good software firewall installed can prevent sensitive data from being sent by the Trojan. So install a good firewall software program and leave it turned on. Also, many good anti-spyware programs (like Spyware Doctor ) now detect and remove Trojans.
A word about email attachments: Some people will click on any e-mailed file that they receive. Programmers with nothing else to do but get their kicks by writing malicious programs; and vandals who are out to steal personal information have seized this opportunity, They've created programs designed to spread to all those who correspond with careless users. Because of this threat, the only 100 percent safe e-mail file attachment is a deleted e-mail file attachment.
Protect yourself! Install a firewall. Make sure you use a good anti-virus program and keep it updated at least twice a week. Scan your computer online at least once per week just to be doubly sure you're computer is not infected. Another important piece of advice we urge you to follow to protect your system from infection is to keep your Microsoft Windows Updates current. Be careful with email attachments! Never open them directly from email. The best policy is to immediately delete them, but if you think it might be from someone you know, and want to make sure it's safe, save it to your desktop and scan it with your anti-virus program or use the online scanning service (free) above. Another good piece of advice - Install a good anti-spyware program like SpySweeper or Spyware Doctor and keep it updated frequently. Scan your computer for spyware at least twice a week or set your anti-spyware program to scan your computer automatically a couple times a week while you sleep. Make sure you know what's running behind the scenes on your computer. Don't assume you're safe because you've not installed anything new - you can become infected easily these days without even knowing it.
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