The Internet is no longer a safe place for your computer. It has become a dangerous place! Therefore, you need to protect your computer from these dangers. We are used to calling any harmful software that enters our devices viruses, but that’s not entirely true. There are viruses, malware, adware, and spyware, and they are all different from each other. If you don’t know what these words mean, you won’t be able to protect your device from them. So, in this article, we will learn what viruses are, what malware is, what adware is, and what spyware is.
Computer Viruses
A virus is a small program designed to cause harm to your computer (by causing errors, slowing down the device, or destroying hardware), spread from one computer to another, and replicate itself inside your device. Viruses interfere with the computer’s operating system. These viruses are programmed by professional programmers for reasons that may be related to causing damage to computers, harming others, or even for financial gain. You can read more about viruses in the article “What are Computer Viruses? How to Know if Your Device is Infected?” Also, read about how to protect your device from viruses in the article “Five Steps to Protect Your Computer from Computer Viruses.”
Adware
Adware is a program that comes with advertisements. Many free programs on the Internet come with adware. For example, Yahoo Messenger contains adware. When installing such programs, you agree to install the adware as well. Adware tracks your interests and the pages you visit to show you ads that match your interests. Adware, in general, is not harmful, but some can be.
Spyware
Spyware is a program that tracks your movements, not only your data or the pages you visit but also your passwords, credit card numbers, and more. Spyware is a harmful form of adware. Spyware is considered very dangerous because the person spying on you through these programs can know everything happening on your device.
Malicious Software (Malware)
Malware is software that infiltrates your device. Its damage may be limited to annoying pop-up windows on your device, or it may escalate to causing complete damage to your device, making it difficult to remove. Malware can evolve into irreparable damage that requires reformatting the hard drive. One of the most common examples is viruses.
I hope the topic is clear and understandable to everyone. Don’t forget to follow the blog on Facebook through our Facebook page Computer World.
