"Malware" and how you can protect your business.

In this post we will discuss the different types of malware and viruses that are present in todays internet. The different types are as follows: Viruses, Malware, Spyware, Adware, Ransomware, Rootkit and Browser Hijacker. There are other types but these are the main types that most people will run into while using their computer.

The most common that I see as a technician today are browser hijackers and adware. Ransomware is on the rise for the last few years. Lets touch on the others first in short detail. Viruses are almost no existent in most infections. They are meant to damage the system and cause it not to work properly. This is not what most criminals want, they are after data or money. Malware is any piece of software or program that is on your computer that you didn’t install or don’t want on their. This is a wide term usually to classy most “Ware” type of junk on your system. Spyware is a program installed on your computer that does what is says, it spies on young collects information such as webcam footage, bank information or even passwords. Typically these types of programs will be discovered very fast but most anti-virus programs. Adware is a program on your system that displays ads either on your desktop or in other applications. If you click on these ads you can patiently become even more infected with other malware.

Adware:

This type of malware installs onto your system then displays ads for all types of services. It is very annoying and can even get you more infected with worse types of malware. Your will typically see theses on your desktop, or internet browser, whatever you do don’t click on them and clean your system immediately. These are generally easier to get ride of and don’t cause to much damage, unless left unattended.

Ransomware:

In order to understand ransomware you must understand what is does. It encrypts your information. Encryption is the act of scrambling the information in a document or folder so its unreadable by anyone with the Decryption key. This key tells the program how to unscramble the information in the correct way so its readable by your computer again.

This type of malware installs on your system or other systems on your network and works in the background encrypting your documents and data on your computer. Once it has finished encrypted the information it then sends the key for the encryption back to who ever wrote the program. It will then usually display a message for you to contact that person who is usually outside the country and pay them to get that key back and unlock all your data . Typically even if you pay this person the money they ask for, you will still not receive the key to decrypt your information. This is an important time to remind you to always have a backup of your information that isn’t connected to your main system all the time.

Browser Hijacker:

The finally type of malware that we will be talking about is probably the most common that I see. It happens to iPhones, iPads, Macs, Windows, and even Chrome Devices. It’s a type of malware that lives inside the browser and can cause all sorts of problems. Typically it will take over the home page and change it to a website that paid to be on there. It will also deliver different ads and different malware that can patiently damage your system. I recommend cleaning your system immediately and reseting your browser. This type of malware can be tricky to remove sometimes as it usually installs to all browsers on your system and you must clean all of them to remove it. If you have a good paid anti-malware program it will usually block these types of malware before they even infect your system.

This has been our rundown of the three most common versions of “Viruses/Malware” currently being seen in business and individual computers today. Im certain this will change in the next few years, just as ransomware has become more rampant over the last 3 years. As always consult your local computer repair shop for any questions and details, after all they are the experts in this field.