Glossary

1. Virus
A virus is a malicious program that attaches itself to a program or file and travels from one PC to another causing damage as it moves along. A virus requires human action to keep it going; which is one of the reasons most viruses are transmitted through email or shared removable media like flash disks.

2. Trojan
A Trojan is a self-contained malicious program that causes damage by authorizing access of the user’s PC system. It appears as legitimate software and prompts a user to open or click it, assuming it is from a known or reliable source. Once it is installed on a PC, it can allow a hacker access to the computer remotely and perform various deleterious effects.

3. Malware
Malware is the collective name for Viruses, Trojans, spyware, adware and worms and is short for Malicious Software. It is software designed to do harm to a PC.

4. Spyware
Spyware is malicious software that collects PC user information without the user’s knowledge. Spyware does not self replicate like worms and viruses, but collects information mostly for financial gain. It can cause system slowdown by creating significant unwanted CPU activity, disk usage and network traffic.

5. Rootkit
A root kit is a malware program that targets the BIOS, hypervisor, boot loader, kernel and libraries and applications on a PC. It is designed to gain administrator level access undetected and cause serious damage.

6. Worm
A worm is a malicious program that copies itself from PC to PC using methods such as email to send copies of itself.

7. Scanner
It refers to the products and technologies used by antivirus programs to remove malicious software. Scanners can work in real-time, destroying threats as they arise, or they can work on demand when users invoke the scans manually

8. Phishing
Phishing is the fraudulent activity of acquiring sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details. The perpetrators carry out their activities through email or instant messaging and they appear to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, and online payment processors.

9. Antivirus
Antivirus is software that is used to detect and destroy malicious software programs like viruses, worms and Trojans on your PC. It does this by using the latest technologies in real-time and on-demand. The most popular antivirus programs are Norton Antivirus, Kaspersky, AVG , Mcafee, Panda antivirus and others. Read Antivirus Reviews and Buy Antivirus

10. Boot sector virus
It’s a virus that infects the boot sector of a hard drive and is spread via infected media like floppy disks. It’s not a major threat due to the decline in floppy disk use, and the simplest way to prevent it is by changing the CMOS settings to boot your computer from the local C:\ drive.

11. Heuristics
Heuristics detection is generic detection created to detect new or past malware. The scanning methods vary widely and these may range from scanning the file more extensively, to copying the file’s activities in a virtual sandbox.

12. Backdoor
A backdoor is a method of bypassing normal authentication and securing remote access to a computer while remaining undetected. It may be in the form of an installed software program or could be a modified program or hardware device.

13. Bot (robot)
A Bot also known as a Web Bot or Internet Bot is a software program that runs automated tasks online. They typically perform tasks that are very simple and repetitive, and they do it at a speed that a person would be incapable of doing.

14. Botnet
Is a collection of software agents that run automatically autonomously. They are mostly associated with malware, but they can also refer to a network of computers using distributed software.

15. Adware
Adware is short for Advertising Software, and is an application in which banners are displayed while a program is running. The designers of software applications include additional code that delivers the ads which can be viewed through pop-ups or through a bar that appears on a computer screen.

16. Firewall
A firewall is a program that is designed to stop online threats infecting your PC. They are part of the suite of tools found in internet security packages designed to provide complete online protection.

17. Hacker
A hacker is an individual who employs tools to break into computers and networks, either for profit or for the sheer thrill of it. A subculture has developed around hackers.

18. Keylogger
A keylogger is a program that tracks the keys struck on a keyboard, and this is typically done covertly with the person unaware their actions are being monitored.

19. Macro virus
These are unlike other viruses because they chiefly attack files created in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and even Access. The effects of macro viruses can range from mere annoyance to critical loss of data.

20. Updates
Are essential files and programs required to keep an antivirus program up-to-date and ensure it is effective at combating the latest threats. Updates are regularly supplied by antivirus manufacturers through downloads and these have to be installed regularly to keep the software up-to-date.

21. Crimeware
Crimeware is a type of malicious software used to initiate cybercrime. It is designed to commit identity theft by accessing a computer users online financial accounts.