I have to say that the main reason for this site to exist (and others like it) is due to malware. Just what is malware? How do you get it? Once you have it, how do you get rid of it? I will answer these questions so that you may better understand the modern computing landscape and the realities of it.

Just what is malware? Essentially malware is any software that installs itself without your permission. It is generally used as a catch-all term for viruses, trojans, rootkits, keyloggers, worms, spyware, etc. The distiction is based on the intent of the software moreso than on the features it provides. For example, there are legitimate keyloggers and they do have a purpose.
Malware can range from annoying to system crippling in its scope. Malware is responsible for browser hijacks, those porno pop-up ads, changing who your search provider is, and tracking your activity on the net. Why would someone do this? I will give you one guess...
Money. You got it, didn't you? It used to be that viruses and the like would simply mess with your computer and you may get an image or note that said something like "haXXXored by John Doe" but that isn't the case anymore. There is a large amount of money to be made in the making of these types of programs. How so? Well, that depends on the type of malware. Let's examine this a bit, so that you can better understand the motivations of these people.

Adware places advertisements on your monitor. You know, those porno pop-up ads you get? At the worst times? The people that write this form of malware have been paid by the advertisers on a per-click basis usually, or they have a direct stake in the site themselves. Traffic on the internet equals money. It is that simple.

Spyware sends information about you and where you have been on the internet to someone else. Most of it relays your browsing history to someone who can use that information to make money. Some spyware actually digs into your system and harvests everything from your contacts to your programs to your sensitive personal information (passwords, social security, credit cards, etc.). This information can be sold as well, and there are entire corners of the internet where nothing but credit card numbers are stolen. *In case you are wondering, the value of your credit card number is just a couple of dollars...* The main money making effort of malware is in spam however. Through the use of trojan horses, a person or group can turn your computer into a bot (a computer under their control), and a group of computers into a botnet. Once this person or group has control of enough machines they can go to certain corners of the internet and auction their botnets off to the highest bidder.
Example: I have control of 50,000 computers. How much can I get for them?
An unscrupulous company (you know, those damn Viagra emails everyone gets) that sells some product-usually in a country where it is unregulated-bids and the botnet goes into action. What the botnet (sometimes called zombies) does is deliver spam using your computer and its internet connection when it is idle. The point is not to be caught, so ideally you wouldn't notice anything wrong with your machine.

Browser Hijackers do just what their name implies: they take over your browser redirecting you away from Google or Live search and using their own search engine. They make money when you click on a search result using their engine rather than Google's for example.

Toolbars may seem like a good idea, but they almost always aren't. They are often designed to pass as toolbars from legitimate companies (such as Google, MSN, and Yahoo) in order to fool you.

There are other types of malware (such as the old reliable Dialers...a friend of mine once had an $1100 phone bill), but the above are the main catagories.

As you can see, malware is more than an annoyance that slows down your PC. It is a real security risk that should be taken seriously. It is tricky to deal with malware however, as many of them will automatically reinstall after you have removed them with one of the popular free programs. Others will tie themselves to critical system files making their removal almost impossible without damaging your entire system.

So how do we get malware? It is much easier than you think. If you have kids in the house, it is likely that they are using Limewire to get media. This is a huge mistake and a giant security risk. It is incredibly easy to write some form of malware (a keylogger for example) and piggyback it on the latest Top 10 hit. Once the song is played on your computer, the malware installs itself and you are now up against the wall. What is even more frightening is that more sophisticated forms of malware can install themselves on the machines on your network. Other times you may recieve a pop-up ad that looks like a dialog box from Windows asking you to confirm an action. This is also a common attack vector. The most common method for infection however, is still the user. Whether it is clicking an attachment in email (don't do that!) or allowing a program to install simply by clicking Next everytime a window pops up, you are actually your own worst enemy on this front. NOTE: This is why Vista is a much more secure OS than Windows XP. By running as a limited user and having User Account Control, the attack vectors have been greatly shut down.

It is important to keep your computer free of malware. They are a security risk and they are potentially sharing all of your personal information with anyone who wants it. They are a system stability risk because they are generally written very poorly. They can consume all of your systems resources, or even crash your computer. They can also bash you over the head with porno pop-ups. Do you really want to be at your computer when your kid walks by and sees some hardcore ad? I didn't think so. Recently, there is a sub-division of malware whose sole purpose is to get on your system and open the gates letting in tons of other, more specific malware.

How can you prevent malware? The best method is by changing your computing habits. Be wary of all popups. Did you initiate the installation of a program? If you did, then it is likely that the pop up is safe. If you were just browsing the web, then be very skeptical and use some common sense when clicking yes or no. For more tips on secure computing habits check out my page on the subject.

Until next time, have a great Geek week! Make sure to hug at least one of us this week! It gives us hope!