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Some antivirus software can also predict what a file will do if opened/run by
emulating it in a sandbox and analyzing what it does to see if it performs any
malicious actions. If it does, this could mean the file is malicious.
However, no matter how useful antivirus software is, it can sometimes have
drawbacks. Antivirus software can degrade computer performance if it is not
designed efficiently. Inexperienced users may have trouble understanding the
prompts and decisions that antivirus software presents them with. An incorrect
decision may lead to a security breach.
Virus hoaxes are messages, usually sent by email, that amount to little more than
chain letters. They pretend to alert you to the latest "undetectable" virus and simply
waste your time and Internet bandwidth. The best course of action is to delete
these hoaxes - they can cause genuine fear and alarm in the disabled, elderly and
other vulnerable groups.
Signature based detection is the most common method. To identify viruses and
other malware, antivirus software compares the contents of a file to a dictionary of
virus signatures. Because viruses can embed themselves in existing files, the entire
file is searched, not just as a whole, but also in pieces.
File analysis is the process of searching a suspect file for virus-like instructions. For
example, if a program has instructions to reformat the C drive, the antivirus
software might further investigate the file. One downside of this feature is the large
amount of computer resources needed to analyse every file, resulting in slow
operation.
• Slow PC performance
• Erratic computer behavior
• Unexplained data loss
• Frequent computer crashes
Anti-Spam: E-mail spam, also known as junk e-mail, is a subset of spam that
involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by e-mail.
To prevent e-mail spam, both end users and administrators of e-mail systems use
various anti-spam techniques. Some of these techniques have been embedded in
products, services and software.
Programs such as Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE y Spybot - Search & Destroy rapidly gained
popularity as effective tools to remove, and in some cases intercept, spyware
programs.
1. They can provide real time protection against the installation of spyware
software on your computer. This type of spyware protection works the same
way as that of anti-virus protection in that the anti-spyware software scans
all incoming network data for spyware software and blocks any threats it
comes across.
2. Anti-spyware software programs can be used solely for detection and
removal of spyware software that has already been installed onto your
computer.
Such programs inspect the contents of the Windows registry, the operating system
files, and installed programs, and remove files and entries which match a list of
known spyware components. Real-time protection from spyware works identically
to real-time anti-virus protection: the software scans disk files at download time,
and blocks the activity of components known to represent spyware.
Hackers & Predators: People, not computers, create computer security threats
and malware. Hackers and predators are programmers who victimize others for
their own gain by breaking into computer systems to steal, change or destroy
information as a form of cyber-terrorism. What scams are they using lately? Learn
how to combat dangerous malware and stay safe online.
While your computer is connected to the Internet, the malware a hacker has
installed on your PC quietly transmits your personal and financial information
without your knowledge or consent. Or, a predator may pounce on the private
information you unwittingly revealed. In either case, they can do the same as a
Phising attack.