Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Malware: XP Home Security 2012 on my desktop
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Old 12-16-2011, 09:22 PM
Virtual Geezer Virtual Geezer is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarGuys View Post
People should put their computer skills to better use rather than create malware that makes others life's miserable.

I have a question.

I there a huge difference between

Malware
Virus
Bots
Trojans

???
Malware - a malicious program that takes control of your computer. It does not destroy any files on your computer but attacks the operating system.

Virus - can destroy programs and files. It can be a program that is placed on your computer and may or may not run at the time it is installed. It may be activated when you open another program on your computer and then will start destroying your files. It may also wait and attach itself to other files and be passes along to others. Most of what you see today are malware and NOT viruses.

Bots - short for robots. This is a program that is placed on your computer and will reside there until a command is issued from the mother ship to activate and run. Most common bot is called a denial of service where thousands and thousands of bots are sent to computers around the world and just sit there doing nothing for days, weeks or even months. Then the mother ship decides to attack some one or company or web site. The command is sent and the thousands of computers all try to connect to a website or hosting server or even a company server. The server cannot handle the load and is brought to it's knees.

Trojans - similar to a virus but it may or may not destroy files and programs. It may capture information from your computer such as keystroke and send them back to the mother ship in hopes they can gain you password or other personal information (bank accounts etc.)

VG