When computers first came out, virtually no importance was placed on client security. All security efforts were focused on server hardening, such as domain infrastructure, server-based data encryption and rolespecific security such as database storage. Believe it or not, most client computers didn’t have a virus scanner installed. However, today virtually every computer has a virus or malware scanner installed if it’s on the network. This change from past behavior is due in part to the behavior of attackers. They now see that unsecured client computers can provide leverage to conduct further and more successful attacks against the rest of an organization.
One of the biggest threats to computer users on the Internet today is malware. So what is malware? Malware or malicious software are computer viruses that have been around for decades. They are the most common form computer viruses. Originally written and distributed as proof-of-concept code, today they take on much more sinister motives. Some virus writers are paid to spread their code. Others conduct attacks against opposing political or religious organizations. And some attack for no other reason than the challenge. Malware attacks clients in a variety of forms: viruses and worms, Trojan horses, spyware and rootkits. Malware can hijack your browser, redirect your search attempts, serve up nasty pop-up ads, track what web sites you visit, and generally screw things up. Malware programs are usually poorly-programmed and can cause your computer to become unbearably slow and unstable in addition to all the other havoc they wreak.
Computers can get infected by malware in several ways. Programs like Kazaa, iMesh, and other file sharing programs seem to be the biggest bundlers of malware. These malware programs usually pop-up ads, sending revenue from the ads to the program’s authors. Others are installed from websites, pretending to be software needed to view the website. Still others, most notably some of the CoolWebSearch variants, install themselves through holes in Internet Explorer like a virus would, requiring you to do nothing but visit the wrong web page to get infected.
The safest and perhaps easiest way to prevent malware is understanding what you are installing and what you are accessing on your computer. Having a good understanding about malware with some common sense will help you save time and money in the long run.
Be cautious when browsing the internet. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Any “hot deals” had better come from a trusted source. If a warning starts flashing on your computer, look closely to see if it’s a legitimate message from Windows or just an animated image in a web browser. Don’t just click on the animation banner for the sake of just clicking it. Ask yourself what is the banner advertising for? By taking good precaution and using common sense, you can limit yourself to malware attacks.