Keeping your system secure is a matter of following a few guidelines. The article explains all about it.
Threats related to computer security are not something that you should ignore. It will cost you almost $2000 to replace that damaged laptop with a new one. Things like freezes, PC slow and BSOD or Blue Screen of Death are common issues, but turn into a potential threat if you are not paying attention to it. You are recommended to maintain the health of your PC in the same way you take care of yourself. Let us understand how common threats to computer security cause you to lose thousands of dollars.
Worms
Internet is full of numerous threats; one such threat that is common is the computer worm. The worms are the programs that cause adverse effect on the PC or your computer including the network of computers that are connected to each other. For a worm to work it does not require to attach to a program and wreak havoc as it operates differently. It spreads within a network and eats up the bandwidth. Often, this is the cause of slow connectivity. The adverse effects of this harmful program include infiltrating a target computer, render files useless, server crashes and finally a complete take-over of the entire network infecting each PC.
Phishing
Phishing is yet another kind of attack that is used to obtain personal information of an individual through e-mail messages. Bogus websites and fake e-mail IDs get created for make-believe purpose that extracts user information. It is all about getting financial information and information related to login credentials that help in extracting money. You often get a link to a fake website within an e-mail message that redirects the user to a fake website that can be a banking or financial institution website. As soon as, you enter the login credentials; the information is used to manipulate your PayPal account.
Rootkit
When a Rootkit enters a system, it can practically hide itself anywhere in the computer, and it is a great threat to PC security. The target computer is infiltrated using a backdoor entry that is much like breaking in without anyone ever finding out about the attack. The activity enables in sending spam e-mails by hackers. It eventually results in denial of services on the servers. Due to the nature of this harmful software it is difficult to detect it. Nevertheless, one can try conducting a complete scan of his computer when it is in the process of booting up. In simple words, a thorough boot scan is required to detect its presence.
Browser Hijack
A browser hijack is another technique that renders searches useless and redirects to malicious websites. The settings of your browser change letting you know about it and the searches conducted are irrelevant and vague. The worst that happens is the internet options are disabled that makes it impossible to make changes to the web browser. Additionally, the attack can even infect registry entry of the system that will start up along with the Windows during the boot process.
Zombies
When the system gets infected by a Trojan or a virus, the vulnerabilities of the system are manipulated. It creates a backdoor entry to the system and uses the infected system for attacks. The user of the system is unaware all about it while the harmful program works its way silently. The infected used to infect other computers is then a Zombie. Additionally, it is possible that the hackers sell the system to others for further manipulation.
Spyware and Adware
A spyware is a software program that is used by hackers to obtain user information and manipulate it to their benefit. Whenever, a user is visiting specific web sites, an alert message pops up asking the user to install the software for updates. If they fall for it then while installing the software, the spyware makes its way into their system. It adversely affects the memory storage of the computer. Thus, a user will keep facing memory related messages that will alert them for low memory.
Adware is advertisement that pops up on the screen while the user is browsing a web page. You might not even need to click it as it gets automatically installed on the system. Often, adware are designed to lure users into believing that installing it would display relevant ads. Once a user installs it, there is no turning back as there is no way to uninstall the program. It adversely affects browser performance and leads to slow system.
About the Author: Polly Quinton is an ardent technician associated with Qresolve internet security with wide experience of fixing issues with PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. With a strong track record of devising effective ways of internet security and system security, she has so far helped thousands of users across the globe. Her writings on tech issues are the reflection of her in-depth interest and command she carries as a pc security support technician. Her blogs and articles have been rated high for their lucid style and easy to understand language.
