What is Malware?

Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. Software is considered malware based on the perceived intent of the creator rather than any particular features. It includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, and other malicious and unwanted software. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.

There are many free and commercial programs that will remove malware from your computer. Spybot Search & Destroy is a free program that does an excellent job removing infections from computers. To find out more about spybot go to http://www.safer-networking.org/en/tutorial/index.html

Following these practices will help you avoid becoming infected with malware in the first place:

1. Exercise caution when programs unexpectedly popup and ask to install software on your computer. Some of the most common viruses, fraudulent anti-virus programs, and other forms of malware attempt to install themselves through your browser via toolbars or video and audio codecs. An example of a fake anti-virus program is pictured below. It is best to not install anything unless you trust the source and know what you are downloading.

   

2. Do not open any email attachments that are unexpected, no matter who sent it. If the sender has a virus they can send hundreds of infected emails without their knowledge. This is one of the most common ways viruses are spread. Some email worms will contain a message posing as the sender telling you to open the attachment. If you are unsure about an email attachment send the message back and verify the sender's intent.
3. Always keep your antivirus protection program up-to-date and firewall enabled. As a student or faculty-staff member of the university you are entitled to a copy of Sophos Anti-Virus. You can download and install Sophos Auto Update; once Auto Update is installed Sophos will be updated automatically. Sophos can be obtained through the IT website at http://infotech.stlawu.edu/node/79. Remember to uninstall any existing antivirus programs before installing Sophos as this may lead to system lock ups. (University owned computers are setup to update Sophos automatically when updates are available.)
4. Always keep you computer up-to-date with operating system updates. If you have a Windows computer you can update windows by going to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. Users with Macintosh or other platforms should check your software provider's website. (University owned Windows computers are updated automatically when updates are available.)
5. If you receive an email from companies like Paypal, Amazon, Facebook, or your bank asking you to go to their homepage and re-enter your account information, be aware that you may have been the target of a phishing attack. Phishers use official looking emails and webpages to trick people into compromising their personal information. Sometimes phishing emails will contain spelling and grammatical errors, like in the example image below, but don't count on that to identify a fraudulent email. For more information on how to identify and avoid phishing scams, please see the Anti-Phishing Working Group's consumer advice: http://www.antiphishing.org/consumer_recs.html