Today, businesses have to be armed with the best IT companies in Boston and sound judgment, if you’re to navigate around the vicious malware on the web. And it keeps getting nastier by the day.

Trojans

Top on the list are Trojans. They mimic useful programs that lure a user into installing them. Once in your system, they allow unauthorized access to your computer, and that’s when the damage streams in. The hijacker can decide to corrupt data, steal sensitive information or use your computer’s resources to do their bidding. It’s particularly difficult to track down Trojans, which is why professional firms are often needed. 

Virus

In second place is the now infamous computer virus. A virus is an executable program that replicates itself after getting into your system. One of the most common types of malware, viruses can be extremely damaging. They may wreak havoc by corrupting data, logging keystrokes, or even paralyzing the whole computer. 

Worms

Rounding off the list of malware are worms. Designed to spread across a network as quickly as possible, they may end up providing unauthorized control over infected computers and easily paralyzing the entire network. But there is no need to shut down your laptop and cower in a corner. With a good antivirus, you can shield yourself from all these types of malware. It’s an absolute must-have if you want to keep your data and sensitive information safe.

How can I Protect my Business and Home?

The amount and type of malicious programs (Malware) out there is enough to make your head spin. Adware, bots, bugs, rootkit, ransomware, spyware, Trojan horses, worms and viruses compromise your computer’s functions and may steal your data by bypassing access controls. To avoid these threats to your business or home PC, invest in anti virus protection.

It takes an average of about 170 days for one to detect a malicious or cyber attack started by malware. During this time, the malware collects keystrokes, login and financial data making you vulnerable to cyber bullying and crime. Contrary to common belief that malware can only attack Windows files/ directories, the Mac OS and Android operating systems too, have not been spared. 

Bugs, worms, Trojan horses and viruses are the most vicious malware. The Trojan horse disguises itself as an ordinary file thereby tricking a user into downloading and installing. It gives the malicious party remote access to your computer. A worm spreads over a computer network by exploiting the OS’ vulnerability. It consumes bandwidth and overloads web servers to your network. Viruses copy themselves and spread to other computers by attachment. They rely on human activity – like opening a file – to spread. 

If you notice increased CPU usage, freezing/ crashing, deleted/ modified files, strange icons on your desktop, pop-ups on your web browser and other strange behavior then chances are your computer has been infected with malware. Download and install anti virus to identify and eliminate the threat. 

With a powerful, easy-to-use and versatile anti virus protection, you should be able to detect a malware threat before it’s too late. The anti-virus puts you in control. Nonetheless, you should keep your programs and OS up-to-date since this is the main loophole often targeted by hackers. Don’t let malware get in your way.