What are Malware ? What type of damages can they cause to your computer ?

Malware is a general term used to refer to viruses, worms, spyware, adware etc. It is unwanted software that someone else wants to run on our computer. Malware infects our computer, making it behave in a way, which we do not approve of.

Malware can damage our computer in the following ways:

1. Some viruses may delete or damage random documents or specific files that are crucial to the operating system.
2. Viruses can run in the background, without being seen, and may cause our computer to run extremely slow.
3. Some forms of viruses may infect the email program and spread themselves to the contacts in the address book.
4. Spyware can monitor information about our computing habits which in the end can lead to identity theft.
5. Some forms of spyware can also alter computer settings like our web browser home page setting or the placement of our desktop icons.
6. Spyware can rob our PC or system speed and Internet access efficiency.
7. Adware tracks information about our data and computing habits to produce targeted advertising, such as pop-up ads, on your computer screen.
8. When infected with adware, we will likely see frequent pop-up ads appear out of nowhere.