What’s the difference between a Virus, Spyware, Malware, and Adware?

Did a new browser suddenly appear on your computer lately?  Did a new “toolbar” suddenly pop up?  You could be the victim of some form of adware, Spyware, Malware, or even a Virus.  Read on to find out what all of this exactly means.

What is a Virus?  -  The first time I heard of a computer "virus" was when 1.44 floppy disks were a popular way to move and exchange files and programs.  This was back in the pre-internet days.  (wow... I'm showing my age)   A virus requires the user to execute an action.  Back then I would mean loading a floppy that had a virus file onto your computer.  Today you would have to double-click on an email attachment or visit a website.

What is a Worm?  -  Worms are completely independent.  They have the ability to search the internet on their own for new targets, infect those targets, and then the new targets continues the targeting and infecting trend.  As you can imagine, worms can spread very quickly because of their "autopilot" capabilities.

What is a Trojan? -  Just like the “Trojan Horse” myth, a Trojan seems to be something a user may want but it is actually something that will cause harm.  In the past, Trojans were created simply to delete your entire hard drive.  Today, code writers want to create this type of virus to make money.  They send spam, collect credit card numbers and marketing information to sell off to willing buyers.

What is Spyware?  -  Spyware is just like it sounds.  It's a virus or worm program that "spy's" on what you are doing online.  It collects this information and uses the information to send you ads specifically targeted to your buying habits. 

What is Adware?  -  These are the ads (sometimes pop-up's) that are targeted directly to you based on your online searching habits.  These viruses work so well, that private family information can be easily be collected a deciphered.  An example would be the case of a new pregnant "soon to be" mom.  This new mom does searches online for pregnancy tests.  A few weeks later she does a search for deals and coupons on baby formula, diapers, baby clothing etc.  This information is collected and a code is placed on this computer user as a soon to be mom. 

So your computer starts to send you deals on baby strollers, cribs, and baby items just weeks before the due date.  The adware was able to successfully predict the child’s due date within a two week window. 

So the new mom's father calls up the Super Warehouse store and complains that he is getting bombarded with pregnancy test coupons, and formula deals.  "My daughter is only 16 years old and my wife is past her pregnancy years!  Please STOP sending me these ads.  No one is pregnant in my house."  The Super Warehouse store manager expressed his apologies and assured the father that these ads will stop.  The store manager waits a couple of weeks, and calls back the father to apologize again and to confirm that the ads have stopped.  The father then says: "I am the one that needs to apologize to you.  There were issues going on in my household that I was not aware of.  My daughter is indeed pregnant". 

So you see, adware is a very powerful tool.  It was able to find out about a pregnancy in the household even before other family members knew!

What is Malware?  -  These are programs with malicious intentions.  Malware's intentions are to possibly damage your computer or it can simply spy on your activity online.

What is Adware? - Adware is just like is sounds.  .  It is software that contains advertisements.  It is a form of malware.  Many "freeware" or free programs will have advertisements included in the software.  Some have an option not to load the advertisements.  But some do not.  And some will "sneak" in the advertisements into the software.

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