Viruses, Malware, and Spooky Stuff
At some time or another, everyone with an internet connected computer will be infected with malware. We often get asked, “what is malware and what can I do to prevent it?” Malware just means bad software. It’s the catch-all category for viruses, trojans, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), worms, trojan downloaders, adware, spyware, ransomware, and more. At best, malware is merely bothersome, producing an occasional ad, toolbar, or nagging popup. At worst, malware can destroy, encrypt, and steal your data, possibly for the purposes of extortion or identity theft. Sometimes it’s just to be cruel.