By Joshua T. I. Towers

13.3 $13.3 billion was the direct cost of malware for business in 2006 “direct costs are defined as labor costs to analyze, repair and cleanse infected systems, loss of user productivity, loss of revenue due to loss or degraded performance of system, and other costs directly incurred as the result of a malware attack”

29,354,532 Microsoft desktop anti-malware products cleaned computers in the united states 29,354,532 times in 2009

og/malware-trends-statistics/

What is Malware? malware is “Short for "malicious software," malware refers to software programs designed to damage or do other unwanted actions on a computer system.” -

Types of Malware Viruses Worms Trojan Horses Spyware RootKits

Viruses Most well know form of malware Replicates self Attaches to files and s Spreads from machine to machine ions2.html

Worm Replicates self Spreads through network traffic Attaches to files x-mysteries-about-stuxnet-computer.html

Trojan Horses Can not replicate self Disguised as interesting or useful programs or links May drop off other forms of malware into your system ojan_horse_software.html

Spyware Can not replicate self Usually hidden inside of other more appealing programs and links Accesses personal info and transmits it back to its source

RootKits Individual or collection of programs used to gain admin access with out being detected Turns computers into zombies for the use of their creator e-computer.htm

Threats of Malware Efficiency loss Malware can remain active with out your knowledge and slow your computer or network down. Open back doors A back door is a hole in a computers security that can be used by either the creator or, other malware, or hackers.

Threats of Malware cont. Stealing information through the use of such tools as key loggers malware can steal personal information (passwords, credit card numbers, etc.) Downloading of unwanted content Some malware will download unwanted content onto you computer

Nature of Malware Evolution As time passes new different malicious acts are added to the repertoire of malware. Expansion New malware is added to the long list all the time

Defense Simple steps for basic protection against malware Make sure your fire wall is active Keep your operating systems updated Keep your anti-spyware software updated Keep your anti-virus software updated Use strong passwords

Anti-Virus Software BitDefender Antivirus Kaspersky Anit-Virus Webroot Antivirus Norton AntiVirus ESER Nod32 Antivirus AVG AntiVirus G DATA AntiVirus Avira AntiVir Vipre Antivirus Trend Micro Titanium

Criteria for choosing Scope of Protection Effectiveness Ease of installation and setup Ease of use Features Updates Help and Support

The Ridding Simple steps for the removal of some malware Create a backup Scan for malware Clean the registry Run operating system updates Remove any recently added hardware or software

If that doesn’t work “Safe Mode loads a “bare bones” version of windows and disables 90% of viruses and their protection mechanisms.” - to/how-to-remove-malware-for-free/ to/how-to-remove-malware-for-free/ And scan again

Whether those steps work or not there are COSTS COSTS

Malware protection is very important

system References