Viruses were the first pests to attack the world of computing. And, despite a number of vendors developing products to combat Viruses, the problem is actually much bigger today. Indeed, over the years, many an Antivirus vendor has made good money developing and selling Antivirus products. However, none of them have been able to eradicate the menace and it is unlikely that anyone ever will, as well. Every now and then, there is a huge outbreak of a new strain of virus (or a different version of an earlier virus), that brings down entire networks across the globe.

What is the difference between Viruses and Spyware? Do I need different solutions to tackle them?

Viruses were the first man-made pests to affect the world of computing and first appeared in the mid 1980s. Spyware is a much more recent phenomenon, having appeared on the scene in the late 1990s. Viruses and Spyware are similar in many respects, yet quite different in others. Hence, they are considered as different threats by Computer professionals. Let us look at the similarities first:

Similarities between Viruses and Spyware:

Both Viruses and Spyware are created by malicious persons/ organizations. Both are software code that, when run on a Computer, cause the Computer to behave unexpectedly
You need to guard your computer (and yourself) constantly against both varieties of threats
Both Viruses and Spyware slow down your Computer. Sometimes, making them so slow, that you could tear your hair out in frustration!
While Viruses are generally easier to create - schoolkids have been known to create viruses, creating Spyware requires more skills
Both Viruses and Spyware are harmful. You could get involved in lengthy legal hassles (depending on the Cyber Laws of your country), if your Computer is affected by Viruses or Spyware, even if you are completely innocent!
Both Viruses and Spyware have quite effective antidotes (solutions). You MUST purchase these solutions - DO NOT pirate these! Again, purchasing and installing them alone isn't sufficient; you must update them as and when the vendors of your Antivirus and AntiSpyware solutions release updates and/ or patches. If you do not update them regularly, your Computer will be susceptible to all Viruses and Spyware that are released since the date of your last update!

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Differences between Viruses and Spyware: Method of distribution and infection

Viruses: Today, Viruses are mostly transmitted over e-Mail. One common method is to send them as e-Mail attachments - if you open them, the malicious code gets deployed on your Computer. The other common method is to send you links in your e-Mail: if you click on the link, you are taken to a website that affects your Computer.

Spyware: On the other hand, Spyware is rarely distributed as e-Mail attachments. More common methods of distributing Spyware are as links in e-Mail you receive, as well as through Junk Software Programs. These junk software promise wonderful things, however, in reality, they are merely a ruse to get you to download their spyware! Therefore, if you are in the habit of downloading software programs from various kinds of sites, you are a prime candidate for Spyware!

Differences between Viruses and Spyware: Types of damage caused

Viruses: Typically, Viruses send out thousands of e-Mail over your Internet connection, using the tiny SMTP (mail-sending) engines built into them. They pick up e-Mail addresses randomly from your e-Mail client (Outlook/ Outlook Express/ Eudora. etc.) and shoot off a randomly-worded mail. This slows down your Computer and may even cause your e-Mail service provider to suspend your e-Mail domain! Other types of Virus actions include deleting one or all files on your Hard Disk, repeatedly causing your Computer to reboot, etc.

Spyware: Spyware could cause you much more grief, in comparison with Viruses. What would you feel if someone had access to your Bank Account details, Credit Card information and other financial stuff? What if the person used YOUR money for his/ her needs? All this without you suspecting anything at all! Well, this is precisely what some of the more dangerous Spyware do... They ferret out your personal information, plus your address, mobile phone number, e-Mail address and whatever else you may have stored on your Computer. This information is then streamed out to the developers of the Spyware, right under your nose! Spyware rarely cause system slow-downs or crashes as they are not targeted to attack your Computer or your system files - they are targeted to attack YOU by tricking you to part with your sensitive financial information!

Differences between Viruses and Spyware: Types of Solutions

Viruses: Viruses are checked by Antivirus solutions. Some of the most prominent Antivirus solutions are;

Norton Antivirus (http://www.symantec.com/index.jsp)
McAfee Antivirus (http://www.mcafee.com/us)
AVG Antivirus (http://www.grisoft.com)
BitDefender (http://www.bitdefender.com)

Spyware: Spyware are checked by AntiSpyware solutions. Some of the prominent AntiSpyware solutions are;

Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security (http://www.symantec.com/index.jsp)
McAfee Total Protection & Site Advisor Plus (http://www.mcafee.com/us)
AVG Internet Security (http://www.grisoft.com)
SpyBot Search & Destroy (http://www.spybot.com/index2.html)

A few products like Norton 360 offer protection against both Viruses and Spyware. However most solutions developers develop separate solutions for Viruses and Spyware.

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Why haven't Viruses been controlled yet?

Despite being the first amongst Computing nuisances, Viruses have not been exterminated. They have not been (exterminated) in the physical world too, so take heart... The reasons for non-extermination of Computer Viruses are;

The number of Computers and computer users today is many times what it was, even 5 years ago. Today, there are many more Computers, computer users, faster Internet links and many more Internet-connected users, resulting in quicker and more widespread propagation of viruses. Most of the early viruses were contained within a specific region or continent. Today, Viruses have frequently spread to all continents, before they are even detected!
Today, a Computer that is not connected to the Internet is rare. Even Home Computers have fast broadband connections today whereas in the past, corporate Computers alone were usually connected to the Internet. More connected users and faster Internet connections naturally results in faster propagation of viruses and propagation across larger areas, before they are discovered
Earlier, Viruses were written to propagate by means of infected media (floppy disks, etc.), but today,. viruses do not propagate that way. Today, computers are used for a variety of purposes - Browsing, e-Mail, etc. Virus developers have recognized this and 'updated' their ugly creations to harness this fact. Today, almost all viruses spread over the Internet, specially over e-Mail.
Anyone - even a school kid - can write a simple virus. However, developing an effective antidote to even a relatively-simple virus would take a large Antivirus vendor a few days, since they would need to first inform the computing public about the new virus, study it thoroughly, develop a solution that (a) removes the infecting code (b) reverses the damage caused by the virus, as far as possible and finally, (c) make the antidote available to the computing public.

The truth is, anyone with a fairly elementary knowledge of programming can develop a virus that would take many man-hours to unravel. Every new virus - or a new strain of an existing virus - needs to be first studied, its code analyzed, and then, the antidote developed. It is for this reason that Antivirus developers will always end up catching up with the virus developers. It is for this reason, that Viruses refuse to go away!

So what is the bottom line - do you sell off your Computer, smash up your Modem or stop browsing/ e-Mailing? Obviously not - even if you could actually do it! Why, you would not stop stepping out of your home just because the number of traffic accidents is rising every year, would you? No. The answer lies in taking basic precautions to reduce as much as possible, the chances of your computer getting infected!

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What are the basic precautions to be taken, to minimize chances of Virus infections?

Here are the steps that you should take to ensure that your Computer remains reasonably well-protected from Viruses. Since viruses propagate over e-Mail today, these double up as healthy e-Mail usage practices as well:

Purchase a legal copy of a top-notch Antivirus Program. A cheap or free (or pirated!) program will not do - you are investing on protecting your computer as well as your data - years of hard work. Do not cheat yourself by going in for a pirated, free or cheap solutions!
Update your Antivirus Program as frequently as possible. It is best to update it at least once every 2-3 days!
Be extremely careful opening e-Mail. Today, the overwhelming majority of viruses are designed to spread through e-Mail. Its a cinch that you have received mail with the subject line "Your Password", "Hello", "Your Bank Documents", etc. These e-Mail would also contain attachments, usually in compressed Zip format. Do not open such attachments, for the attachments contain virus code! When you receive such mail, here is what you should do:
1. If the mail has arrived on your office Computer, inform your IT Department about it. They may want to come over and inspect the mail. Under no circumstances should such mail or its attachment be opened!
2. If the mail has arrived on your home computer, immediately delete the mail and empty it from the Deleted Items folder as well. Again, do not open the attachment!
  1. Save yourself time by deleting e-Mail that looks like it has been sent by famous people whom you do not know. For example, if you have never met David Beckham, it is unlikely that he would be mailing you over the mail account david.beckham@gmail.com, isn't it? These are pranks and it is possible that such mail contains virus code as well Delete them forthwith: DO NOT read/ open any attachments in such mail!
  2. Do not open mail from mail domains that sound like popular mail domains. If the sender of a mail has taken the pains to cloak his mail domain to make it appear like one of the popular ones, it is very likely that the sender is up to no good. So if you receive mail from somebody@yarhoo.com, (sounding similar to the mail domain yahoo.com), it is best to delete the mail right away without reading/ opening its attachments!
Ignore Chain Mails. Delete them immediately. Do you receive a number of chain mails? We do and it is very likely you do too. If you have a group of friends/ classmates who exchange jokes and stuff, thats okay of course. We are however concerned about chain mails you receive from strangers. Following are some varieties of chain mails:
1. "Get Rich Quick" mail promising you that you can earn thousands of dollars merely by spending an hour on the Internet every day. Usually, you need to buy a book or a CD or something from sites that send such mail. If you do make the purchase, count yourself lucky if you make even a few cents a day, using the promised get-rich-quick methodologies! Ana at the worst end of the spectrum, you may end up downloading a nasty virus...
2. Mail seeking your assistance in locating missing children/ pets, etc., after natural calamities such as a Tsunami. Sure, they make sad reading. Sure your human kindness swells up on reading such mail. But wait a minute - most of them are fraud mail, the product of mischievous minds, so your humanitarian feelings are simply wasted!
3. Mail with "Words of Wisdom", with the request that you to forward the mail to more friends, if you want something wonderful happening to you in the next 3 days/ a week/ a fortnight. Usually, such mail warns you of dire consequences if you do not do so! These are usually mail sent out by e-Mail harvesters. Reply to them and they add your e-Mail Address to the Spam mail they keep sending out. Reply to them and you are bound to have your Inbox filled with junk mail every day thereafter! And oh of course, you might be downloading a virus too...
4. Mail informing you that you have been chosen for a free gift/ a large sum of money due to some unique turn of events. If you reply to mail naming you as the inheritor of a large sum of money, you could next be asked to send in a small amount of money towards the expenses of couriering you your huge "inheritance". If you do send in the courier expenses and never hear from the sender of the mail again (which is what will happen too), it is one more naive Computer user that the sender has conned - YOU! Even if such mail does not contain viruses, its a waste of your time, isn't it?

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Not all the above categories of mail contain viruses: some of them are merely attempts to appeal to your good nature and rid you of some of your hard-earned money. Some others merely serve the purpose of confirming your e-Mail address and that you are in the habit of checking it regularly, so that they may send you more of their spam mail in future. Some others are merely pranks. In any case, ALL of them waste your precious time. Whatever be the motive of such mail, we recommend that you adopt the following practices for tackling such mail:

NEVER reply to such mail. By replying to such mail, you are only telling the sender, "Yes, this is my e-Mail address and I check the mail in it regularly. So send me mail to this e-Mail account, I will read it! Thank You!"
NEVER even Unsubscribe to such mail - the effect is exactly as we outlined in 1. above - as if you had invited the sender to send you more unsolicited spam! (See 6. to understand what to do in such cases)
NEVER open the attachments of such mail: No attachment opened, no risk taken!
NEVER click on the link in such mail. Clicking links in such mail once again tells the sender that you exist, your e-Mail address is valid and that you regularly check the e-Mail address!
If you are sorely tempted to click the link in such mail, here is something that is a little safer:
1. Copy the link by highlighting it and pressing Control-C
2. Open your Browser and paste the link into it, then browse to the site

Such sites are rarely genuine and their contents rarely interesting, in any case.

MAKE SURE you mark the sender as a Junk Mail Sender, in your e-Mail client software. Under Outlook and Outlook Express, highlight the junk mail and right-click it. Then, in the pop-up window that comes up, left-click on the option for classifying the mail as Junk/ Spam. If you use popular free e-Mail service providers such as Yahoo/ GMail/ Hotmail/ AOL, you again have options for classifying mail as Junk/ Spam/ Bulk Mail. Go ahead and mark the mail, so that any subsequent mail you receive from the same sender goes directly into your Junk Mail folder, not your Inbox!

MAKE SURE you delete the mail, once you classify it as Spam/ Junk/ Bulk Mail. Usually, the mail gets moved to your Spam Folder when you classify it as Junk. Therefore you will need to go to your Junk Folder and delete these mails. You may also need to empty it from the Deleted Mail folder, depending on your e-Mail client/ e-Mail service provider. Whatever be the case, do this at the earliest - there is no profit in keeping the mail and thus, cluttering your Hard Disk. Or worse - keeping a virus-carrying mail on your computer!

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What solutions are available for protecting my Computer from Viruses?

Antivirus solutions today are available across a broad range of categories. Let us look at each of these categories:

Freeware v.s. Commercial Solutions

The first classification of Antivirus solutions is into Freeware Antivirus Solutions and Commercial Antivirus solutions. AVG Antivirus, developed by Grisoft, is a popular freeware antivirus solution. (They have a commercial version of their Antivirus solution as well). It is fairly obvious that vendors do not give the same attention to a free solution, compared to what they give to a commercial solution. Neither the features, nor the frequency of updates would be quite the same as that which commercial solutions offer. Since your peace of mind depends on a virus-free computing experience, we DEFINITELY DO NOT recommend free antivirus solutions.

Online v.s. Offline solutions

Online Virus scanners are also available, with some of them (like the one offered by BitDefender - http://www.bitdefender.com) being completely free as well. Some of them - including BitDefender, offer commercial, offline solutions as well. We at WellOledPC do not recommend online solutions, since online Virus scanners do not continuously check or protect your computer. You may have removed all viruses with an online virus scanner, but this is no guarantee that you will not get attacked the next time you connect to the Internet! Moreover, online virus scanners take a very long time to scan. For example, 10 GB of data takes over 6 hours to scan, using the online version of BitDefender, over a 256 kbps broadband link!

Online scanners are however a great choice if you want a second opinion. Say if you doubt the working of your currently-installed antivirus solution and have all the time in the world to check out its efficacy. Online Antivirus solutions are no substitute for offline, full-time, real-time antivirus solutions though.

Enterprise v.s. Personal solutions

As the names suggest, Enterprise Antivirus solutions take care of all computers on the corporate network, while Personal solutions take care of individual Computers. Every Antivirus vendor offers both these versions of antivirus solutions today. The working of these solutions differ in one aspect: while the personal version is completely installed onto a single computer - which is then protected from viruses, the enterprise-wide solution usually needs to be installed on an Antivirus server. All computers across the organization would connect to the Antivirus server, thus remaining free from viruses, as well as getting routinely updated for antivirus patches and updates, by connecting to the local Antivirus server.

It is the Antivirus Server that checks the antivirus vendor's website for updates and patches, downloading them to its hard disk. All computers connected to the antivirus server are installed with the client version of the enterprise-wide antivirus solution alone. The clients check with the enterprise's Antivirus server and if it finds fresh updates or patches, these are then updated on the client as well, soon as a computer logs onto the network.

The benefit? Imagine an organization of 1000 computers. Assuming that an update is half an MB, the organization would be downloading 512 x 1000, i.e., about 500 MB, if each machine were to individually download the update from the antivirus vendor's website. Enterprise antivirus solutions drastically cut this down - in this case, the download is a mere 512 KB, as the clients update themselves from the corporate antivirus server over Ethernet, not from the antivirus vendor's site over the Internet! Moreover, it makes sure that all Computers on the network are completely up-to-date - no delay in updating the Antivirus solutions on individual Computers due to delays on the part of the user!

Comprehensive v.s. Purely Heuristic solutions

Comprehensive Antivirus solutions are designed to detect the malicious code of viruses. They have a large 'databank' of virus codes, against which each file on the computer is checked, before the Computer is certified virus-free. If virus code is found on a computer, the solution strips the code away, thus 'repairing' the file. Comprehensive antivirus solutions also have a second line of protection: against unknown, malicious code, where it checks for virus-like code using heuristic technology. If suspicious code is found, the user is usually asked whether to repair the offending file, delete it, let it remain or move the suspicious file to the Quarantine folder, where it cannot infect the Computer.

The other category of Antivirus solutions works purely heuristically. These antivirus solutions employ heuristic algorithms alone to detect and repair viruses. They do not contain a database of malicious code: with the huge database of past virus code at their disposal, antivirus vendors are in a position to detect potentially malicious code, even without putting in a comprehensive database of virus codes into the programs.

Both varieties of antivirus solutions work well. The advantage of the Comprehensive solution is that it is specialized in detecting and repairing infections. On the other hand, the advantage of the purely heuristic solutions is that they are a lot faster at detecting and repairing infections. In addition, the best-of-breed Heuristic antivirus solutions check for spyware as well - a feature not found in Comprehensive antivirus solutions.

Another fact that ought to interest you: Comprehensive antivirus solutions slow down your computer quite dramatically - every time you access a file, it has to be scanned for all the virus codes in its database. Every time you send/ receive an e-Mail, it needs to be scanned for virus code and run through its database, before processing further. On the other hand, heuristic antivirus programs are much faster as they do not work by checking every bit of data against a database of known virus codes. Instead, it merely looks for patterns of code that could mean a virus, before processing your file/ e-Mail.

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Which Antivirus solution is recommended and why?

Lets start with what you SHOULD NOT go in for:

We DO NOT recommend freeware antivirus solutions
We recommend an online virus scan if:

You have plenty of time for scanning the infected computer by means of an online virus scanner

You are merely looking for a 'second opinion', about the computer possibly being affected

The infected computer is not a 'Production Computer", i.e., is is not running mission-critical/ important applications

We recommend the Enterprise antivirus solution for organizations and the Personal antivirus solution version for individual computers

Either one of the Comprehensive or the Purely Heuristic antivirus solutions is a good choice. Your choice here depends on whether you want a comprehensive solution - even if it means every complete virus scan of your computer takes half a day, or whether you want a quicker solution that checks for spyware as well, while being just as good as the comprehensive solution, at destroying Viruses! It also depends on whether your machine is fast or slightly dated - Heuristic solutions would not slow down an older computer as much as a comprehensive antivirus solution would.

Symantec's Norton 360 and Norton AntiVirus have a grand history of dependability and performance. Users DEFINITELY ought to invest money on an Antivirus product - DO NOT look for cheap bargains, pirated or 'gifted' software'!

Norton 360 features:

AntiVirus, AntiSpyware blocking & repair
Protection against a wide range of threats - known and unknown
1 year protection for up to 3 household PCs
e-Mail Scanning
Anti Phishing
Online Identity protection
Web site authentication preventing user from visiting phonies of their favorite sites
Software Firewall protection
Automatic data backup and storage
PC performance tune-ups
2 GB secured online storage
AntiSpam and Parental Controls availability as add-ons
Live Update alerts for new features, product updates and threat advisories, as and when available
Designed to work with Internet Explorer - no support for Firefox/ Opera/ Apple Safari for Windows/ Mozilla Flock/ Netscape
With Internet Explorer 8 (Beta), Norton 360 keeps losing the Phishing Filter. IE's built-in Anti Phishing Filter knocks out Norton 360's filter. Symantec needs to correct quickly
Available in Standard and Profession editions. Professional edition offers 10 GB backup space, while Standard version offers 2 GB alone
Click on the Norton 360 (Version 2) or Norton AntiVirus 2008 advertisement to safely, securely purchase the product online

We strongly recommend that you go for either of these, they are the best value for your money!

WellOledPC Recommendation on AntiSpyware:

Our analysis definitely suggests that Norton 360 is the best AntiSpyware solution as of now. Symantec, its creators, have a very long history of producing security products (AntiVirus products), dating back to the days of DOS. Their pedigree is excellent, Norton 360 is an excellent all-round product for Spyware protection, with the maximum number of features. At second spot, we rate Norton Internet Security.

At third spot, we have the commercial version of AVG AntiSpyware. It boasts of excellent AntiSpam services and excellent update services. You should go in for the free AntiSpyware or the free version of AVG only if you are really strapped for cash. It is your Computer and your interests that are at stake and a freeware product is after all freeware!

Windows Defender has limited capabilities, though if you are looking for something to protect your Computer against Spyware alone, it is an excellent and free solution. Unlike the Norton products though, it does not bundle with it the ability to fight off a number of other Internet-based threats.

FAQs:

Contents:

(Click the above links for answers. To return, click Go Top links)

What is the difference between Viruses and Spyware? Do I need different solutions to tackle them?

Why haven't Viruses been controlled yet?

What are the basic precautions to be taken, to minimize chances of Virus infections?

What solutions are available for protecting my Computer from Viruses?

Which Antivirus solution is recommended and why?