Learn about some bad things on the internet and email, Definitions, differences and where to learn about them.
Definitions
Virus: A
computer virus is a
computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer
Trojan:
A Trojan horse (sometimes
shortened to trojan), is non-self-replicating
malware
that appears to perform a desirable function for the user but instead
facilitates unauthorized access to the user's computer system.
Worm: A computer worm is a self-replicating
computer program. It uses a
network
to send copies of itself to other nodes (computers on the network) and it
may do so without any user intervention.
Spam:
E-mail spam, also known as junk e-mail, is a subset of
spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients
by e-mail
Adware:
Adware or advertising-supported software is any
software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads
advertisements to a computer after the software is installed on it or while
the application is being used.
Spyware:
Spyware is a type of
malware
that is installed on
computers
and collects information about users without their knowledge.
Malware:
Malware, short for
malicious software, is
software
designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's
informed consent.
Scareware: Scareware comprises several classes of scam
software,
often with limited or no benefit, sold to consumers via certain
unethical marketing practices.
Chain e-mail: A typical chain letter consists of a
message
that attempts to induce the recipient to make a number of copies of the
letter and then pass them on to as many recipients as possible.
Phishing: In the field of
computer security, phishing is the
criminally
fraudulent
process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames,
passwords
and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an
electronic communication.
Use these web sites to help you decide what’s real and
what’s not
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/email-hoax-archive.html
http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp
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