subject: Do You Have Computer Worms? [print this page] Have you ever sat down to use your computer and discovered that it went completely haywire? Perhaps it malfunctioned in such a way that you thought it was haunted! In all seriousness, infections can find their way into a computer and wreck a great deal of havoc. One such way this occurs is through the presence of computer worms. Such malicious entities can utterly ruin a computer which is why their presence needs to be effectively addressed.
What Are Computer Worms?
This could be considered a malware program that operates in a self-replicating manner. Ultimately, such programs can consume bandwidth and make the operations of the computer slower and less reliable. Worms can also perform veritable seek and destroy missions into the actual network of the computer. The result of this could be serious harm and damage to the network further harming the computers ability to maintain proper function. Many will confuse a worm with a virus but there are huge differences between the two. A virus will attack a particular program or file. Worms will spread throughout the computer independent of programs on the computer. In some instances, a worm can perform more damage to the computer than a virus.
How to Deal with Computer Worms
The best way to defend against computer worms would center on preventive maintenance. That is, you would ensure all security updates are made; firewalls are installed; and anti-virus/security programs are perpetually running. This will (hopefully) prevent such programs from making their way into your system.
Of course, you cannot always prevent such worms from working their way into your system. Once they do get into your system, you will need to take the steps to get rid of them. This is not always difficult. Installing malware removal programs would be the best option to explore. Run the programs at regular intervals to detect the presence of such programs. Once they detect the programs they will then be able to perform the next step which would be the effective removal of the malicious program.
