I’m sure IT Administrators always ask these questions: Do I really need an Anti-Malware solution? Is there a real value in investing in an Anti-Malware solution for personal or business use? What does a Malware seek to accomplish? What are the real dangers of Malware infecting my computer or network?
Danger 1 – Denial of Service Attack (DOS): When PayPal and MasterCard withdrew their support to Wikileaks.org, the hacker group Anonymous orchestrated DOS attacks on their websites bringing them down temporarily. For DOS, the attackers activate Malware across millions of infected computers and increase traffic to a website and shut it down by overloading it.
Danger 2 – Identity Theft: Your identity is very important to hackers. Using your name, address, phone number, login IDs, passwords, tax information, photographs, social networks, and banking information, alternate identities can be created. These identities are used to not only apply for credit cards in your name, but also to create fake passports and state IDs. These fake IDs are used by criminals to evade authorities. Without fingerprint or iris scan, it is very easy to reuse your identity.
Danger 3 – Breaking Encryption Illegally: Communication between financial institutions and government departments are encrypted for security. Tremendous processing power is required to break the encryption. Hackers tap millions of infected computers across the world for their processing power to break the encryption. Once the encryption is broken, data can be stolen easily.
Danger 4 – Espionage: Stealing unauthorized information is one thing. Transmitting the information to the recipient is another challenge. This is where computers infected with Malware come in. Unauthorized data is passed on via thousands of infected computers.
Danger 5 – Cyber war: Governments across the world are building cyber war teams for cyber-offence as well as cyber-defense. What’s a better way to attack the digital assets of a country than to use computers locally! Computers infected by Malware are often used for this purpose.
If your computer is infected with Malware, it can be used for all the above illegal activities.
How do I know if my computer is infected with Malware?
- Hard disk – Do you have a high level of hard disk activity even when your computer is idle?
- Memory – Is your memory used by unknown services?
- CPU – Do you see spikes in CPU usage even when your computer is idle?
- Network – Is there high network activity even when all programs are closed?
If the answer to any of the above questions is Yes, Malware is degrading your computer.
If you want to protect yourself from the dangers of Malware, it is best for you to install a powerful Anti-Malware solution. Unless of course, you want your computer to be the hub of illegal activity!
