What is Malware and how do I remove/prevent it?
Tips & Articles
Malware is an abbreviated meaning ‘Malicious Software’. It is software that has been specifically designed to corrupt or damage a computer. There are various type of malware which include spyware, worms, keyloggers.. pretty much any program that is intended to invade and cause damage to your PC.
Today, most Malware programs are created to somehow generate cash, whether this is through gathering bank details or other sensitive information (spyware), logging passwords (keyloggers) or corrupting files and forcing the victim to pay a ransom (ransomware).
As you can tell Malware isn’t a nice type of software, so you’re probably wondering if it’s possible to remove and how you go about removing it if you’re ever unlucky enough to have it on your device. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to remove providing you have the correct malware removal software.
A malware cleaner is a piece of software that combats the negative side effects/affects of computer viruses and in our case, malware. This smart piece of software can even prevent the installation of malware by constantly monitoring services and processes on your device. Once it detects a change in the system or a program asks for permission to run the antivirus will inspect it. Depending on the type of program (virus or not) will depend on the outcome. If it’s safe the program will be allowed to run, if not it will be blocked and subsequently quarantined (put into a state where the program cannot be used).
If you suspect you’ve already got malware on your machine, then installing an anti-malware software can still help you. Once installed you can scan your entire device to detect any malicious software and from here, remove it if need be.
Occasionally operating systems have to be reinstalled in order for the malware to be removed, this can cost a lot of money as a professional IT consultant will need to look at your PC. Why not try a free malware scanner before jumping the gun?
In some extremely rare cases, malware can be so disruptive that it causes physical damage to your computer’s components, unfortunately an antivirus may not be enough at this stage but we recommend always starting with one..