“I think I have a Virus.” All IT consultants know this line; we hear it almost every time a system comes in the door. Everyone has heard of viruses and lives in constant fear of an infected computer. It is time we set a few facts straight and hopefully save you some money on that annual AV subscription.

Spyware or Virus?
Both are similar, but do have a few distinctions. A virus is usually an unwanted program that can spread throughout a computer or across a network of computers. Spyware can be considered a type of virus, although it usually gets its own category. Spyware is a program that attempts to present or collect data from a user. This is usually seen as advertisements, toolbars, and collection of computer use data (including personal information).
Spyware is much more common Read the rest of this entry »