5 of the most important threats anti - virus software can protect you from

This is a malicious computer programme that is made to look useful or interesting so that it is installed without question by the user. Once installed they can be used for many purposes, including data or electronic money theft, destruction or modification of files, or spying and surveillance. They are one of the most common forms of malware and there are many different types including spyware and adware.

Worms spread by exploiting vulnerabilities in a network, using that network to spread themselves and causing damage whilst doing so. They often come through email and can be used to install what is known as a “backdoor”, which can then be used by spam senders wishing to send junk email.

A computer virus replicates itself into other computer programs and can then perform harmful activities such as stealing hard disk space, corrupting data, accessing private information, spamming contacts and many more disruptive and harmful practices. There are always new and different computer viruses so it is particularly difficult to ever be 100% protected from them.

This type of malware seeks to modify a web browsers settings, so that unwanted advertising is inserted. Whilst incredibly annoying it can also cause damage to the registry on Windows systems.

This is where a link in what looks to be a trustworthy electronic communication, is not reputable, and fools the user into putting their personal details, often financial, onto a fake site. It is as common to business systems as it is to personal pc's.