The Internet Is Full Of Worms

Added: 11/01/2007

A computer worm is a self replicating program that usually hides deep in your system files making it very hard to remove. If you have other computers linked up with yours, the worm can even spread itself across all the computers on that network. The internet is full of worms, so instead of trying to remove them all, we should download anti-virus protection to keep them off our computers. Keeping your computer up to date is a must.

Millions of people use the internet everyday, and when they do, they run the risk of running into a worm. More than likely we have all ran into a lot of worms while surfing the internet. Of course thanks to our virus protection software, we never have to worry about it. Of course, hackers keep getting better at finding ways to bypass our protection software, and thus making the internet a dangerous place to hang out. Most of our virus protection software updates from time to time which helps to keep your computer safe. It is your job to make sure we get these updates and keep our computer safe from new worms. The danger of worms will not go quietly into that long good night, so we have to keep fighting them until we can stop worms all together. All we can do is hope that as time goes on, the danger of worms keeps going down. The best way hackers have found to get worms into our computer is to have us download them without knowing that we are. Because downloads can be full of worms, it is a good idea to scan everything you download before you open it, just to be on the safe side.

People got the name of worms from a science fiction novel published back in 1975. The title of this book was called The Shockwave Rider and it was written by a Mr. John Brunner. Two researchers chose the name in a paper they wrote and since then the name of worms, has stuck. After a worm is on your computer it can spread without your interaction. If it needs your help to spread then it is called a Trojan Horse and not a worm. The danger of worms is always there, and there is no good to getting one. Even if the worm can not harm your computer, it still is going to take up disk space, and on an old computer that is not something you want to lose. Hackers also love sending worms by way of email. One such email that went out to everyone was called the ILOVEYOU. In side this email was a worm that would harm your computer. The people who received this email did not know who it was from, but chose to open it anyway. After opening it, their computers where infected and most of their hard drives where ruined. This is why it is very important to not open emails that you are not sure where they came from. If you get such an email, you should scan it before opening it, just to be sure. It is better to spend a little extra time scanning an email than it is to have to get a new computer because you got a worm.

The best way to stay safe is to keep your anti virus and spyware protection software up to date. The companies are coming up with new patches all the time that are used to help keep your computer safe from new worms. It is also good to use a firewall, and help block out things that try to run on your computer from the internet. Also firewalls can help keep people from invading your privacy. Of course, you will have to spend a little bit of time setting the level of your firewall and make sure it works for you. If you set it to high, then you will not be able to use most of the sites on the internet, whether they are bad or not. The danger of worms is out there, all we can do is stay prepared to fight them off.

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