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What is the Difference Between...
(18 posts)
There is a degree of overlap in the first three, but in general:
Virus: Infects your pc without your knowledge, then replicates itself, attempts to infect other media (usb drives, CD's/DVD's, network files, emails, etc) to spread itself around.
Malware: Infects your pc without your informed consent. In other words, this is a type of program that exists in something that you intentionally download, ie a game, an add-on for a program or browser, but contains undocumented code that does something on your machine. Viruses and Trojans are sub-sets of Malware.
Trojans: A Trojan is something that you install on your system for some reason (as above, it could be a game, and application, add-on to program or browser) that contains undocumented code. This code allows Trojan developer access to your system.
Operating System: Is an interface for the user to machine and provides instructions for the applications and hardware to interact with each other and the user. Basically, when you use a computer you ask an Application (Firefox, iTunes, etc) to do something. The application then talks to the OS and tells it to play this video on the screen, play this sound thru the speakers, get this info from the net, etc. The OS then sends the instructions to all of the Hardware in your system--your sound card, video card, hard drives, disk drives, network cards etc. and has them do as the Application asks. In a nutshell, the OS sits between the Applications and the Hardware and allows them to talk to each other.
Firmware: Is the instruction set built into a piece of hardware. Your computers BIOS is your systems Firmware. Your cell phone with firmware for the OS to speak to the hardware. In general, if you have an error during a Firmware update, you end up with a paperweight.
Firmware will only work on specific Hardware it was designed for. Loading the wrong Firmware or an error during a Firmware update will typically kill the device.
An OS is an instruction set between the Hardware and the Applications. Most computers can run more than one OS, ie Windows, Linux, Unix, soon to be Chrome OS. The big thing is for the Application developers and Hardware manufacturers to write code that will allow their product to "talk to" the specific OS.
Browser is a generic term for a program that, well, browses files. Firefox, IE, Opera, Chrome are all examples of Web Browsers. Google Desktop Search and Windows Explorer (or just Explorer) are local file browsers.
Explorer is just Microsoft's Trade Mark name for their file/web browsers.
When a computer is configured to use the same IP address each time it powers up, this is known as a Static IP address. In contrast, in situations when the computer's IP address is assigned automatically, it is known as a Dynamic IP address.
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address (which you could have found yourself).
Hatryst - recent studies have shown that you will remember things more easily if you work on them, rather then ask for the answer and get it served on a plate;)
So I suggest you make an effort to find the answers yourself and if you can't find it, tell us what you found and what you're still unsure about.
If you're serious in your questions and have taken care to find the obvious yourself you'll always find people willing to fill in the gaps:)
And if you just want to make smalltalk - you can always post in offtopic to have a chat.
Goodnight!
Sarah.
Thanks for the suggestions Sarah :)
I was serious about my questions, and i asked at HTG forums cuz i know that i could find pretty friendly people who will explain to me. In this way, i wont have to look for myself, but now i think its not good to disturb others, just to add new information to my knowledge...
I'll post back (if i experience some problems)
Hatryst, I hope you don't get us wrong. Everybody here is very willing to help where information is not readily available or where you need to make a judgement call. But the answers to some of the questions you were asking are easy to come by with a simple Google. Once you get stuck on that or there is a detail you do not understand, come back here and we will be glad to help you out.
Hatryst,
Relative to the term "malware" . . . there is a technical definition (which I guess madmacs linked to), and a "common usage" definition. Very often the two are different. What is meaningful is what YOU take as the definition, which is often the "common usage" type.
While sticklers may insist that the technical definition is the "right" one, "malware" in common usage is generally taken to be ANY malicious code, which could be anything from spyware code designed to extract personal information or to defeat encrypted messaging, all the way to virus code designed to destroy data on your machine, with worms that do nothing but propagate themselves alone in between.
When you say "malware", that is what most people think off, with the exception of technorati that adhere to technical definitions, and who sometimes are quick to point out that you are "wrong" to think otherwise. Of course, they are correct insofar as technical definitions are concerned, but in the case of "malware" that technical definition does not portray what the common usage is.
Hehe, BobJam!! You´re living up to your picture at the mo!! ;) You are quite right in saying malware can be anything from a-z, but all I thought at the time was a simple question, a simple answer!! Then again, if I was as gutted as you were in the last couple of days, I´d be on a mission too ;) LOL Take care, Matt
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