Although the internet has made information handy, it does have its own set of setbacks. One of the biggest problems of the “world wide web” era is the computer security threat. Cyber criminals employ various methods to lure you in sharing your personal details or business information and then extort money to get your system restored. As the owner of a company or even as an individual, you must be aware of the threats that exist online and be extra vigilant.

Riskware
These are dangerous applications that tend to become a part of software applications. Often, hackers use these applications as extra components to gain access to a particular network.

Spam
Spam means unwanted emails in your inbox. It is also known as electronic junk mail and tends to clutter the inbox and take up space on your mail server . Although spam mails are usually harmless, they may contain links that, when clicked, could take you to another website and install harmful software on your computer upon downloading it.

Phishing
This is another way by which cybercriminals lure people into parting with private information. In this, emails are specially designed to appear like an email coming from a legitimate source. For instance, the email may ask you to provide your bank details on the pretext of updating its website. You may have to click on a link to verify your email account and give away your account and password details.

Computer worm
This is a software program that can replicate itself by copying from one computer to another without the need of any human interaction. The worm can replicate itself at a great speed and in huge volumes. Owing to its replication speed, these worms can infect computers across the globe the moment the user opens his email. An example of computer worm is Conficker Worm or Downadup, which infected almost 8.9 million computers in just four days!

Computer virus
This virus is a type of software that can spread from one computer to another by infecting it. The computer virus can corrupt or delete data from your computer, and even delete all the data on your hard drive. A computer virus can make use of your email to spread itself to another computer.

Trojan Horse
This is a serious threat as users often mistake the application to be legitimate and download it. Once inside the computer, this software can do anything from recording passwords by using a keystroke logger to hijacking your webcam and record and watch every move you take.

Malicious spyware
This was created by cybercriminals to keep an eye on their victims. Spyware may get downloaded unintentionally via emails, websites and even instant messages. In some cases, spyware may get downloaded through various file sharing connections. Sometimes even clicking on “Accept User Agreement” can install spyware in your system.

Rootkit
This is a collection of tools that are used to gain administrator level access to either a single computer or a network of computers. A cybercriminal can install a rootkit through a loophole in a legitimate application on your computer. A rootkit may contain spyware that monitors and records keystrokes.

Rogue security software
This works through a pop-up window. You must have come across pop-ups that may ask you to click on a link and “update” or “remove” a software that has been detected. This is actually the rogue security software that installs unwanted malicious software. You can go through a webpage by Microsoft that explains about rogue security software and shares some tips to protect your computer from it.

The above-mentioned security threats are the most common ones, and there are several apart from these. However, it is important to ensure your network or standalone system is protected from these threats. Certain measures such as installing antivirus in your system should be taken to protect it.