1. NETWORK SECURITY Definitions and Preventions Toby Wilson

2. VIRUS  A computer virus is a malware program that, when executed, replicates by inserting copies of itself into other computer programs, data files, or the boot sector of the hard drive; when this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be ‘Infected’. Viruses often perform some type of harmful activity on infected hosts, such as stealing hard disk space or CPU time. Accessing private information or logging keystrokes  The most common method of virus prevention is Antivirus Software. Many users install antivirus software that can detect and eliminate known viruses when the computer attempts to download or run the executable (which may be distributed as an email attachment, or on USB flash drives, for example). Some antivirus software blocks known malicious web sites that attempt to install malware

3. WORM  A computer worm is a standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers. Often, it uses a computer network to spread itself, relying on security failures on the target computer to access it. Unlike a computer virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program.  Anti-virus and anti-spyware software are helpful, but must be kept up-to-date with new pattern files at least every few days. The use of a firewall is also recommended.

4. SPAM  Spam is the use of electronic messaging or communication systems to send unwanted messages to the receiver.