3 Differences Between Viruses and Spyware

By Travis Klein

So we have all probably heard of these two terms, Viruses and Spyware. Most of us however use these terms loosely without distinguishing between them. In actuality the 2 are very different in the behaviors and characteristics.

A Virus is a term we have been using since computers or PC's became popular about 14 years ago. The term Spyware however has only become popular a lot more recently, about 5 years ago.




The first difference between viruses and spyware is the fact that a virus will spread itself without the help of other programs or outside help. A virus can and will spread and infect other computers if there is a network connection, i.e. the internet. A virus is a malicious piece of code or program which will infect itself on one computer without the permission of the user. It will then proceed to copy itself and infect other parts of the computer or like stated above, infect other computers on a network.


The second difference between Viruses and Spyware is that Spyware will not copy itself, but it will attempt to steal information off of the computer it resides. Spyware more specifically can and will keep a detailed history of websites that a user goes to and what they do on those websites. Also spyware can steal even more personal information like some ones social security number if it resides on the computer somewhere or if a user is entering it on a website.


Lastly, and along the same lines as the first two. A virus seeks and tires to spread itself while spyware tries to embed itself in a computer. A virus will try replicating itself across a computer, but it may not always be doing malicious things, but yet it is still done without the users consent. This why a virus can be so dangerous. Spyware will embed itself a computer system, hiding from the user, all while 'spying' around attempting to gather information without permission.

When it comes time to run some programs to check for these elusive viruses and spyware, one needs to first do research to find out which program has the best chance to help their computer the best. You want a reputable program that has worked for others.

The best program I have used to repair my personal PC can be read about free below. You can download the program and get your computer free of all viruses and spyware in under an hour.

Click here: http://www.homecomputer-repair.com to download it. No need to stress about Viruses and Spyware anymore!

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