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There are many inherent problems facing the computer-users of today. There are viruses, worms, simple theft, spyware and adware programs, and many other dangers.
Virus is one of the more popularized computer-jargon terms, but what exactly does a virus do? According to Peter Szor (2005), “a computer virus is a program that recursively and explicitly copies a possibly evolved version of itself” (p. 19). Charles and Shari Pfleeger (2003) explained that a virus “is a program that can pass on malicious code to other nonmalicious programs by modifying them” (p. 111). Deborah Morley and Charles S. Parker defined a virus as “a software program, installed without the user’s knowledge, designed to alter the way a computer operates or to cause harm to the system” (p. I-6).
Despite the numerous definitions, it is clear that a virus endangers the integrity of information and the programs in which it resides. Viruses are often found embedded in programs or emails through the internet.
A worm is very similar to a virus, except that it can replicate without any engagement by the user. For a virus to begin replicating it must first be engaged by a user (i.e. starting a program), but a worm is able to disrupt a computer by making copies of itself, by itself. After making copies, a worm will often sends them to other computers within the network. (Morley & Parker, 2004).
Lacking the complexity of its virus and worm counterparts, simple theft is still a very real problem within the realm of computer technology. Businesses and individuals can find themselves with tens of thousands of dollars worth of computer and technological equipment, and criminals often find themselves attracted to things of such worth.
The theft of ideas is another problem in the highly-competitive technological market. Trade secrets, information that a company uses to get the “edge” over another, are often stolen or sold by disgruntled employees or rival agents of another company (Pfleeger & Pfleeger, 2003).
Identity theft is a growing problem as the use of computer technology increases. Criminals will often steal a person’s identity through information found on a computer or on the internet. The numbers have been said to have reached as high as 7 million cases in the United States each year (Morley & Parker, 2004).
These programs are often not intentionally malevolent. They “collect various information of user activity and then send this data to a company via the Internet” (Szor, 2005, p. 38). The main problem with such programs is the degradation they pose upon the systems resources, often bogging down a computer and slowing down many of its processes. (Szor, 2005).