The term "spyware" refers to dangerous software designed to capture information from or take control of your computer without your informed consent. Some spyware programs keep track of the web sites you visit or open uninvited pop-up windows on your screen. More sinister forms of spyware collect private financial information, send junk mail through your Internet connection, or force your computer to participate in attacks against computer networks.

Malware is a catch-all term for software installed by stealth onto a PC for malevolent purposes (hence the name). These may include displaying unwanted ads (adware), installing software you didn't ask for, or spying on your activities (spyware) and reporting them back to the culprit so that he can steal your bank account, address book etc.
A Virus is a short programme code which can cause harm or damage to a PC. It can cause damage to your computer hardware. A Virus is a segment of self-replicating code planted illegally in a computer program, often to damage or shut down a system or network.

Answered by Ashish Yadav , an ibibo Wizard, at 8:19 PM on June 20, 2008

well raksha Spyware = any program that spies on you or your computer and reports back to a server.
Malware = any program that you don't want on your computer that was put there without your intention (viruses, worms, spyware, trojans, etc.)
Adware = any program designed to give you ads, pop up or otherwise
Cookies = a small text file that your browser puts on your computer when you visit some sites. They are usually harmless and are used, for example, to store your login information for a website. Some cookies are for ad sites, and those are the ones you don't necessarily want
Virus = malicious code that hides in an executable or other type of file and does something when that program is run
Worm = malicious code that spreads through the internet, sometimes through email, and sometimes by exploiting vulnerabilities in unpatched operating systems
Trojan = malicious code embedded in a file that you think is good. The term 'trojan' refers to the famous Trojan Horse. You are tricked into running a program named 'Kazaa_installer.exe' and it turns out to be a worm
for more inf check source http://answers.yahoo.com/question/i ndex?qid=20070122192542AAoVhNA

Answered by sanjay , an ibibo Guru, at 3:35 PM on May 28, 2008

Hi,

Spyware are programs, cookies, or registry entries that track your activity and send that data off to someone who collects this data for their own purposes.

Usually, those people are marketing companies trying to collect information to help them sell better.

Spyware is usually installed quietly, or even secretly, when you install shareware applications.

Many people feel that spyware is a violation of their privacy.

Excessive spyware programs can slow down your Internet connection by filling the line with their traffic. They can also slow down your computer by using up available RAM and CPU cycles.

Malware is a generic term for bad software.

The word malware comes from the words malicious and software.

Types of malware include:

1. Computer viruses
2. Computer worms
3. Trojan horses
4. Logic bombs
5. Spyware
6. Adware
7. Spam
8. Popups

A computer virus is a program which reproduces itself. It may attach to other programs, it may create copies of itself (as in companion viruses). It may damage or corrupt data, change data, or degrade the performance of your system by utilizing resources such as memory or disk space.

A computer virus may be categorized with one or more of the following four designations:

1. Boot sector computer virus

2. Master Boot Record (MBR) computer virus

3. File infector computer virus

4. Macro computer virus

Answered by Ajay Pal , an ibibo Master, at 8:02 AM on May 26, 2008

well Raksha, The term "spyware" refers to dangerous software designed to capture information from or take control of your computer without your informed consent. Some spyware programs keep track of the web sites you visit or open uninvited pop-up windows on your screen. More sinister forms of spyware collect private financial information, send junk mail through your Internet connection, or force your computer to participate in attacks against computer networks.

Malware is a catch-all term for software installed by stealth onto a PC for malevolent purposes (hence the name). These may include displaying unwanted ads (adware), installing software you didn't ask for, or spying on your activities (spyware) and reporting them back to the culprit so that he can steal your bank account, address book etc.
A Virus is a short programme code which can cause harm or damage to a PC. It can cause damage to your computer hardware. A Virus is a segment of self-replicating code planted illegally in a computer program, often to damage or shut down a system or network.

Answered by Uttam , an ibibo Master, at 8:18 PM on May 22, 2008

Malware:A generic term used to describe malicious software such as: viruses,trojan horses, malicious active content and others.

Spyware: A program that gathers information and can be ‘silently’ installed and run in ‘stealth’ mode. This kind of software is used to gather information from a user’s machine, such as recorded keystrokes (passwords), a list of Web sites visited by the user, applications installed on the machine, the version of operating system, registry settings and so on.

Virus: A computer program file capable of attaching to disks or other files and replicating itself repeatedly, typically without user knowledge or permission. Some viruses attach to files so when the infected file executes, the virus also executes. Other viruses sit in a computer’s memory and infect files as the computer opens, modifies or creates the files. Some viruses display symptoms, and some viruses damage files and computer systems, but neither symptoms nor damage is essential in the definition of a virus; a non-damaging virus is still a virus.

Answered by Deepak , an ibibo Master, at 4:34 PM on May 22, 2008

Hi there

computer virus is simply a set of computer instructions or computer code that is written by some person. Instructions in this code tell the computer to perform some task. This task is often a destructive one, such as deleting important information or crashing the hard disk. Some viruses have been known to do nothing more than put a large happy face on your computer screen but some virus are very dangerous.

Types of Viruses
Virus is a generic term for software which spreads by itself.
Spyware is software which sends information about you and your computer back to its creator.
Trojans are a type of virus that infect computers by tricking people into installing them under the belief that they are something the user wants.

Answered by Reeta K , an ibibo Master, at 10:57 AM on May 22, 2008

Spyware are programs, cookies, or registry entries that track your activity and send that data off to someone who collects this data for their own purposes. Usually, those people are marketing companies trying to collect information to help them sell better.

Spyware is usually installed quietly, or even secretly, when you install shareware applications.

Many people feel that spyware is a violation of their privacy.

Excessive spyware programs can slow down your Internet connection by filling the line with their traffic. They can also slow down your computer by using up available RAM and CPU cycles.

Malware is a generic term for bad software.

The word malware comes from the words malicious and software.

Types of malware include:

1. Computer viruses
2. Computer worms
3. Trojan horses
4. Logic bombs
5. Spyware
6. Adware
7. Spam
8. Popups

A computer virus is a program which reproduces itself. It may attach to other programs, it may create copies of itself (as in companion viruses). It may damage or corrupt data, change data, or degrade the performance of your system by utilizing resources such as memory or disk space.

A computer virus may be categorized with one or more of the following four designations:

1. Boot sector computer virus

2. Master Boot Record (MBR) computer virus

3. File infector computer virus

4. Macro computer virus

Answered by shepherd , an ibibo Master, at 9:53 AM on May 22, 2008

well, A Software that secretly gathers information about a person or organization. Software that is designed to take partial or full control of a computer's operation without the knowledge of its user., spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program.

Malware (for "malicious software") is any program or file that is harmful to a computer user. Thus, malware includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and also spyware, programming that gathers information about a computer user without permission.
A Virus is a short programme code which can cause harm or damage to a PC. It can cause damage to your computer hardware. A Virus is a segment of self-replicating code planted illegally in a computer program, often to damage or shut down a system or network.

Answered by Saurabh , an ibibo Master, at 9:42 AM on May 22, 2008

well Raksha,
it is unwanted software which someone else wants to run on your computer. This software "infects" your computer, making it behave in a way which you do not approve of. Malware can include:

* traditional viruses and worms, which are usually destructive in some way - these can delete files, wreck the operating system, etc.
* modern viruses and worms, which give control over your computer to an attacker - they can then use your computer to send spam or launch attacks on other computers
* "spyware", which monitors what you do on your computer - this can lead to credit card or identity theft
* "adware", which shows you unwanted advertising - this typically shows up as pop-up ads or an unwanted homepage
* a combination of the above

There used to be many important differences between these groups, but these days they all use the same infection methods. It is no longer useful to make a distinction between them.

Answered by jaivir , an ibibo Master, at 8:28 AM on May 22, 2008

well Raksha,A computer virus is simply a set of computer instructions or computer code that is written by some person. Instructions in this code tell the computer to perform some task. This task is often a destructive one, such as deleting important information or crashing the hard disk. Some viruses have been known to do nothing more than put a large happy face on your computer screen but some virus are very dangerous.

Types of Viruses
Virus is a generic term for software which spreads by itself.
Spyware is software which sends information about you and your computer back to its creator.
Trojans are a type of virus that infect computers by tricking people into installing them under the belief that they are something the user wants.

Answered by satyaiitk , an ibibo Master, at 6:53 AM on May 22, 2008