It seems that there is no end of security attacks of computers these days, and worms, pishing attacks and malware attacks are becoming very common. Every system is threatened of malicious attacks because of different viruses and malwares. However, one can avoid any damage to a system by knowing how malware attacks a system and the way it spreads in it. The term malware is a broad term encompassing Trojan horse virus, worms and other system viruses. Whenever you establish an internet connection for reading your mails or sharing files over the web, your system is exposed to malware attacks.

Ways of a malware attack,The ways in which malware attacks a computer include:

• Email malware attacks which comes through infected email attachments
• Instant messaging attacks through IM attachments similar to email attachments
• File sharing is another way of malware attack, in which malware attacks through file sharing programs.

Once malware makes its way into a system, they begin to damage a system’s boot sector, data files; software installed in it and even the system BIOS. This further corrupts your files and your system might shut down as well. The main problem is that these malicious software programs are designed to spread in a system.

Primary ways by which malware spreads

Writing malwares is not a difficult task, and thousands of them crawl in almost every system. There are a number of ways through which malware spreads in a system some of them are as follows:

• Social networks: When you are surfing the internet, be cautious about third party software and applications.  Even when you use social networking sites be careful to give consent to third-party applications for using your profile.
• Pirated software: malicious codes also spread in a system through pirated software. In majority cases, software seems to be legitimate when you download them, but they may be a big trouble for your system.

Some of the other ways through which malware spreads

• E-mails: When you read emails malware spread through attachments, so it is always better to scan them prior to downloading.
• Removable media: USB sticks are another common way by which malware attack and spread in a system. Even systems in a computer lab might be infected with malware and when you transfer files from an infected system to your system with USB stick, the infection enters your system as well.
• Websites: There are many sites, which are infested with different malwares and these enter your computer when you visit them.

The problem continues

There is no end to the channels through which malware can attack your computer and once inside your system, these spread automatically and disrupts internet traffic as well. Some of these even give access to your computer. Malware like Trojan horses does not replicate themselves, but they can damage a system badly and these generally come in the form of screensavers or free games. Fortunately, there are ways through which you can protect your system from these malware attacks and you just need to be a little vigilant to avoid such attacks.