{"id":3824,"date":"2018-02-22T21:28:19","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T15:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/?p=3824"},"modified":"2020-08-18T22:39:03","modified_gmt":"2020-08-18T17:09:03","slug":"malware-definition-and-its-removal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/computer-safety\/malware-definition-and-its-removal\/","title":{"rendered":"Malware \u2013 The Whats, Whys, and Hows"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3119 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Microsoft-to-Battle-Malware.jpg\" alt=\"Malware\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Microsoft-to-Battle-Malware.jpg 650w, https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Microsoft-to-Battle-Malware-300x138.jpg 300w, https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Microsoft-to-Battle-Malware-225x104.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Malware, which is short for malicious software, is basically a software like any other, created by the hacking community with the malicious intent of affecting our PC(s) or stealing our personal sensitive information or data. But generally speaking any intrusive software \u2013 be it malicious or not \u2013 which can gain illegal access to our PC(s) is considered as malware.<\/p>\n<p>The popular computer &#8216;virus&#8217; is a type of malware. Other malware types include spyware, worm, trojan horse, browser hijacker, rootkit, malvertising and more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How Does A Malware Infect?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Malware attacks your PC(s) chiefly using two ways. 1) By deceiving you to download a software and 2) By infecting your PC taking advantage of a security vulnerability (or loophole) already existing in it (an outdated OS or software or browser). Whatever the case, you&#8217;ll be the one downloading the malware without even knowing that you are doing so!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Malware Removal<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Believe it or not, malware removal is easy when it concerns less serious malware infections. You can most probably remove them just as you uninstall a legitimate program. But when the malware infection is serious, the malware removal becomes much more complex. It is in cases like this, you need a specific malware removal tool to carry out the job.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Protecting Yourself Against Malware Infections<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The best way to avoid malware is by taking necessary security precautions like avoiding suspicious-looking attachments, downloads, websites among other things, and by implementing security tools like antivirus software and having <a href=\"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/computer-safety\/five-best-virus-and-malware-removal-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">malware removal tools<\/a> in place in case things go wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Another important aspect is to note is that installing even the best <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comodo.com\/home\/internet-security\/antivirus-advanced.php\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"antivirus software\">antivirus software<\/a> too is not going to be sufficient enough \u2013 unless you keep them updated. You can choose to use our very own Comodo <strong>Antivirus<\/strong> to protect your PC(s) from various security threats including zero-day malware.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding the question &#8216;whether <a href=\"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/comodo-news\/selecting-best-free-anti-malware-software-2018\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free antivirus<\/a> would offer sufficient protection to your PC?&#8217;, the answer really depends upon your requirements. If you are heavy internet surfer, you need to be paid antivirus, otherwise, free antivirus would do. Therefore both offer solid protection against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thethreatreport.com\/\"target=\"_blank\" + title=\"Threat Report\">security threats<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape is throwing up different challenges, handling which can be pretty tough unless your PC is equipped with the right kind of security tools. Not just malware, but the most dangerous of them all \u2013 the zero-day malware to needs to be tackled. For this, you need to equip your PC(s) with the <a href=\"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/computer-safety\/best-free-antivirus-software-of-2018\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best antivirus<\/a> software like Comodo Antivirus.<\/p>\n<p>Just like any other thing, the best way to counter malware is to prevent them before it attacks your PC. Take appropriate security measures \u2013 like downloading antivirus, malware removal tools. But no malware can be prevented if you don&#8217;t exercise caution while online. Therefore ensure you stick to security best practices as well and always be the prudent internet user.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/download\/thank-you.php?prod=cloud-antivirus&#038;track=16678&#038;af=16678\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', {eventCategory: 'Antivirus Blog', eventAction: 'Download', eventLabel: 'Bottom FREE DOWNLOAD banner Product AV'});ga('nT.send', 'event', {eventCategory: 'Antivirus Blog', eventAction: 'Download', eventLabel: 'Bottom FREE DOWNLOAD banner Product AV'});\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8604\" src=\"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Comodo-Free-Antivirus.png\" alt=\"comodo antivirus\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/secure.nurd.com\/home\/purchase.php?pid=109&#038;af=16166\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', {eventCategory: 'Antivirus Blog', eventAction: 'Click', eventLabel: 'GET COMPLETE PROTECTION banner Product CIS Pro'});ga('nT.send', 'event', {eventCategory: 'Antivirus Blog', eventAction: 'Click', eventLabel: 'GET COMPLETE PROTECTION banner Product CIS Pro'});\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8604\" src=\"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/complete-antivirus.png\" alt=\"comodo antivirus\" width=\"650\" height=\"83\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<strong>Related Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/comodo-news\/5-best-free-malware-removal-tools-2019\/\" target=\"blank\">https:\/\/antivirus.comodo.com\/blog\/comodo-news\/5-best-free-malware-removal-tools-2019\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Malware, which is short for malicious software, is basically a software like any other, created by the hacking community with the malicious intent of affecting our PC(s) or stealing our personal sensitive information or data. But generally speaking any intrusive software \u2013 be it malicious or not \u2013 which can gain illegal access to our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[12,147,63,13],"class_list":["post-3824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computer-safety","tag-antivirus-software","tag-best-free-antivirus","tag-free-antivirus","tag-malware-removal"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Malware Definition | Methods to Remove Malware<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Know what is a malware and the methods to remove them using antivirus software. 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