KamilKozyra asks:
What, if any, are the long-term implications of not removing malware or spyware? Is it just there to annoy and interfere with everyday computing or can it steal info, delete files, or ruin hardware?
5 Answers -
Shakirah Faleh Lai
June 18, 2012Some of them will ruin your PC.
Bruce Epper
June 18, 2012Most will be annoying is some way. Most will slow down your computer to some extent. Some will delete, rename, or encrypt your files. Some will record all of your actions including logins and passwords to secure sites (think of your bank account and credit card information). Some will use your computer to attack other computers. Some will attempt to infect other computers you connect to either within your own home or business network. Some will look for your personal information so it can be used to steal your identity.
And by long-term implications, most of these will happen within the first few minutes it is on your computer.
As far as ruining hardware, it has been a long time since I have seen one that will do that although it could still happen. The one case I know of was a result of an assumption made by the programmer that would sometimes cause damage to specific video cards.
Susendeep Dutta
June 18, 2012Keeping malware for long time in your system is very dangerous to you as well as to others as if you communicate with others,they will get infected.
Himanshu Singla
June 18, 2012The consequences are already mention below..use IOBIT malware fighter software..
Terry
June 21, 2012Malware can be defined as computer programs that are undesirable. They are usually installed without knowledge or permission.
There are very few things that a program can do that will actually damage the computer hardware, so malware ruining the computer hardware is limited to those few things. However malware can still be pretty bad. Malware often adds a dropper app that is capable of checking for instructions and then downloading, installing and running additional malware tools when it is instructed to do so by the author/miscreant. So whatever the capabilities of the malware you currently have, it can probably be changed and upgraded or added to later remotely.
Malware may sit idle and do nothing until triggered to act. Malware may wipe your entire hard drive at a specific date and time. Malware may scan all of the files on your drives looking for specific information such as names, phone numbers, addresses, social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, companies you have accounts with and relevant information then send the information it found out to somebody. Malware may record or take snapshots of your screen and send them. If you have a web camera it may record or take snapshots of your room and send them or allow watching. If you have a microphone malware may allow listening in or audio recording your room. Malware may record every program you open, every website you visit and everything you type on your keyboard. Malware may use your hard drive as cloud storage for the authors/miscreants to store all kinds of illegal content. Malware may setup your computer as a server, serving illegal content all over the world. Malware may setup your computer to be a proxy for the author’s/miscreant’s unseemly Internet use so it would be traced to you at your ISP instead of them at theirs. Malware may use your computer and Internet connection to be a part of a larger more powerful machine for attacking web servers of companies or governments around the globe or cracking encryption for passwords. There are plenty more things that authors of malware have thought of, but that should be enough to give you an idea.