2.2 Security Aspects

Malware includes viruses and spyware. Viruses are programs that can replicate and harm a computer and its files, often spread through sharing files and emails. Spyware collects user information without permission, usually for marketing or illegal purposes, and can also reduce the available bandwidth. Hackers try to gain unauthorized access to a computer or network, and they can be classified as white hat hackers (who expose security issues for good reasons) and black hat hackers (who gain access illegally).

Anti - virus software scans the computer's hard disk to detect and remove viruses, malware, and spyware and needs to be updated regularly. Firewalls, which can be hardware - based or software - based, monitor and control the transmissions in and out of a computer or network based on rules, protecting the computer from unauthorized access and malicious software.