Q: What is a Virus?
A: A virus is a piece of software code designed to attach itself to another program and modify it’s function usually with malicious intent. There are other things such as worms, scripts and trojans’ that perform virus like functions but they are not truly viruses, but for simplicity we call them virus.
Q: What is spyware - malware - adware?
A: These are files or programs that track your computer, and perform hidden and usually unwanted functions in the background without your knowledge. Such as causing popups, redirecting you to websites they choose, redirecting your searches so you get the results they want you to, sending spam, and even stealing your account numbers and identity.
Q: What is a cookie ?
A: A cookies is a text file saved to your computer when you visit a website, this can be used for both good and bad purposes, but the cookie itself can not cause damage to your computer. Cookies are used to remember things, such as the layout of your homepage if you customized it, or login info on you your favorite forum or blog. The other side of a cookie is often abused by advertisers, they remember what site you went to, how often you went there, when you were there, what pages you looked at, etc...