What Are Spyware Definitions?
If you read other articles about Spyware you will sometimes encounter the word 'definitions', but what are these exactly? In computing terms this is basically a word which has been borrowed from the anti-virus world.
When the first computer viruses started to appear for the IBM PC compatibles in the 1980's, viruses were few in number and could infect home computers only through portable media (such as floppy disks).
As a result, all that was needed for the typical home user was to install an anti-virus the first time the operating system was installed, and then install a new version (an upgrade) every year.
At that time this strategy worked quite well and in fact even Microsoft bundled such a solution with MS-DOS 6.
0 (in 1993).
At that time, MSAV (Microsoft Anti-Virus) could detect 1234 distinct viruses, which for that time was indeed a lot! However, with the advent of the Internet, the situation changed completely.
In fact, once the net started to appear on home computers, viruses could be spread very quickly and potentially to millions of computers.
In turn, this was an impetus for more virus creators to enter the scene and for established ones to create more viruses at a faster rate! Hence, at one point we reached the situation where hundreds of new viruses (or variants of existing ones) were being released on a monthly basis! This new situation created a new challenge for anti-virus providers because the old way of doing things (release an upgrade of the whole anti-virus software) every year was no longer effective! The solution was eventually provided in terms of definition updates, because even though the Internet was the direct cause of the faster virus proliferation, it was realised that it could also be used for getting the 'antidote' very quickly.
At first these definitions started to be released on a monthly basis, then on a weekly basis and finally also on a daily basis.
Nowadays, we also find some AV providers who release these definition updates more than once per day! At this point, some of you might ask the question 'But what all this has to do with spyware?'.
The answer is simple: because of the mass proliferation of spyware, today anti-spyware providers also need to release definition updates and the entire AV definitions concept (as described above) also applies to Spyware definitions updates.
This also means that when choosing an anti-spyware you must make sure that the chosen product not only updates itself with definitions, but also that this is done automatically (some solutions only provide for a manual update system) and that the definitions are released frequently.
'How much frequently' you might ask? Well, the answer is also equally simple: the more frequent the better.
After all, you don't want to risk that a definition for a fast-spreading spyware is released after one week that the spyware has infected your computer.
Don't forget that after all, for computers (like as for humans) prevention is better than cure!
When the first computer viruses started to appear for the IBM PC compatibles in the 1980's, viruses were few in number and could infect home computers only through portable media (such as floppy disks).
As a result, all that was needed for the typical home user was to install an anti-virus the first time the operating system was installed, and then install a new version (an upgrade) every year.
At that time this strategy worked quite well and in fact even Microsoft bundled such a solution with MS-DOS 6.
0 (in 1993).
At that time, MSAV (Microsoft Anti-Virus) could detect 1234 distinct viruses, which for that time was indeed a lot! However, with the advent of the Internet, the situation changed completely.
In fact, once the net started to appear on home computers, viruses could be spread very quickly and potentially to millions of computers.
In turn, this was an impetus for more virus creators to enter the scene and for established ones to create more viruses at a faster rate! Hence, at one point we reached the situation where hundreds of new viruses (or variants of existing ones) were being released on a monthly basis! This new situation created a new challenge for anti-virus providers because the old way of doing things (release an upgrade of the whole anti-virus software) every year was no longer effective! The solution was eventually provided in terms of definition updates, because even though the Internet was the direct cause of the faster virus proliferation, it was realised that it could also be used for getting the 'antidote' very quickly.
At first these definitions started to be released on a monthly basis, then on a weekly basis and finally also on a daily basis.
Nowadays, we also find some AV providers who release these definition updates more than once per day! At this point, some of you might ask the question 'But what all this has to do with spyware?'.
The answer is simple: because of the mass proliferation of spyware, today anti-spyware providers also need to release definition updates and the entire AV definitions concept (as described above) also applies to Spyware definitions updates.
This also means that when choosing an anti-spyware you must make sure that the chosen product not only updates itself with definitions, but also that this is done automatically (some solutions only provide for a manual update system) and that the definitions are released frequently.
'How much frequently' you might ask? Well, the answer is also equally simple: the more frequent the better.
After all, you don't want to risk that a definition for a fast-spreading spyware is released after one week that the spyware has infected your computer.
Don't forget that after all, for computers (like as for humans) prevention is better than cure!