What is a malware sweeper you may ask? Well, it is definitely not a new version of the infamous mine sweeper which we all know you play endlessly at the office.

Malware is much more sinister than that, and it could even cost you your job.

This is because malware does the following:

1)    Embeds itself into your Windows or operating system, without your knowledge or consent.

2)    Embeds itself usually so deeply, that you can't track it, uninstall it, or get rid of it. Anti-virus software will usually struggle to completely get rid of it, as well.

3)    Steals information from your computer and sends it to the author of the malware (depending on the variant).

4)    Updates your favorites or bookmarks with its own favorites (depending on the variant).Sometimes it may update your favorites with adult sites, which is why it could cost you your job.

5)    Redirects your internet browser to visit whatever it wants you to visit. Again, it may redirect to an adult site, possibly meaning problems for you and your job again. (Depending on the variant.)

6)    In the same vein, it may bombard you with advertising, even adult advertising, once again meaning your job could even be at stake.

7)    Takes away hard drive space to store its own information (especially if it is stealing information from you) or to log your keystrokes (in other words, steal your passwords).

8)    Slow down your computer to a deathly pace, rendering your very unproductive.

9)    It may open up a portal for hackers to easily get in.

10)    It may try and hack into your network and get itself onto a server and steal more information.

As you can see, malware is not the same as a virus. A virus usually comes to kill your computer, an application, or something in some way. Malware comes to steal information, bombard you with advertising, or open up a doorway for hackers. This is why it is on a different level than a virus, although it could be considered a virus due to its viral nature of taking over everything.

A malware sweeper is a program designed, like mine sweeper, to find where the spyware is hiding, which applications or files it is 'piggy-backing' off of (in other words, hiding behind) and basically sweeping your hard drive, registry files, internet files and applications in search of this often dangerous software.

How did you get malware, you may ask? Well, as mentioned above, malware can sometimes piggy-back off other software. This means you may have installed software, either through a download on the internet or an internet link, and malware was attached to this software. Oftentimes, this is not deliberate – the supplier of the original software is as oblivious to you that the software has malware, because the malware has attached itself through the internet or even on their own computer. There are a number of ways it could piggyback.

The other thing malware does is download itself to your computer when you go to a website. Again, the website may deliberately be hosting malware or may be oblivious to it. Either way, just by visiting the website, the malware exploits a security flaw in your internet browser or Windows and installs itself. This is known as 'drive-by-download'.

Malware sweepers would sweep the website when you visit it and warn if a drive-by-download is occuring.

All in all, given the danger of malware, we all should have at least one malware sweeper installed to prevent us from contracting dangerous malware.