Viruses, worms, Trojan horses and hacking are all security problems in our computer network. Each of these malware or programs attaches and spreads in different ways. Through hacking, hackers can infect computers with different types of malware and viruses. This article will explain what viruses are, how they occur, and the types of cybercrime that can result from them, as well as how to better protect your computer. “Safety warning! The application cannot be encrypted or Spyware alert! Your computer is infected with spyware. Do you want to activate your antivirus software now? » These are usually the messages that appear on your computer when it is infected with a virus. These are the types of viruses and message traps that hackers try to use to trick users into purchasing fake antivirus software. Each type of these malware and infectious programs created by hackers is different and occurs in different ways. Viruses and hacking have a major impact on two main topics covered in the Computer Information Technology 110 (CIT 110) course. Topics are data security and operating systems. Due to computer virus infection and hacking, the computer's operating system may malfunction and data security becomes vulnerable to loss or theft by hackers. As Catherine LaBerta explains in her textbook Computers Are Your Future, the operating system (OS) is a “set of programs designed to manage and control a computer's resources” (Laberta 111). A virus infection can prevent the operating system from functioning properly. This usually happens when the virus prevents the operating system from opening antivirus software. People often confuse viruses with another type of malware or program such as worms and Trojan horses. As described by CommonCraft in Computer Viruses and Threats...... middle of document ......it is the world's leading provider of chiropractic research news and information, serving physicians in chiropractic since 1983. Web. November 27, 2011. .Greiner, Lynn. “Social media hacking”. NetWorker-Broadband for everyone 13.1 (2009). ACM Digital Library. Internet. November 13, 2011. LaBerta, Catherine and Diane Coyle. Computers are your future. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. Sukhai, Nataliya B. “Hacking and Cybercrime.” Proceedings of the 1st Annual Information Security Curriculum Development Conference (2004): 128-32. ACM Digital Library. Internet. November 12, 2011. “What is a computer virus?” » Antivirus reviews and downloads - Norton 2012, Kaspersky, NOD32. Antivirus Ware, June 3, 2011. Web. November 14. 2011. .