Utility Software

Utility Software

1. What is it ?

   • Utility software is software that is designed to assist with the operation of the system
   • It usually performs a function required by the operating system, rather than something the user would want

2. Malware / Viruses

   • Malware (Malicious software) is any software that does something you don’t want, such as stealing your information or sending spam without your consent
   • Modern viruses/malware are designed to be very hard to spot. If your computer is infected, you’re very unlikely to know about it.
   • Viruses are a type of malware that copies itself into other programs.

3. Antivirus

   • Since malware is designed to be hard to spot, Antivirus software is needed to detect and remove it.
   • When new malware is discovered, its signature is added to the database, and an update is sent out to the antivirus software.

4. Cryptographic Utilities

   • Cryptographic utilities are programs that encrypt data
   • Encrypted data is data that can't be read by anyone without the information required to decrypt it
   • There are many encryption systems, some of which require biometric data (fingerprints etc) to decrypt

5. Data Recovery

   • Sometimes data is lost by accident – a file may be deleted or overwritten by mistake
   • Sometimes data is lost to physical damage – a hard disk may become faulty
   • Data recovery software will attempt to recover deleted or damaged data