The motivation behind hackers has evolved dramatically over the past two years. Developing harmful viruses is less about "bragging rights" or satisfy the ego of its creator and is becoming more and more about generating business profits or revenues.

The destruction of computer data or corruption of programs you use is a common side effect and what people traditionally associated with a computer virus. Reformatting Your Computer "drive c:", especially at work, and the loss of valuable data that used to be a very painful experience.

The wide array of data backup solutions within companies comply with legislation and other factors mean less and less valuable data is stored on local hard drive of your computer. Most important for the virus writer that this attack does not generate tangible benefits so there is not much motivation to develop more sophisticated programs to address the improvement of security and antivirus applications on the corporate network.

However, there is a benefit for the virus writer to turn your computer into a spam distribution machine. "Spam" is the e-mail sent without the permission of the person receiving the message. Hackers take control of your computer through a Trojan horse that gives them the right of access to the user. Once your team is controlled by the hacker known as "Zombie". A group of zombie machines known as a "botnet".

By controlling a botnet that a hacker can generate benefits in a number of ways. The botnet can be used to encourage a company ransom by threatening to launch a damage "Distributed Denial of Service" (DDoS) attacks against your website. The botnet can also recruit other hackers.

The most common exploit is to use a botnet to send spam email. According to security firm Sophos software more than 50% of all spam now originates from botnets. Hackers use email spam to drive traffic to the sites pay-per-click advertising or distributing viruses. The use of zombie computers to help cover their tracks.

The drive for profit generation is clearly evident in a new form of virus known as "ransomware" by security experts who began appearing in 2005. Ransomware, as its name suggests, contains the data on your computer as a "hostage". Files on the hard disk is encrypted with a password. The user is contacted and asked to pay a ransom to release the file.

Here are some tips and simple strategies to help prevent your computer from becoming a "zombie."

• Keep your computer updated with the latest software patches for Windows and other Microsoft programs. Most viruses and other vulnerabilities in the operation of malware programs widely used.
• Install a reputable antivirus program. Keep the definitions up to date and scan your computer regularly.
• Install a personal firewall or buy a router with a hardware firewall. Ideally, a firewall solution that filters incoming and outgoing traffic from your computer to the Internet.
• Do not open spam e-mail or e-mail attachments associated frequently used to distribute virus programs. Use a spam filter to help reduce the amount of spam you receive.