“Viruses aren’t my biggest problem. Malware, now that’s an issue.”
That was a comment recently made by an IT professional. Shortly after hearing this, I was sent an article written by a tech expert stating,
“While Chromebooks are aces at stopping viruses, they can’t block malware attacks.”
I found these comments shocking. Soon you will understand why.
Virus or Malware?
For the “non-techy” type, viruses and malware may seem to be completely different forms of cyber threats. However, for the “techy” type, they should know their correlation.
Malware is a blanket term. It encompasses all forms of malicious software including worms, keyloggers, spyware, adware, ransomware, and yes — viruses too. This means, all viruses are indeed malware, but not all malware is viruses. Think of it like, all flamingos are birds, but not all birds are flamingos. (Bizarre example I know, but I want to keep you on your toes!)
So which is worse? If I had to choose, I could say malware. Simply because there are far more forms of malware threats. Viruses are just a piece of the malware pie.
So, Are Chromebooks Immune?
Now, lets go back to the Chromebook comment.
“While Chromebooks are aces at stopping viruses, they can’t block malware attacks.”
Viruses are malware attacks! Perhaps they meant, Chromebooks are “aces” at blocking viruses but fall short on other forms of malware. I’m not sure. I cannot put words in their mouth — but I want to be clear — viruses are a form of malware.
Now, if you’re using Chromebooks in your offices because you believed they were “aces” and are now a bit discouraged to find out that they too are susceptible to malware attacks, there’s good news. PC Matic Pro offers protection for Chromebooks. This solution:
- Blocks intrusive ads and popups
- Blocks tech support scams to protect users from themselves
- Centrally reports on extensions/apps that are installed on Chromebooks allowing admins to review and remove junk extensions from their Google admin console
