The top 5 things everyone should know about servers - especially if you really don't want to

It used to be that the word "server" was something people could automatically ignore if they were not involved in running computers in production data-centers. But today, you could be running server-like software on your computer, and not even know it. In fact, most unauthorized or unwanted software is set up to act like a server. Here are the top 5 things you should know about servers, especially if you don't want to have anything to do with them:

1. A server can be though of as any kind of software that can accept a request or command from another program or computer. Just because your computer is a laptop, or even a netbook, doesn't mean you can't be running a server-like program that is listening for commands from a computer somewhere else.
   
2. Any time you install a program on your computer, there is the potential that the software may be configured to receive commands from its publisher. In most cases, if you are running the program from a default account with full privileges on your computer, the server can access anything on your computer, and possibly on other computers in your network.
   
3. Peer to peer software like file-sharing programs are essentially server programs that accept requests from other computers to search the files in your shared directories. Again, although they are only supposed to look in folders you designate as "sharing folders", the program may have the ability to access any files on your computer.
4. Malware, viruses and botnets like to set up undetectable servers. If your computer becomes infected, there's a good chance it will install a server of some sort to wait for instructions on what to do next. Perhaps it will receive commands to repackage itself as a different kind of virus that anti-virus software can't detect - so it can live longer. Or it may wait for commands to start sending out Spam from your ISP accounts, or making bank transfers using your account while you are logged in. The possibilities are endless.
5. The best way to avoid having servers on your computer that are working for other people instead of you is to: (a) only install and use software from reputable vendors, and (b) avoid clicking on links, attachments or pop-up dialog boxes that are not from people you trust or software you know you can rely on.
   

Once you have an unwanted server on your system it can be very difficult to remove. That's why it's important to always have backups of your important data. You may have to completely wipe and re-install your computer's operating system to be sure your computer is only obeying your commands, and not somebody else's.

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