Long Time, First Time. No background in CS.

>”Google has aimed a knockout blow at a massive cyber weapon that researchers say is running silently on millions of devices in the homes of consumers”

from what i’ve gleaned in spelunking the internet, any time we use the internet our footprint is left. Cookies right? Is it correct to say soemtimes our footprints pick up some external influences? Like a virus, what else? how difficukt is it to keep an internet connected device completely silod from external influence. Using the broadest use of the term. In other words, your device is in the same state when you disconnect from the internet vs when it first connected.

There’s probably a better way to describe what i’m asking but i hope i’m making some sense?

Thanks !!