Malware

What Is Malware?

Malware, short for malicious software, encompasses any software program or code designed to infiltrate and deliberately inflict harm on computer systems and networks. Varied types of malware serve different purposes, including financial gain, extortion, espionage, disrupting activities, remote control, data deletion, and dissemination of fraudulent or unlawful information. In addition to its malevolent nature, a defining characteristic of malware is its unauthorized access to a system, typically without the user's initial awareness.

Categories of Malware

Malware encompasses a wide range of harmful software types. Here are some common categories of malware:

Keylogger: Tracks and transmits keyboard inputs, often to illicitly obtain sensitive information such as passwords, usernames, and financial data.

Ransomware: Takes control of a system and encrypts files or the hard drive, compelling the individual or organization to pay a ransom to regain access to their system or data.

Trojans: Deceptive software disguised as helpful programs to encourage installation. Once installed, trojans are typically used to install other malware or steal sensitive data.

Spyware: Observes and collects a victim's activities, relaying the information to a designated party.

Worms: Self-replicating similar to viruses, worms spread over a network, consuming system resources. Unlike viruses, they do not attach to files and can travel between different systems without human interaction.

Adware: Generates excessive ad pop-ups on a computer, often for profit through advertising. This code often attaches to other software and deceives users into installation, potentially leaving systems vulnerable to other malware.

Botnets: Networks of compromised computers engineered by attackers to collaborate for malicious purposes.

Rootkit: Makes it challenging to locate and remove malware by seizing control of the system's administrator privileges and concealing the program from detection.

Wipers: Such programs obliterate all data on the infiltrated computer or network, potentially for sabotage or to cover the attacker's tracks after using spyware to steal information.

Cryptojacking: Also known as malicious cryptomining or drive-by mining, this type of malware utilizes computer resources to perform cryptocurrency mining.