Malicious Code

Malware (short for malicious software) is an umbrella term used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software.

There are several different types of malware that you need to be able to describe:

1. Virus - A virus is a piece of self-replicating piece of code that attaches itself to a file and when executed, is able to replicate itself without the user’s consent. They usually perform a harmful activity on the computer such as using hard disk space, corrupting data or even turning the computer into a zombie.
2. Trojan - A trojan is malware disguised as a piece of legitimate software, trojans sit on the computer and allow the cyber-thieves to have access to your system. Typical things that a trojan might do include creating a backdoor into the system, modifying or deleting data or just disrupting the performance of the computer. Unlike viruses, they cannot self-replicate, but are often used in phishing scams.
3. Spyware - These are programs that secretly record what you do on the computer. They could be used for legitimate purposes, but are often used to steal personal data. One form of spyware is a key logger which monitors all keyboard presses, and uses these to steal passwords.
4. Adware - There are two definitions for adware. One is software that contains advertisements, such as freeware games. These are often legitimate programs which make use of advertising revenue to provide free/cheap games to customers. The other definition is a form of spyware that is used to provide targeted adverts. For example, when using a web browser, you may decide to start looking up flights to the USA on Google, and suddenly all the adverts provided on social media are about things to do in the USA, and cheap flight companies.

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Malware