Understanding Malware Threats
In the context of cybersecurity, threats are potential dangers that can exploit vulnerabilities in a system. The world of Malware involves dealing with a variety of threats, each with unique characteristics and impacts.
Types of Threats
Here are some of the most common types of threats that antimalware solutions aim to protect against:
- Viruses [1]: These are malicious programs that can replicate themselves and spread from one device to another.
- Worms [2]: Similar to viruses, worms can replicate themselves. However, they can spread without any user action.
- Trojans [3]: These are malicious programs that disguise themselves as legitimate software. Users are typically tricked into loading and executing Trojans on their systems.
- Ransomware [4]: This type of malware encrypts the user’s data and demands payment to restore access.
- Spyware [5]: Spyware is software that spies on user activity without their knowledge and sends the information to a third-party.
- Adware [6]: While not always harmful, adware can be intrusive. It displays unwanted advertisements and can slow down the user’s system.
References
- [1] “What is a Computer Virus?,” Norton, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-malware-what-is-a-computer-virus.html. [Accessed on: 06 Feb 2024].
- [2] “What is a Computer Worm?,” Kaspersky, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/what-is-a-computer-worm. [Accessed on: 06 Feb 2024].
- [3] “What is Trojan?,” McAfee, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/security-awareness/malware/what-is-a-trojan.html. [Accessed on: 06 Feb 2024].
- [4] “What is Ransomware?,” Microsoft, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2020/02/24/ransomware-what-it-is-and-how-to-prevent-or-recover-from-it/. [Accessed on: 06 Feb 2024].
- [5] “What is Spyware?,” Webroot, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/what-is-spyware. [Accessed on: 06 Feb 2024].
- [6] “What is Adware?,” Malwarebytes, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.malwarebytes.com/adware/. [Accessed on: 06 Feb 2024].