What Is Malware and How Does It Affect Your Computer?
Malware is any type of computer software which is designed to act in an undesirable way. Most of the time, it is used by threat actors to infect a system or network.
While there are many different kinds of malware, viruses are the most common. These malicious programs have the ability to spread quickly, and can even corrupt data on a computer. They are also difficult to detect, and are often mistaken for legitimate programs.
Viruses replicate themselves by infecting other programs with their own code. This is how they spread from one machine to another. In some cases, they can also copy themselves to other files.
Viruses also have the ability to send spam to infected machines. The messages may look like an email from a friend, or they might contain a link to a scam “security” program.
There are several types of malware, but the main two are viruses and worms. Worms are similar to viruses, but they carry themselves in their own containers. Worms are infectious and can spread by themselves.
Some types of viruses include Trojans, which are often disguised as harmless applications. When installed, Trojans execute unwanted functions, like collecting credit card information or transmitting personal data.
Other types of viruses include ransomware, which encrypts the user’s data and demands payment for a decryption key. Another form of malware is cryptojacking, which uses the computing power of a victim’s computer to verify transactions.
Another type of malware is spyware. Spyware monitors user activity and reports back to the author. It can also blackmail victims with sensitive data.