What Is Malware and How Does It Affect Your Computer?
Malware, short for malicious software, is a term that is used to describe software that is designed to harm or interfere with a computer system. It is often distributed by cybercriminals. Cybercriminals often use malware to steal personal information, passwords and credit card information. They also use it to launch ransomware attacks, where the user must pay a ransom to unlock the encrypted data.
There are many different types of malware. They include viruses, trojans, bots and spyware. Some of these programs are benign, while others can destroy your entire computer.
The main objective of malware is to infect a system and disrupt operations. These programs can encrypt data, lock your files, and even slow your computer down.
Another common purpose of malware is to spread. This is done through email attachments, file-sharing programs and websites. Infected files can also be delivered through shared drives or physical media.
Malware is also used to hijack computer-controlled hardware and to mine sensitive data. It can also be used to create a backdoor that gives an attacker remote access to your machine.
A backdoor virus is a type of malware that secretly builds a backdoor into your computer. The virus can track your browsing history, download history, and browser activity, so that the threat actor can gain privileged access to your system.
Many of the latest strains of malware use obfuscation techniques to evade detection by antivirus programs. Other methods include using electromagnetic emissions, airgapped computers, and BitWhisper.