Malware, Adware, and Ransomware Are Just As Pervasive As Flu Outbreaks
Malware is malicious software that’s used to steal personal data, extort businesses for ransom or even cripple network systems. It can infect PCs, tablets, smartphones and enterprise networks via scummy websites and emails, removable devices, or direct downloads like apps.
It can also hide inside other programs or piggyback on them to disguise its presence, such as adware, which displays annoying advertisements on the screen, or spyware, which secretly observes user activities without permission. And then there’s ransomware, which encrypts data on the victim’s computer or across an entire business network, and then demands payment to decrypt it.
While flu outbreaks have a season, malware attacks are relentless-and they happen in every year and at any time. This is because cyber criminals are always looking for ways to exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems, applications, or hardware that can be used to steal your sensitive information.
Computer viruses and worms have been supplanted by Trojan malware programs that masquerade as legitimate applications and then execute their malicious instructions. They can also reach out to attackers’ command and control servers to download secondary infections, such as ransomware, onto your system.
There’s no single type of malware that is more prevalent than others, and new attacks emerge almost as fast as they can be conceived by cybercriminals. But the types of malware that are most common include remote access Trojans (RATs), botnets, adware, and ransomware. RATs are particularly popular because they allow threat actors to take complete control of a victim’s computer, often with the goal of moving laterally and infecting other computers and/or networks.