What is Malware and How Does it Affect Your Computer?
Malware is software that has been designed to steal or compromise information, systems, or devices for malicious purposes. Cybercriminals use malware to cause a wide range of damage, from embarrassing data breaches to financial fraud and reputational harm. Malware comes in many different forms, including adware, ransomware, worms, Trojans, spyware and rootkits. Each type of malware has its own unique capabilities, but all malware aims to achieve similar objectives.
Infections can be caused by clicking on pop-up ads, visiting insecure websites or even receiving a phone call from someone pretending to be tech support and asking for access to your device to fix a virus they claim is found. Cybercriminals can also hide viruses within legitimate, trusted applications and programs. Once infected, the malicious code will be downloaded and executed by the host device to damage or corrupt files.
Once a system is infected with malware, it can spread quickly to other systems by copying itself to files on the host device. Alternatively, it may be distributed via infected network file sharing or peer-to-peer networks.
Some types of malware can be difficult to detect and remove without help from a trained professional with access to specialized tools. Frequent error messages on a device, or a sudden inability to use certain functions could be indicators of malware infection.
Infections can be mitigated by implementing firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, regularly backing up data and conducting security audits and assessments. Additionally, it is important to disconnect the device from the internet and block it from communicating with command & control (C&C) servers, which can help reduce the impact of advanced malware infections.