What is Malware and How Does it Affect Your Business?
Malware is a broad category of malicious software code designed to harm, exploit, infiltrate, or otherwise damage systems. Threat actors use malware to achieve a wide range of cybercriminal objectives, including stealing sensitive data, spying on people or organizations, disrupting operations, gaining unauthorized access, and even holding data hostage through ransomware schemes.
Some of the most dangerous types of malware include viruses, worms, trojans, and spyware. Viruses are the oldest and most prolific malware type, and they replicate by attaching themselves to a file and spreading through networks, destroying or modifying files in a way that negatively impacts system performance. Worms are similar but more sophisticated, and they spread by infecting machines on a network and using them as hosts for their own replication. Trojans are disguised as useful programs and install additional malicious programs to monetize their control of the device.
Hackers spread malware by exploiting technical vulnerabilities and social engineering tricks like phishing attacks to deliver infected links or files to unsuspecting victims. They also use flash drives and other removable devices to spread malware, a strategy that bypasses certain network-based security measures.
Once a device is infected, the first step to contain the attack is to isolate the infected machine from the rest of the network. Security teams must then review indicators of compromise (IOCs) to identify the type and impact of the malware incident and determine which systems are affected. Then, they can prioritize response efforts based on the impact to the business and the severity of the infection.