What Is Malware and How Does It Affect Your Computer?
Malware is an umbrella term for any type of software designed to infiltrate a device without the owner’s knowledge and cause damage or disruption. Adware, spyware, viruses, Trojan horses, worms and rootkits are all considered malware.
When a computer is infected with malware, users may notice a decline in performance or an influx of pop-ups. In some cases, a device may be spotted communicating with unknown servers or using up excessive bandwidth. This is often a sign that malware is draining the device’s resources to make it run more quickly, or that the system is attempting to hide malicious activity from IT and security teams.
A virus is a malicious program that replicates itself to spread from file to file within a system or across a network. Unlike a Trojan horse, which masquerades as something useful to trick the user into installing it, a virus is usually designed to steal files or passwords. Worms, which also spread through networks but more commonly, spread from computer to computer on a single system like a virus, are similar to viruses but can reproduce without any user action.
A worm can be disguised as an IM, email or attachment and, when clicked, will install a worm that will spread to the user’s entire contact list. A Logic Bomb is concealed in a program and can be triggered by a user action or released at a predetermined time, like a Trojan horse but with the added capability to wipe a hard drive.