How to Spot Malware
Malware is the umbrella term for any software that infiltrates or damages a device without your knowledge. It includes computer viruses, adware, spyware, trojans, worms, ransomware, rootkits and more. Hackers create malware for many reasons, but all aim to profit at your expense. Some of the most common motives are stealing account credentials, selling access to computing resources, encrypting business critical data and demanding ransom, or spying on your activity and collecting personal information for sale.
Some signs of malware are a device or network operating slower than normal, frequent device or system crashes, or a shortage of available storage space. Many types of malware also make unauthorized changes on your devices to display pop-ups, change search engine results, add icons to the desktop or change security settings. Cyber threats often use your bandwidth or connect to unsecured networks to communicate with remote servers, so noticing an unexpected increase in network traffic is another indication of a malware attack.
Depending on the type of malware, it may be able to take over a device’s processing power and reduce its overall speed. It may also download and install additional files or programs, which can quickly fill up your storage space. A common malware technique is to spread through phishing emails, instant messaging (IM) apps and services, social media links, file-sharing programs, or by exploiting systems and software vulnerabilities. A worm, for example, will self-replicate by modifying other computer programs or inserting itself into USB flash drives, network shares and even social media sites.