What Is Malware and How Does It Affect Your Organization?
Malware is a broad term that encompasses viruses, Trojans, worms, ransomware and other malicious programs threat actors use to infect systems and networks. These programs steal data, disrupt operations, extort money and more. Each type of malware is designed to achieve its goal in a different way.
All malware needs a way to gain access to an organization and a means of communication back to its creator. The former can be achieved through unsecured network connections, infected USB drives, compromised websites or other electronic communications. The latter is accomplished through email attachments, peer to peer (P2P) file sharing or pirated software programs. Once a piece of malware has gained access, it can then spread laterally throughout an organization to infect additional systems.
A key characteristic of all malware is its ability to do something malicious, such as steal passwords, credit card numbers, or browsing history. Other forms of malware can encrypt files, spy on a victim’s computer activity or even delete files. Some malware can even take over an entire system and run arbitrary commands on it.
Historically, the most common types of malware have been viruses and trojans. A virus is an executable program that spreads by copying itself into unwitting computers through infected floppy disks, for example. Trojans – such as scareware and adware – propagate through social engineering by hiding malicious code in apparently benevolent applications or web links. Worms, which are active and actively infect other systems, were more popular during the boom of social media from 2007 to 2009. More recently, ransomware and cryptojacking – which involves hackers hijacking victims’ devices to mine cryptocurrency – have been among the most disruptive types of malware.