What is Malware and How Does it Affect Your Computer?
Malware is a general term that describes software that has been designed to damage or infect electronic devices. These devices include mobile phones, laptops, tablets and gaming systems. When malware infects a device, it may steal information such as passwords, login credentials and intellectual property. It can also corrupt files, delete data or take over system functions to control them for malicious purposes. The consequences of a successful malware attack can vary, from embarrassing personal data theft to the destruction of critical infrastructure that keeps people alive.
Malicious programs are typically dormant until triggered by the user through opening an infected application, downloading a corrupt file or clicking on a link in an email or text message. Some examples of malware are worms, Trojan horses and logic bombs. Computer worms replicate themselves to infect other computers while Trojan horses masquerade as harmless programs and then damage the host computer. Logic bombs are concealed in programs and can be triggered at a predetermined time to crash a system or wipe a hard drive.
The intent of most malware attacks is to make money, sabotage a business, make a political statement or simply cause chaos. Typical motives include extortion (ransomware), stealing banking credentials, spying for sensitive personal information and gaining competitive advantage through industrial espionage. Detecting and stopping malware is challenging because it’s often designed to hide in the background, undetectable by anti-virus software or automated tools. Moreover, it is frequently delivered to vulnerable devices through social media platforms like Myspace and Twitter, email attachments or by click fraud on ads and malicious websites.