What Is Malware and How Does It Affect Your Computer?
Malware, or malicious software, is any code that aims to infect, compromise, steal, or damage computers, computer systems, tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices. It can also have a negative impact on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data or applications.
Hackers constantly develop new malware strains in order to evade security software and carry out their attacks. The full list of malware variants would be too long to include, but some of the most popular malware types are viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, and adware.
Viruses are perhaps the most well-known type of malware. They infect files or programs by embedding malicious code within clean code and spreading from one file to another or to other machines on a network. Viruses can corrupt content files, alter website functionality, or even stop the system from working altogether.
A worm is similar to a virus, except it spreads through email attachments, instant messages, file-sharing programs, social networking sites, or through network shares and removable drives. Worms can steal sensitive information, change security settings, or even give a cybercriminal full control of an infected device.
A Trojan is a piece of malware that disguises itself as a program or app, such as a free game or browser toolbar, to gain access to the system. It can then make unauthorized changes such as monitoring behavior, collecting personal information, or bombarding the device with unwanted advertisements. Adware is a form of malware that generates revenue for hackers by bombarding the infected device with unwanted ads.