Types Of Malware (Part -1)

What is Malware? 

Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network, and many more, by contrast, software that causes unintentional harm due to some lag is typically described as a software bug.

There are 8 types of malware.

 1.  Computer viruses 

 2.  Worms

 3.  Trojan horses

 4.  Ransomware

 5.  Spyware

 6.  Adware

 7.  Fileless malware

 8.  Bot/Botnets

In this blog, I covered only the first four types of malware which is part-1, the remaining four types of malware in part-2. 

1. Computer viruses 

A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by changing other computer programs and inserting its own code. When this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then called as "infected" with a computer virus.

Remember, viruses infect other files, they are the only malware that infects other files and hence it’s really hard to clean them up. Even the best among antivirus programs effort with this; most of the time they either delete or quarantine the infected file and don’t get eliminate the virus itself.

2. Worms

A worm is self-replicating and spreads without end-user action, causing real destruction. Viruses require end-users to kick them off so that they can go on and infect other files and systems. On the other hand, worms don’t require any such end-user action. They’d simply spread by themselves, self-replicating in the process and destroying systems, devices, networks, and connected infrastructure, and many more. Worms spread by exploiting other files and programs and etc. to do the spreading work.  

E.g., When one person in an organization opens an email that contains a worm, the entire network in the organization could get infected in just a few minutes!!

 3. Trojan horses

Trojans, reminding you of what happened during the Trojan war, masquerade as lawful programs. However, they contain malicious instructions. Trojans mostly arrive via email or spread from infected websites that users visited. They only work when the victim executes or run it. A user may find a pop up that tells him that his system was infected. The pop up would instruct him to execute or run a program to clean his system. He takes the lure, without knowing that it is a Trojan. Trojans are very common because it is too easy to write Trojans. Additionally, they are easy because Trojans spread by deceiving end-users to execute them. This effectively renders security software useless.

 4. Ransomware

Ransomware, as the name suggests, demands a ransom from you to get things back on track. The main issue with ransomware, which would spread enormously fast across organizations, networks, and countries, is that they encrypt all files in a system or network, rendering them inaccessible. A ransom note pops up, demanding payment in cryptocurrency, for decrypting the files. If the ransom is not paid, the encrypted files could eventually get ruined and hence ransomware should be seen as one of the most devastating forms of malware. Most ransomware is Trojans and spread through social engineering. Unfortunately, in some cases, hackers refuse to decrypt files even after you pay the ransom.

👉  Now we will see some remedies of how to prevent malware.

1. Install Anti-Virus/Malware Software.
2. Run Regularly Scheduled Scans with Your Anti-Virus Software.
3. Keep Your Anti-Virus Software Up to Date.
4. Keep Your Operating System Current.
5. Think Before You Click.
6. Keep Your Personal Information Safe.
7. Don’t Use Open Wi-Fi.
8. Back-Up Your Files.
9. Never download programs from untrusted sites. 
10. Be cautious when opening email attachments.

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Click here for Part-2

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