Malware and its Types

Types of malware

Worms

These types of malware have high replicating power and start replicating themselves after entering a system; high replication speed exploits the resource available in the system and slows it. Worms might enter a system as an attachment with some legit program as a carrier, but it does not require any host to be functional and damage the system. 

Viruses   

It is a malicious executable code that is transferred into a system by being attached to an executable file. As the malicious program is executed, the virus spreads into the system and infects other programs. They sometimes can be harmless to a system or only modify and delete the data. Viruses are also spread from one system to another if we pass the infected program to another system.

Trojan horses 

These are malicious programs or software that seem legitimate but gain control of your system. It generally intends to inflict some harmful action on your data or system. A trojan is a malware, not a virus, because viruses can execute themselves, whereas a trojan is needed to be executed by the user.

Ransomware 

It is a type of malware that uses encryption to hold users' data at ransom. It encrypts the critical data for an organization or user without accessing which they cannot function. Then they are asked for a ransom in exchange for access to such data. These types of malware are designed to spread across a network and make an organization no - functional by interrupting access to its database and file servers. 

Spyware 

Spywares are software designed to intrude into your system to track your activities and forward them to a third party without your knowledge and consent; later on, that information can be used for explicitly making profits. Whereas, Sometimes it can be software used for monitoring purposes and not to cause harm to the user. Since spyware needs to be active during the session of the user to forward data in real-time, it slows down the system's performance.

Logic bombs 

These are also known as code bombs or cyber bombs. As the name suggests, it contains a malicious code executed when a logical condition is met. However, the program is safe otherwise. A very popular type of logic bomb is the time bomb.

Backdoors 

It is a type of malware that bypasses the normal authentication routines to access a system. Thus, it allows the resources of an application to be accessed remotely. So the hacker can remotely control the system and execute commands and operations which were unauthorized otherwise. It can be installed into a system either by viruses or legitimate files.

rootkits 

It is a concealer for packages that will open the backdoors into a system, which can be remotely accessed. The complex concealing is useful in avoiding detection from the security checks. Thus, the backdoor packages can't be filtered easily. 

We occasionally keep hearing about several other types of malware, but we'll discuss them in some other blog. So let's move on to faqs about malware.

You can also read about the Layered Architecture in Computer Network.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does malware are spread?

Malware is spread into a system through various channels; it can be downloading malicious software or installing a harmful app or through emails or links etc.

What is the difference between viruses and worms?

The major difference between a virus and a worm is that the virus starts infecting the system only after the activation of its host. At the same time, the worms are standalone programs and start to replicate as soon as they enter the system.

What is the difference between the backdoor and rootkit?

A backdoor is a way of accessing a system bypassing its normal authentication procedures. In contrast, a rootkit is a bundle of tools that helps us gain unauthorized access to a system and change this transient access into an always-open backdoor.

How can we prevent malware from entering our system? 

We can take numerous safety precautions to reduce the risk of successful attacks on our systems; some of the preventive measures are as follows-
Keep your computer and software up to date. 
Authenticate links before accessing or downloading them
Use non administrator account until necessary
Don't trust the pop-up windows asking to download software

What is phishing?

Phishing is a cybercrime in which users are tricked to disclose valuable information, like bank details, etc. generally; these are done by creating counterfeits of the originals domains where the critical information is supposed to be used.

Conclusion

In this article, we have extensively discussed malware and its types; we started with learning what malware is, then we discussed the various types of them and concluded the article with some FAQs related to the topic.

Recommended Reading

Firewalls

Network Attacks

Privacy in Computer Networks

Types of Cyber Attackers

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