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What is Malware

Malware is any program or file that harms a computer or its user.  Common types of malware include computer viruses, ransomware, worms, trojan horses, spyware, keyloggers, logic bombs, bots/botnets, adware & spyware, and rootkits.

These programs can steal, encrypt or delete sensitive data, alter or hijack key computing functions, and monitor the victim's computer activity.  To mitigate or prevent malware attacks, organizations can develop security policies, implement security awareness training, use app-based multi-factor authentication, install anti-malware & spam filters, change default operating system policies, and perform routine vulnerability assessments.  An organization's security and data protection program should have a plan in place that mitigates risk to systems and networks arising from four common types of malicious software: trojans, spyware, viruses, and ransomware.

Here are the most common offenders in the rogues’ gallery of malware:

• Adware is unwanted software designed to throw advertisements up on your screen, most often within a web browser. Typically, it uses an underhanded method to either disguise itself as legitimate, or piggyback on another program to trick you into installing it on your PC, tablet, or mobile device.

• Spyware is malware that secretly observes the computer user’s activities without permission and reports it to the software’s author.

• A virus is malware that attaches to another program and, when executed—usually inadvertently by the user—replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and infecting them with its own bits of code.

• Worms are a type of malware similar to viruses. Like viruses, worms are self-replicating. The big difference is that worms can spread across systems on their own, whereas viruses need some sort of action from a user in order to initiate the infection.

• A Trojan, or Trojan horse, is one of the most dangerous malware types. It usually represents itself as something useful in order to trick you. Once it’s on your system, the attackers behind the Trojan gain unauthorized access to the affected computer. From there, Trojans can be used to steal financial information or install other forms of malware, often ransomware.

• Ransomware is a form of malware that locks you out of your device and/or encrypts your files, then forces you to pay a ransom to regain access. Ransomware has been called the cybercriminal’s weapon of choice because it demands a quick, profitable payment in hard-to-trace cryptocurrency. The code behind ransomware is easy to obtain through online criminal marketplaces and defending against it is very difficult. While ransomware attacks on individual consumers are down at the moment, attacks on businesses are up 365 percent for 2019. As an example, the Ryuk ransomware specifically targets high-profile organizations that are more likely to pay out large ransoms. For more, check out the Malwarebytes Labs Ransomware Retrospective.

• Rootkit is a form of malware that provides the attacker with administrator privileges on the infected system, also known as “root” access. Typically, it is also designed to stay hidden from the user, other software on the system, and the operating system itself.

• A keylogger is malware that records all the user’s keystrokes on the keyboard, typically storing the gathered information and sending it to the attacker, who is seeking sensitive information like usernames, passwords, or credit card details.

• Malicious cryptomining, also sometimes called drive-by mining or cryptojacking, is an increasingly prevalent malware usually installed by a Trojan. It allows someone else to use your computer to mine cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Monero. So instead of letting you cash in on your own computer’s horsepower, the cryptominers send the collected coins into their own account and not yours. Essentially, a malicious cryptominer is stealing your resources to make money.

• Exploits are a type of malware that takes advantage of bugs and vulnerabilities in a system in order to give the attacker access to your system. While there, the attacker might steal your data or drop some form of malware. A zero-day exploit refers to a software vulnerability for which there is currently no available defense or fix.