MALWARE or ‘malicious software’ is a collective term to describe software that attempts to cause harm or disruption to a system.

Ransomware

This type of malware is designed to prevent the victim from accessing their device or files, often by encrypting files so they cannot be read or used and demand a ransom payment to decrypt these. This encryption, in most cases, is extremely difficult to reverse, and security researchers spend a significant amount of time to reverse these and offer tools to recover through initiatives such as No More Ransom.

Viruses and Worms

A virus is a segment of code capable of copying itself to infect other devices. A virus can attach itself to specific locations within a computer, and this executes when a program is first launched. Viruses are capable of corrupting system programs and files but must be triggered by user error for the infection to first take hold.

A worm follows a similar approach, but is almost entirely self-replicating, and is capable of infecting other devices on the same network without user interaction.

Adware and Scareware

Adware and scareware are other forms of malicious techniques which are not as common, but still pose a threat.

Adware focuses on creating targeted adverts based on user browsing habits, while scareware is designed to feed content to a user to incite fear into performing an action (e.g. paying a sum of money by claiming that they have access to their information).

Prevention

Keep your device and software up-to-date, be cautious of opening links or executables, and have a reputable anti-virus on your computer to act as a fallback if you do fall victim to an attack.