Malware meaning

In this definition... • • • • • • What is Malware? Short for malicious software, malware is any program or file designed to harm or exploit any programmable device or network. It’s an umbrella term for multiple types of harmful programs such as viruses, worms, trojans, and ransomware, among others, used to cause destruction or gain access to sensitive information. In contrast, a software bug is an error or defect in software that causes a program to malfunction unintentionally. Malware can target any kind of data, including financial data, healthcare records, and personal emails and password credentials. Depending on the type of malware, the form of damage varies. Sometimes, the effects of malware are mild and benign, such as displaying text or audio messages. Other times it can be disastrous, deleting files and stealing sensitive data. Malware can use many means, both physical and virtual, to affect devices and networks. Malicious software can infect a system via a USB drive or the internet through drive-by-downloads, which automatically downloads a malicious program to a system without the user’s knowledge. Malware can also infect a system through a user clicking on an unknown link or attachment. Many tools are available to protect against malware, such as antivirus software and firewalls. These tools can detect if malware is already present, and help recover from a malware attack. History of malware The idea of a virus, a type of malware, was first conceived by Hungaria...

Whaling When bad actors target a “big fish” like a business executive or celebrity, it’s called whaling. These scammers often conduct considerable research into their targets to find an opportune moment to steal login credentials or other sensitive information. If you have a lot to lose, whaling attackers have a lot to gain. • Smishing A combination of the words “SMS” and “phishing,” smishing involves sending text messages disguised as trustworthy communications from businesses like Amazon or FedEx. People are particularly vulnerable to SMS scams, as text messages are delivered in plain text and come across as more personal. • Cunning communication Attackers are skilled at manipulating their victims into giving up sensitive data by concealing malicious messages and attachments in places where people are not very discerning (for example, in their email inboxes). It’s easy to assume the messages arriving in your inbox are legitimate, but be wary—phishing emails often look safe and unassuming. To avoid being fooled, slow down and examine hyperlinks and senders’ email addresses before clicking. • Perception of need People fall for phishing because they think they need to act. For example, victims may download malware disguised as a resume because they’re urgently hiring or enter their bank credentials on a suspicious website to salvage an account they were told would soon expire. Creating a false perception of need is a common trick because it works. To keep your data safe, op...

Digital threat actors are constantly innovating and improving their techniques to infiltrate global data networks. For that reason, anti-malware and antivirus software are no longer a suggestion – they’re a necessity. The term “ malware ” is an abbreviation for “malicious software.” This type of digital attack is designed to infiltrate individual computers or large system networks and can cause significant damage. Although the term “malware” is used often, it’s actually a more general term for these types of digital attacks. The five most popular examples of malware intrusions are: • Worms – copies itself from device to device without any human interaction. It doesn’t need to be attached to a software application to damage a computer or network • Trojan viruses – tricks users into opening and executing them by being disguised as harmless files or URLs • Spyware –“spies” on users by gathering information and then sending it to another threat actor that plans to harm or expose the user • Adware – automatically downloads or displays ads to a user when they’re online • Ransomware – blocks or intercepts access to a particular computer system until money is paid Learn more about the various threat types and best practices to protect your clients against them in the ConnectWise cybersecurity glossary . What is anti-malware? It should go without saying that anti-malware is the software necessary to protect your clients’ networks and essential data from malware attacks. Essentially...

• العربية • Asturianu • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • Bân-lâm-gú • Беларуская • भोजपुरी • Български • Bosanski • Català • Čeština • Dansk • Deutsch • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Gaeilge • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Interlingua • Italiano • עברית • Jawa • ಕನ್ನಡ • ქართული • Кыргызча • Latina • Latviešu • Lombard • Magyar • Македонски • മലയാളം • मराठी • Bahasa Melayu • Монгол • မြန်မာဘာသာ • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • Polski • Português • Qaraqalpaqsha • Română • Runa Simi • Русский • Shqip • Simple English • Slovenčina • Slovenščina • کوردی • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • Tagalog • தமிழ் • ไทย • Тоҷикӣ • Türkçe • ᨅᨔ ᨕᨘᨁᨗ • Українська • اردو • Vèneto • Tiếng Việt • 吴语 • 粵語 • 中文 For a chronological guide, see The notion of a self-reproducing computer program can be traced back to initial theories about the operation of complex automata. Before Older email software would automatically open 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report by The first worms, With the rise of the Many early infectious programs, including the Purposes [ ] Since the rise of widespread In addition to criminal money-making, malware can be used for sabotage, often for political motives. Types [ ] There are many possible ways of categorizing malware and some malicious software may overlap into two or more categories. Classification of potentially malicious software Data ...

Digital threat actors are constantly innovating and improving their techniques to infiltrate global data networks. For that reason, anti-malware and antivirus software are no longer a suggestion – they’re a necessity. The term “ malware ” is an abbreviation for “malicious software.” This type of digital attack is designed to infiltrate individual computers or large system networks and can cause significant damage. Although the term “malware” is used often, it’s actually a more general term for these types of digital attacks. The five most popular examples of malware intrusions are: • Worms – copies itself from device to device without any human interaction. It doesn’t need to be attached to a software application to damage a computer or network • Trojan viruses – tricks users into opening and executing them by being disguised as harmless files or URLs • Spyware –“spies” on users by gathering information and then sending it to another threat actor that plans to harm or expose the user • Adware – automatically downloads or displays ads to a user when they’re online • Ransomware – blocks or intercepts access to a particular computer system until money is paid Learn more about the various threat types and best practices to protect your clients against them in the ConnectWise cybersecurity glossary . What is anti-malware? It should go without saying that anti-malware is the software necessary to protect your clients’ networks and essential data from malware attacks. Essentially...

• العربية • Asturianu • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • Bân-lâm-gú • Беларуская • भोजपुरी • Български • Bosanski • Català • Čeština • Dansk • Deutsch • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Gaeilge • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Interlingua • Italiano • עברית • Jawa • ಕನ್ನಡ • ქართული • Кыргызча • Latina • Latviešu • Lombard • Magyar • Македонски • മലയാളം • मराठी • Bahasa Melayu • Монгол • မြန်မာဘာသာ • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • Polski • Português • Qaraqalpaqsha • Română • Runa Simi • Русский • Shqip • Simple English • Slovenčina • Slovenščina • کوردی • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • Tagalog • தமிழ் • ไทย • Тоҷикӣ • Türkçe • ᨅᨔ ᨕᨘᨁᨗ • Українська • اردو • Vèneto • Tiếng Việt • 吴语 • 粵語 • 中文 For a chronological guide, see The notion of a self-reproducing computer program can be traced back to initial theories about the operation of complex automata. Before Older email software would automatically open 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report by The first worms, With the rise of the Many early infectious programs, including the Purposes [ ] Since the rise of widespread In addition to criminal money-making, malware can be used for sabotage, often for political motives. Types [ ] There are many possible ways of categorizing malware and some malicious software may overlap into two or more categories. Classification of potentially malicious software Data ...

Whaling When bad actors target a “big fish” like a business executive or celebrity, it’s called whaling. These scammers often conduct considerable research into their targets to find an opportune moment to steal login credentials or other sensitive information. If you have a lot to lose, whaling attackers have a lot to gain. • Smishing A combination of the words “SMS” and “phishing,” smishing involves sending text messages disguised as trustworthy communications from businesses like Amazon or FedEx. People are particularly vulnerable to SMS scams, as text messages are delivered in plain text and come across as more personal. • Cunning communication Attackers are skilled at manipulating their victims into giving up sensitive data by concealing malicious messages and attachments in places where people are not very discerning (for example, in their email inboxes). It’s easy to assume the messages arriving in your inbox are legitimate, but be wary—phishing emails often look safe and unassuming. To avoid being fooled, slow down and examine hyperlinks and senders’ email addresses before clicking. • Perception of need People fall for phishing because they think they need to act. For example, victims may download malware disguised as a resume because they’re urgently hiring or enter their bank credentials on a suspicious website to salvage an account they were told would soon expire. Creating a false perception of need is a common trick because it works. To keep your data safe, op...

In this definition... • • • • • • What is Malware? Short for malicious software, malware is any program or file designed to harm or exploit any programmable device or network. It’s an umbrella term for multiple types of harmful programs such as viruses, worms, trojans, and ransomware, among others, used to cause destruction or gain access to sensitive information. In contrast, a software bug is an error or defect in software that causes a program to malfunction unintentionally. Malware can target any kind of data, including financial data, healthcare records, and personal emails and password credentials. Depending on the type of malware, the form of damage varies. Sometimes, the effects of malware are mild and benign, such as displaying text or audio messages. Other times it can be disastrous, deleting files and stealing sensitive data. Malware can use many means, both physical and virtual, to affect devices and networks. Malicious software can infect a system via a USB drive or the internet through drive-by-downloads, which automatically downloads a malicious program to a system without the user’s knowledge. Malware can also infect a system through a user clicking on an unknown link or attachment. Many tools are available to protect against malware, such as antivirus software and firewalls. These tools can detect if malware is already present, and help recover from a malware attack. History of malware The idea of a virus, a type of malware, was first conceived by Hungaria...