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Malware
Software that's bad for your computer - Not in a "so bad it's good" or even a "junk food" way.
Summary
Malware refers to any software that's bad for your computer. Not in a "so bad it's good" or even a "junk food" way. It's stuff you don't want to catch. Computer viruses, computer worms, trojan horses, etc.
Origins
Malware has been around since the stone ages of computing. In the pre-internet days, malware mainly consisted of computer viruses being passed around on floppy disks and on networks at businesses and institutions. They spread worldwide, but did so at a much slower pace.
When the internet came around, virus authors looked at each other and said "Exploitable!" - They developed internet worms and multipartite viruses (viruses which could spread in more than one manner) that e-mailed themselves from infected users. For instance Melissa, after taking control of a computer, e-mailed herself itself using the address books of her its victims' computers. As a result, malware, no longer hobbled by feeble floppy disks, now spreads around the world at lightning speed. Also, you could catch ancient file viruses from tainted software available for download.
As the internet developed into the 2000s, sleazy companies developed malware that does not spread itself, but causes annoyance and pain for many internet users, including adware and spyware.
Remember that in order for a virus to spread, it needs executable code. You can't get a virus simply from opening a regular document. Anything that gives you a virus is an executable program that may be disguised as a file, or it may be a Microsoft Word macro hidden in a template. Because Microsoft Windows has the largest marketshare of any operating system, most malware is developed for Windows. Malware does exist for other platforms.
Current status
Unfortunately, they are still here and spread like wildfire on the internet.
Facts
- Malware that self-replicate cause additional strain and work in networks and computer systems.
- Many forms of malware have "payloads" - consequences other than spreading themselves. Anything displaying a silly message on the screen to wiping out your hard drive to fooling you into paying money for fake anti-spyware programs.
- A computer virus is a type of malware that can reproduce itself and spread over many mediums.
- A computer worm self-replicates itself across a network. Unlike viruses, worms do not need to attach themselves to existing pieces of executable code. The Morris worm is an example of a computer worm
- A trojan horse does not replicate itself, but causes a playload to occur. A trojan may disguise itself as a legitimate program
- Adware installs advertisements on your computer
- Spyware installs surveillance, sending data to individuals or companies
- Keyloggers log keystrokes in order to monitor users. They may be used to steal passwords
- There is a troll where the trickster claims that deleting System32 would help remove malware, when in fact it would be bad.
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Related Pages
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