What is Malware? Here is a Full Guide

Malware is a short form of malicious software. It can be any type of software designed to damage or infiltrate a computer system without the owner’s consent. Malware and other types of web-based threats, which put your assets at risk, may inevitably result in more damages than you imagined.

Malware may also make trained personnel go berserk during a security incident and take a toll on your reputation and finances when you have a business. However, if the attack converges on your network or system, you may need incident response tools and a good plan to retaliate.

What Malware Does

Malicious software delivers its payload in different ways. From stealing sensitive personal information to demanding a ransom, cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated in their own ways.

Malware may also bore into systems, crack weaker passwords, and spread to more victims. Many hackers aim malware attacks against companies, individuals, and even governments.

Types of Malware

People tend to lose and play fast with security terminologies. However, it is vital to get your malware classifications straight since knowing how different kinds of malicious software spread is important to remove and contain them. Major types of malware include Trojan and virus. Trojan is a program, which may not reproduce itself, but it masquerades as something people want, tricking them into activating it.

On the other hand, a virus is a computer code, which inserts itself in the code of other standalone programs, forcing them to take malicious action. Apart from virus and Trojan, other types include:

• Worm
• Ransomware
• Spyware
• Adware
• Fileless malware
• Malvertising

Protection against Malware

One popular way to spread malware is through email, which can be disguised as a friend or familiar bank. Always be wary of emails, which link to a website or request you to provide your password.

Personal vigilance is another layer of protection against malware, but be keen since it is not always enough. Since business security is not great, even downloads from a legitimate site might at times have malware attached. This means unless you take an additional measure like considering managed IT services, even the most important user can be at risk.

Malware Removal and Detection

Some companies have few services, which present software installation while weeding out any existing infection on web application servers. For instance, Backdoor Protect is a service, which intercepts communication attempts with backdoor shells on the webserver.

By tracing these requests, the service will be able to pinpoint the most obfuscated malicious software, even if it got installed on your web server, long before you considered cloud security services. Other tools you can use to remove and detect malicious software are:

• Login Protect
• WAF (Web Application Firewall)
• Malwarebytes

Most Vulnerable Devices

In general, no device is safe from malware attacks. Apart from the Android operating system, malware may also affect iOS. Though when it comes to iOS, it is less common because of the enormous security architecture.

Nevertheless, there is a specific malware, which deactivates the security system within Mac devices. A good example of malware is CrescentCore. This type of Malware searches for any existing security solutions and antivirus programs in the device.

Final Touches!

While malware, as a single attack method, is not very common now, malicious software is still used in combination with other technologies and tactics.

This is why businesses need to strengthen their defenses and make themselves a hard target for cybercriminals.