Malware and social engineering

• What is malware?


  Malware is software designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems.
• What are the different types of malware?

  • Virus
  • Worm
  • Trojan
  • Adware
  • Spyware
  • Scareware
• How does a virus work?


  A virus attaches itself to a piece of software to gain access to your computer and replicates itself to spread.
• What is a worm in the context of malware?


  A worm replicates itself to infect multiple computers without attaching to other programs.
• What is a Trojan?


  A Trojan disguises itself as trusted software to gain access to your computer system.
• How does adware function?


  Adware attaches to downloads and causes pop-up adverts to appear, hoping someone will click them for money.
• What is spyware?

  Spyware gets onto your system and spies on your activity, such as keystrokes, to gain access to data.
• What is scareware?


  Scareware consists of spam messages that cause panic to trick people into downloading malicious software.
• What is the purpose of anti-virus software?


  Anti-virus software scans your computer for different types of malware and removes any it finds.
• What is a password?


  A password is a secret word, phrase, numbers, or characters used to gain access to something.
• Why should passwords be strong?

  Passwords should be strong to prevent unauthorized access and include a mixture of characters.
• What is encryption?


  Encryption is a process that converts information into code to prevent unauthorized reading or understanding.
• What is phishing?


  Phishing is when someone pretends to be a trusted source to trick people into giving personal data.
• How does baiting work in social engineering?


  Baiting appeals to curiosity to get people to unknowingly give access to data, such as through a USB stick.
• What is pretexting in social engineering?


  Pretexting involves creating a made-up story to gain information from someone who is not the intended victim.
• What are the characteristics of a strong password?


  • Mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters
  • Inclusion of numbers
  • Use of special characters
  • Length of at least 8 characters
• What are the methods of phishing?


  • Email phishing
  • SMS phishing
  • Voice phishing (vishing)
• What are the potential consequences of malware infections?


  • Data loss
  • Unauthorized access to personal information
  • System performance degradation
  • Financial loss
• What are the differences between adware and spyware?


  • Adware generates revenue through advertisements.
  • Spyware collects personal information without consent.