Malware

• Malware


  A piece of software that has been written to attack software on your computer, often with the specific intention of causing harm
• Virus


  • A piece of software that attaches itself to other software on your computer and activates when that software is run
  • Designed to spread quickly and easily from one computer to another via internet connections or external storage devices
• Worm


  • A piece of malicious software that runs in the background, doing some damage to your computer even though you may not realise it is running
  • Can make copies of itself and those copies can spread via an internet connection
  • Consumes resources by running on a computer, in a major attack, all of a computer's processing resources could be used in running the worm and its copies
• Trojan


  • Appears to be legitimate software, such as a screensaver, but behind the scenes it is causing damage - perhaps allowing someone else to gain control of the computer, copying personal information, deleting information, or using email software to pass itself on to other computers
• Ransomware


  • Prevents a user from accessing their computer either by locking the computer screen or by blocking access to computer files until a 'ransom' is paid
  • Used to extort money from the user to 'ransom' the computer, but it could also be something relatively minor, such as being obliged to complete a survey
• Protecting your computer


  1. Ensure your computer has the latest patch from the producer of your operating system

  2. Keep other software up to date (Adobe Reader, Flash, Java, web browsers)

  3. Install anti-virus software and keep it up to date
• If you don't use Windows, it is still possible to pass on files infected with malware to Windows users
• The main job of anti-virus software for Apple's Macintosh operating system, macOS, is to check files for things that could infect Windows machines
• Protecting yourself from malware

  1. Use anti-virus software to scan any files you receive before you open them (downloads, removable media, email attachments)

  2. Be wary of unsolicited email messages with attachments claiming to be software updates