Malware

Malware

The malware is the contraction of the English terms malicious and software. It refers to malware that attacks computers, mobile devices, and connected objects.

Malware: viruses, Trojan horses, ransomware ...

The malware is an umbrella term that includes all forms of hostile or intrusive software:

• virus;
• Trojan horse ;
• ransomware (ransomware);
• computer worm;
• spyware (spyware);
• adware;
• alarming (scareware) ..

Image by 200 Degrees from Pixabay

In 2016, the most common form of malware was ransomware (source: Malwarebytes).

The purpose of the malware depends on the nature of the issuer. The cybercriminals use it to target individuals or companies in order to steal sensitive personal data (e-mail addresses, postal addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, etc.) (passwords, databases, confidential documents, etc.). .) or financial information (credit card numbers, bank accounts ...).

Different forms of malware

Malware is also used by states to conduct surveillance campaigns among their populations or cyber warfare operations against other nations. One of the most emblematic cases is that of the Stuxnet virus, a computer worm discovered in 2010 that attacked the Scada systems of an Iranian nuclear plant in Bushehr. Its creation is attributed to the NSA (the US National Security Agency), information that has not been confirmed.

Malware can take many forms, including executable code and hidden scripts in e-mail traps, web pages, advertisements, or applications. Malware attacks target the most popular operating systems, making Windows and Android the preferred targets of cybercriminals.