5 Types of Software Malware and How To Recognize Them
Learn all about the 5 dangerous types of malware software. In this article, find out how you can protect yourself from them and keep your information secure.
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Have you ever been hit by malware? Malware is malicious software or a data file that harms a computer system and its information.
The commonly known malware types are FileRepMalware, Trojan, Spyware, Worms, and Ransomware. Due to the various system vulnerabilities of each, you need to know the different types of malware and how to recognize them.
Technology in the world is improving day by day. In turn, diverse software is being created to check the anomalies in computer systems. Each malware has its own antimalware counterpart to prevent data breaches and loss.
However, cybercriminals are also utilizing these programs to steal, change, or delete sensitive data. There are multiple ways to affect a system with such software using virtual or physical means. Technology-based gadgets like smart speakers, automated security systems, Wi-Fi networks, etc., are vulnerable to such malicious software.
However, there are sound gadget companies that are customer-centric and are aware of data integrity. These manufacturers use antimalware software integration to provide a quality experience. SoundsPick has amazing insights on it.
Sophisticated malware attacks use file-less malware—an email with individual attachments—and command-and-control servers to communicate their victims hiding their IP address. This way, they virtually get a foothold of the target system to manipulate the sensitive information.
Types of Malware
Various types of malware programs have their signature traits which make it easier to recognize them. A few are listed below:
FileRepMalware
The FileRepMalware is a tag that multiple 3rd party antivirus software assigns to an executable file. This type of malware has often been used for activating windows without purchasing the Operating System. This malware system has been present for several years now and is also known as Win32: Evo-gen.
Usually, a file will receive the FileRepMalware tag if the following criteria are not complying:
- The file does not reside in the Antivirus clean list.
- The file publisher or Antivirus does not trust the signature.
- Enough users haven't used the file, and it is not prevalent.
Many Antivirus suites like Avast and AVG will flag such viruses and pop up a clear malware indication. However, if we talk about security, most security researchers do not consider it a real threat. It is only capable of installing adware on the infected system without causing any severe security threat.
To remove such malware, you need to scan the files with a prominent antivirus suite. These suites will deeply analyze the files and indicate if any malicious program resides in the repository. Then make appropriate actions to remove such programs entirely. Keep your antivirus suite updated whenever a new virus releases; a unique signature updates to these suites.
Trojans
Trojan, or a Horse Trojan, is a type of malware that often misrepresents legitimate software. The name "Trojan Horse" is taken from the mythological giant wooden horse presenting the siege on Troy's city during the Trojan War.
The Trojan malware behaves as genuine software but contains malicious instructions. A Trojan must execute to affect the victim. The most known type is the fake antivirus program that appears while surfing the internet and claims that your system is infected. The unaware users are tricked and allow it to "clean" their PC or mobile devices.
Trojan malware can cause blocking, deleting, modifying, copying, and disruption of sensitive information. The Remote Access Trojans (RATs) in particular have become popular among cybercriminals. RATs allow taking remote control over the victim's system, infecting the network entirely. Also, such Trojans are designed not to get detected. The antimalware suites try to eliminate most of these viruses, but due to the wide variety of malware signatures, they don't claim 100% prevention.
Spyware
As the name defines itself, spyware is used to spy on a victim or loved one's activities. However, without permission, actions such as this are categorized as criminal activities. It is a severe threat to your personal information.
In targeted attacks, the cybercriminals can log your keystrokes and get access to your passwords and most sensitive data. The real problem is the adware and spyware malware mechanism to exploit the systems—be it unpatched software, social engineering, or numerous other root exploits.
Backdoor Trojans allow the attacker to do anything on the victim's computer, including launching and deleting files, sending, receiving, displaying data, and rebooting the system. This method also allows combining many victim computers to make a zombie network, causing significant criminal activity.
The antimalware suites are well aware of these viruses and strictly warn about the effects. You need to identify such malware using antivirus software and stop them from being executed.
Worms
Worms have existed on their own since the mainframe days. Computer worms don't need any medium to spread. For nearly a decade from the 1990s, computer security officials have been under siege by malicious worms found in a message attachment.
A worm is a type of malicious set of instructions that operates as a self-contained program and can spread itself from system to system. Its ability to apply autonomously, without the need of a medium or host to hijack the computer systems, distinguishes them from other types of malware.
Worms can replicate themselves and can spread through email texts. One person on a network opens the wormed email, and the entire network system is infected shortly thereafter. To detect the worms in action, keep an eye on your hard drive space. While replicating, worm malware will eat up your drive space. Keep track of if the system suddenly gets sluggish, or programs are crashing here and then, and check the appearance of new files or deletion of old ones.
Try to coop with recent security updates for your Operating System and security software to prevent worm malware spread. Be cautious about opening unknown emails to be on the safer side.
Ransomware
Ransomware programs are those encrypting your data and hold the access until you pay the ransom. The payment amount ranges from a few hundred to thousands of dollars but payable only through cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
It spreads through mediums like malvertising (malware spread through original ads), exploiting vulnerabilities, phishing emails, etc. These attacks can cause systems downtime, data breaches, intellectual property theft, etc. Ransomware has already crippled several companies, hospitals, police stations, and even cities in history.
Ransomware works like Trojans, but first, it waits and tracks the victim's activity before calling to action. Like other malware types, Ransomware is easy to remove, but there must be a data backup system in place or the damages cannot be recovered.
Conclusion
Malware is malicious software containing instructions to evade a computer system's security, exploiting sensitive data integrity.
The common malware types, including FileRepMalware, Trojan, Spyware, Worms, and Ransomware, are detectable and removable. Living in a technology-rich era, our daily gadgets and systems like smart security systems, Wi-Fi networks, smart speakers, etc., are vulnerable to such malware.
One needs a reliable and updated antivirus or antimalware suite and an updated Operating System to keep from malware attacks. Be cautious about the unknown emails, pop-ups, and fake claims on the internet to be safe from such abnormalities.
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