There are a lot of different kinds of malware out there that pose threats to businesses and individual users. However, not many people really know what types of malware there are and the effects they have, only that they are bad and should be avoided at all costs.
How to learn about malware?
This is quite dangerous, as malware can get into your system in more ways than just a suspicious email. Here are the types of malware and what they can do to your system. To learn about malware that’s not on this list, a visit to the Proofpoint website will help grow your knowledge.
#1 Trojans
A trojan is a type of malware that pretends that it is legitimate software. You might have heard about the Trojan Horse, a wooden horse the size of a building sent from the Greeks to the city of Troy in the Trojan war as a gift. They used it to get their soldiers in behind enemy lines and into the city to win the war. A trojan, in computing terms, is essentially the same thing. The malware will pretend to be perfectly harmless but, upon being downloaded, infects a computer with malicious software.
How can you avoid this?
The easiest way to avoid trojans is to simply not download or install anything from an unknown source and always do your research before visiting anywhere you think looks ‘off’.
#2 Spyware
Spyware is malicious software that can be used for the activities of users on a device. It can use tools such as logging keystrokes to be able to get hold of passwords and other personal data. This is a very dangerous kind of malware that can be very discreet, and you might not even know that your accounts have been compromised.
How can you avoid this?
Generally, anti-tracking browser extensions can help you make sure that spyware isn’t following you from site to site when using the internet. It can be a good way to stop it. Anti-virus software can also help you protect yourself.
#3 Bots
Bots can be very dangerous indeed. Bots can be used to perform an automated task without requiring any interaction when on a device. One of the major dangers of bots is that they can easily spread from device to device. A group of bit-infested systems is called a botnet.
These can be used to trigger huge attacks that can be completely hidden from the users of the devices. Bots are also very unpredictable, as they are spread through techniques used in social engineering.
How can you avoid this?
Being aware of social engineering attacks can be crucial to stopping bots from getting onto devices. This means educating both yourself and anybody who works for you against the dangers posed by this threat.
#4 Adware
Adware is relatively simple but dangerous. It serves malicious and unwanted advertising, which can lead users to install malware or visit malicious sites which can steal data.
How can you avoid this?
You can avoid this by not clicking on these kinds of ads. It can be easy to get around, but you are just going to have to be careful when adware starts slipping into trojan territory, as then they become difficult to distinguish.
