Malware Flashcards
Software designed to infiltrate a computer system and possibly damage it
without the user’s knowledge or consent
* Viruses
* Worms
* Trojan horses
* Ransomware
* Spyware
* Rootkits
* Spam
Malware
Malicious code that runs on a machine without the user’s knowledge and
infects the computer when executed
________require a user action in order to reproduce and spread
Virus
viruses are stored in the first sector of a hard
drive and are loaded into memory upon boot up
Boot Sector
Virus embedded into a document and is executed when
the document is
opened by the user
Macro
viruses infect an executable or application
Program
Virus that combines boot and program viruses to first
attach itself to the boot sector and system files before
attacking other files on the computer
MultiPartite
Advanced version of an encrypted virus that changes itself
every time it is executed by altering the decryption
module to avoid detection
Polymorphic
Virus that is able to rewrite itself entirely before it
attempts to infect a file (advanced version of polymorphic
virus)
Metamorphic
viruses have a layer of protection to confuse a
program or person analyzing it
Armored
Malicious software, like a virus, but is able to replicate itself without user
interaction
Worm
Malicious software that is disguised as a piece of harmless or desirable
software
Trojan horse
Provides the attacker with remote control of a victim computer and is the
most commonly used type of Trojan
Remote Access Trojan (RAT)
Malware that restricts access to a victim’s computer system until a
ransom is received
Ransomware
Malware that secretly gathers information about the user without their
consent
Spyware
Displays advertisements based upon its spying on you
Adware
