The term “malware” is an amalgamation of the words “malicious” and “software”. When it comes down to it, the term “malware” actually gets its definition from the intent of the creator and not from the function of the software itself.
This is because a piece of software cannot be termed “malicious” unless it is used for malicious purposes. As we all know, the purpose of a tool such as software depends on the creator.
Here are some types of malware that you should be aware of:
1) Infectious – This type of malware is composed mainly of computer viruses and worms. These are the most commonly known types of malware. In fact, the word “virus” today is more often used today to indicate a computer virus than an actual physiological virus. Viruses differ from worms in their operation and distribution.
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A “virus” used to be spread via the use of floppy disks. A virus would copy itself into an executable file and would be run whenever a certain program is activated or a certain disk is opened.
The concept of a computer worm was introduced when the internet was first used to infect systems with malware. This type of malware would scan different networks for any vulnerable systems and then copy itself to those systems. From its new base, the worm would then begin a new process of scanning and copying.
Although these two terms used to have very distinct meanings and uses, they are now actually used interchangeably to indicate any type of infectious malware.
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