What a day! On that horrible machine, you discovered:

• Malware: Malicious code inserted into a system to cause damage or gain unauthorized access to a network

• Adware: Unwanted software designed to throw advertisements on your screen

• Virus: A malicious self-replacing application that attaches itself to other programs and executables without the permission of the user

• Worm: Self-replicating code that copies itself from computer to computer without user intervention

• Spyware: Malicious code downloaded without a user’s authorization which is then used to steal sensitive information and relay it to an outside party in a way that harms the original user

• Trojan Horse: A type of contained, non-replicating malware that disguises itself as legitimate software in order to allow scammers and hackers access to a user’s system

• Rootkit: A collection of malicious programs that secretly provide continued, privileged access to a system for an unauthorized user

• Ransomware: Malicious code that will block a user’s access to data or threaten to publish sensitive data until they pay money to the malicious actor

• Fileless Malware: A type of malware that ‘lives off the land’ and uses legitimate tools and the user’s operating system to perform malicious activities like privilege escalation, data collection, and more. It’s incredibly hard to detect and almost always missed by antivirus software

What’s Next

While this may seem like a lot, the world of security is full of so many more potential threats! Let’s read some articles and do some research on other attack vectors.