Malware
- (The University of Chicago - Alvin Wei-Cheng Wong)
- Overview
“Malware” refers to various forms of harmful software, such as viruses and ransomware. Once malware is in your computer, it can wreak all sorts of havoc, from taking control of your machine, to monitoring your actions and keystrokes, to silently sending all sorts of confidential data from your computer or network to the attacker's home base.
There are many different types of malware, and most organizations will find themselves fighting different variants at different times. As technology is continually advancing, so are viruses and malware. These cybersecurity threats are always evolving and becoming more dangerous, making it harder for computer users to keep their data protected.
Attackers will use a variety of methods to get malware into your computer, but at some stage it often requires the user to take an action to install the malware. This can include clicking a link to download a file, or opening an attachment that may look harmless (like a Word document or PDF attachment), but actually has a malware installer hidden within.
If you've ever seen an antivirus alert pop up on your screen, or if you've mistakenly clicked a malicious email attachment, then you've had a close call with malware. Attackers love to use malware to gain a foothold in users' computers—and, consequently, the offices they work in—because it can be so effective.
This malware works by encrypting your files and asks you to pay a certain ransom amount to have them decrypted. It is one of the most dangerous and feared ransomware variants, and it mostly targets window users. This advanced security threat starts by blocking most of the Windows processes, so you will not detect when it does the encryption. It will disable most essential security applications such as Windows defender, so your computer will have no chances of protecting the files from encryption.
The first step towards protecting yourself is identifying the possible threats so you can come up with an effective solution. The viruses are getting harder to detect, but with the right strategy at hand, you will be in a better position to beat the threats.
[More to come ...]
