The Most Common Types of Malware Today

Dear readers, hello to all of you.

In my last post I talked about hackers. In this post, I want to talk about the most common types of malware encountered today and their variants. Now let’s dive into this topic together.

Generally speaking, when we say malware, the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind is “virus.” Viruses are actually just one subcategory under the broader umbrella of malware. Understanding the malware we can encounter in everyday life is important so that we can defend against it and take the right precautions. And of course, to be able to fight back effectively, we first need to know exactly what type of malware we’re dealing with.

Malware, broadly speaking, is software programs or code created to serve malicious purposes. The main categories of malware generally recognized are as follows:

• Viruses:

When viruses were first written, they were actually used as benign software. Over time, they came to be used as malware for different purposes. Fundamentally, they replicate by infecting files on the systems they compromise. To remain active in the files they infect, they carry out their tasks in the background the moment those files are executed. If we think of them like the viruses we encounter in everyday life, computer viruses can likewise spread themselves to other files. This makes it easier for viruses to hide themselves, while making full detection more difficult. To determine whether a piece of code is a virus, what matters isn’t the extent of what it has infected, but its ability to replicate itself.

• Trojan Horse (Trojan):

Trojan horses appear on the internet as if they were useful software that would help us. However, once downloaded or installed, it becomes clear that they are malware. Trojans become active once the file they’re attached to is run. They aren’t as easy to detect as viruses. Trojans can slow down your internet connection, delete files on your computer, or make changes to files.

In mythology, the Trojan horse was initially believed to be a gift — until it was discovered that the soldiers who would capture the city of Troy were hidden inside it. In the same way, these trojans may look like useful software, but they are actually malicious computer programs that go on to take control of our computers.

• Rootkit:

A rootkit is malware that seizes control of our computer’s operating system kernel, aiming to give malicious actors remote control and full privileges over our computers. It gets the name ‘rootkit’ because on Linux and Unix operating systems, the most privileged user is root. Rootkit software is generally developed to target operating systems such as Unix, Linux, and Windows. It’s also worth noting that rootkits don’t always cause damage to the systems they infiltrate.

• Worms:

As I mentioned above when discussing viruses, viruses need an active host program, or already require a user, in order to cause harm to our computer. Worms, on the other hand, spread on their own and don’t need another program or a user in order to infect a system. Worms typically infiltrate our systems through network connections or downloaded program files, and they create multiple copies of themselves.

I hope this post has been useful to you, my dear readers. Thank you all. :)