Malware
hideMalware, short for malicious software, is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. The term "computer virus" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, including true viruses.
Software is considered malware based on the perceived intent of the creator rather than any particular features. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware and other malicious and unwanted software. In law, malware is sometimes known as a computer contaminant, for instance in the legal codes of several U. S. states, including California and West Virginia.
Malware is not the same as defective software, that is, software which has a legitimate purpose but contains harmful bugs.
Preliminary results from Symantec published in 2008 suggested that "the release rate of malicious code and other unwanted programs may be exceeding that of legitimate software applications." According to F-Secure, "As much malware [was] produced in 2007 as in the previous 20 years altogether." Malware's most common pathway from criminals to users is through the Internet: primarily by e-mail and the World Wide Web.
The prevalence of malware as a vehicle for organized Internet crime, along with the general inability of traditional anti-malware protection platforms to protect against the continuous stream of unique and newly produced professional malware, has seen the adoption of a new mindset for businesses operating on the Internet - the acknowledgment that some sizable percentage of Internet customers will always be infected for some reason or other, and that they need to continue doing business with infected customers. The result is a greater emphasis on back-office systems designed to spot fraudulent activities associated with advanced malware operating on customers computers.
For more information about Malware, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with malicious software
Hooks hijacked? New research shows how to block stealthy malware attacks
Technology / Computer Sciences
Nov 03, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (13) |
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The spread of malicious software, also known as malware or computer viruses, is a growing problem that can lead to crashed computer systems, stolen personal information, and billions of dollars in lost productivity every ...
Worms infesting computers worldwide: Microsoft
Nov 02, 2009 |
2 / 5 (15) |
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A Microsoft security report released Monday warns that cyber crooks are digging into computers for weak spots to penetrate with worms -- malicious software that steals control or data.
Internet turns 40 with birthday bash
Oct 29, 2009 |
not rated yet |
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Technology and media stars, pundits and entrepreneurs joined the Internet's father to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his culture-changing child.
Comcast tries pop-up alerts to warn of infections
Oct 10, 2009 |
3 / 5 (1) |
1
(AP) -- Comcast Corp. wants to enlist its customers in a fight against a huge problem for Internet providers - the armies of infected personal computers, known as "botnets," that suck up bandwidth by sending spam and facilitating ...
Hackers expose slew of Hotmail acount passwords
Oct 05, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
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Microsoft on Monday blocked access to thousands of Hotmail accounts in response to hackers plundering password information and posting it online.
Businesses vulnerable to cyber attacks
Aug 31, 2009 |
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Most of us think cyber crooks cast their phishing lines mostly to try to hook everyday consumers. But some businesses across the country have seen hundreds of thousands of dollars vanish from their bank accounts after cyber ...
'Phishing' drops; are scammers switching tactics?
Aug 26, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (3) |
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(AP) -- Internet criminals might be rethinking a favorite scam for stealing people's personal information.
Officials warned about fake DHS intel e-mails
Aug 24, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Some e-mails purporting to be from the Homeland Security Department's intelligence division were fake and contained malicious software.
Prosecutors say man stole 130M credit card numbers
Aug 17, 2009 |
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4
(AP) -- Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a Miami man with the largest case of credit and debit card data theft ever in the United States, accusing the one-time government informant of swiping 130 million accounts on ...
Cyber-criminals targeting social networks: experts
Jul 30, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
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Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites are inceasingly being targeted by cyber-criminals drawn to the wealth of personal information supplied by users, experts warn.
Dangers grow on Web from attacks
Jul 09, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
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When people worry about the dangers of the Internet, a Web site built by the producers of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" is probably not what they have in mind.
White House among targets of sweeping cyber attack
Jul 08, 2009 |
2 / 5 (1) |
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(AP) -- The powerful attack that overwhelmed computers at U.S. and South Korean government agencies for days was even broader than initially realized, also targeting the White House, the Pentagon and the ...
Microsoft warns of serious computer security hole
Jul 06, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Microsoft Corp. has taken the rare step of warning about a serious computer security vulnerability it hasn't fixed yet.
US cybersecurity chief warns of 'market' in malware
Jun 17, 2009 |
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More must be done to combat the lucrative trade in malicious software, which threatens sensitive government networks and personal data, the head of the US National Cybersecurity Center warned Tuesday.
Facebook users hooked in new 'phishing' scam
May 15, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
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Facebook on Friday was blocking links to bogus websites set up to look like the home page of the popular social network in a "phishing" attack by hackers.
