Types of Malware:

About:

Malware is a collective term for software intentionally designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems. It includes many categories, such as viruses that attach to files, worms that spread on their own across networks, trojans that disguise themselves as legitimate programs, ransomware that encrypts data for payment, and spyware that collects information without consent. Regardless of type, all malware relies on exploiting vulnerabilities or user mistakes to install itself and operate.

Adware:

• Unwanted software whose main purpose is to spam your machine in advertisements.

  The intention is to generate revenue for the attacker by forcing ads on the user.

Which one of the CIA triads is affected?

• Availability

Why?

Availability: While Adware typically doesn’t steal information (which would affect confidentiality) or alter data (which would impact integrity), it can significantly degrade your systems performance, consume network bandwidth, and cause other disruptions. This affects the system's availability by making it slower or even unusable in severe cases.

Suggestions to mitigate:

• Tell the person affected to stop clicking on suspicious links or downloading any untrustworthy files.
• Use a trustworthy antivirus software. In most cases, Windows Defender is sufficient.

Virus:

• An malicious code that attaches itself to legitimate files or programs and spreads when those infected files are executed.

  The intention can include damaging, modifying, or deleting data, but many viruses are simply built to spread or display messages.

Types of Virus:

Worms:

• A worm is a self-replicating malware that spreads over networks without needing user interaction.

  The intention is normally aims to consume resources, install payloads, or deliver additional malware.

Which one of the CIA triads is affected?

• Integrity
• Availability

Why?

Integrity: Worms can compromise data integrity by changing or deleting data as they spread through systems.
Availability: Worms can overwhelm network bandwidth or system resources, causing slowdowns or crashes and making systems and data unavailable.

Suggestions to mitigate:

• Patch management and disabling macros.
• Tell the person affected to stop clicking on suspicious links or downloading any untrustworthy files.
• Repost suspicious emails to your IT Department. Most email services have this feature built-in. Train your employees on how to report.

And you are done 😄