How Malware Works

Malware: software that is specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system.

Types of Malware (click on each for Wikipedia/Webopedia definition)

• Adware
• Spyware
• Virus
• Worms
• Trojan
• Rootkit
• Keylogger
• Cryptomining
• Ransomware

Signs of infection:

• Slowness of device
• Pop up ads
• System crashes, freezes, BSOD (blue screen of death)
• Loss of disk space
• High utilization of CPU
• New toolbars or extensions
• Anti-virus stops working and cannot be enabled
• Ransomware

How to prevent it

• Install a good anti-virus/anti-malware software and keep it up to date
• Avoid clicking on pop up ads while browsing
• Don’t open attachments by unknown senders
• Keep OS, browsers, plugins, apps up to date
• Do not download apps from 3^rd party sources

Resources:

All About Malware