Everything you need to know about malware

Malware is a term that encompasses all forms of malicious software that alters the way computers, or the programs they run, work. Once installed, malware carries out tasks without the knowledge or consent of the users of infected computers.

 

Malware is used by cyber criminals for many different purposes including to gain access to computer systems and online accounts, to steal data and other confidential information, and to extort or steal money.

 

 

More than simply viruses

 

Computer viruses are the best known form of malware, and thirty years ago they accounted for the majority of malware that existed.

 

Today, there are many different types of malware in circulation, of which “old fashioned” viruses make up only a small proportion.

 

In 1993, Microsoft added a rudimentary antivirus program to its MS-DOS 6 operating system and, to combat the growing virus problem at the time, many security providers also began to offer their own antivirus programs.

 

While most early viruses were simply designed to cause damage by deleting data, modern malware now takes full advantage of the internet and is often used by cyber criminals to carry out illegal activities remotely.

 

Since viruses are only a small subset of malware, many vendors that used to sell antivirus software now refer to their products as “antimalware software” or, more commonly,  “endpoint security software”.

 

A popular example of an endpoint security product is Avast Business Antivirus. This software scans and analyses suspicious information coming and going from devices and blocks malicious files, dangerous websites, unusual behavior, unauthorized connections, and other threats.

It is best suited to small and medium-sized charities and is available for a discounted price on the Charity Digital Exchange. 

 

Different types of malware

 

Trojan 

 

This is a type of malware that is hidden inside an apparently legitimate piece of software which a user downloads and runs. When the software is run, the malware is activated and carries out its malicious activities.

 

One of the most infamous trojans was called Emotet. Spread in phishing emails, it stole bank logins and passwords, enabling cybercriminals to plunder victims’ accounts.

 

In some cases the software containing the trojan appears to work normally, so that the user has no reason to suspect their computer has been infected. In other cases the software does nothing apart from allowing malware to launch.

 

Zombie malware 

 

Cyber criminals known as “bot herders” create huge networks of computers (known as botnets), which are infected with zombie malware. This malware remains dormant until the bot herder activates it and issues it with commands to carry out.

 

A bot herder may activate the zombie malware on a single machine and instruct it to send out phishing emails. More commonly, they may activate their entire botnet at once and instruct all the infected computers to send data simultaneously to a selected server in order to overwhelm it.

 

This is known as a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, and cyber criminals may demand a payment in return for stopping the DDoS attack.

 

Ransomware  

 

A much more straightforward way to extort money from a victim is through the use a type of malware known as ransomware. Often hidden in what appears to be a document or spreadsheet attached to a phishing email, ransomware encrypts the data on a victim’s computer before demanding a ransom for the decryption key.

 

There many different examples of ransomware, including WannaCry, Bad Rabbit, GoldenEye, GrandCrab, and Mado.

 

If your charity falls victim to a ransomware attack then it is not usually possible to decrypt the data without paying the ransom. For that reason it is important to backup your data regularly so that you can restore you data from a backup.