Editing Computer security (section)

===Malware===
Malicious software ([[malware]]) is any software code or computer program "intentionally written to harm a computer system or its users."<ref name="Malware-IBM">{{Cite web |title=What is Malware? {{!}} IBM |url=https://www.ibm.com/topics/malware |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=www.ibm.com |date=14 April 2022 |language=en-us}}</ref> Once present on a computer, it can leak sensitive details such as personal information, business information and passwords, can give control of the system to the attacker, and can corrupt or delete data permanently.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bendovschi |first1=Andreea |year=2015 |title=Cyber-Attacks – Trends, Patterns and Security Countermeasures |journal=Procedia Economics and Finance |volume=28 |pages=24–31 |doi=10.1016/S2212-5671(15)01077-1 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What is malware? |url=https://www.mcafee.com/en-gb/antivirus/malware.html |access-date=30 November 2023 |website=McAfee}}</ref>

==== Types of malware ====
* [[Computer virus|'''Viruses''']] are a specific type of malware, and are normally a malicious code that hijacks software with the intention to "do damage and spread copies of itself." Copies are made with the aim to spread to other programs on a computer.<ref name="Malware-IBM" /> 
* [[Computer worm|'''Worms''']] are similar to viruses, however viruses can only function when a user runs (opens) a compromised program. Worms are self-replicating malware that spread between programs, apps and devices ''without'' the need for human interaction.<ref name="Malware-IBM" />
* [[Trojan horse (computing)|'''Trojan horses''']] are programs that pretend to be helpful or hide themselves within desired or legitimate software to "trick users into installing them." Once installed, a [[Remote Access Trojan|RAT (Remote Access Trojan)]] can create a secret backdoor on the affected device to cause damage.<ref name="Malware-IBM" />
* '''[[Spyware]]''' is a type of malware that secretly gathers information from an infected computer and transmits the sensitive information back to the [[Hacker|attacker]]. One of the most common forms of spyware are [[Keystroke logging|keyloggers]], which record all of a user's keyboard inputs/keystrokes, to "allow hackers to harvest usernames, passwords, bank account and credit card numbers."<ref name="Malware-IBM" />
* '''[[Scareware]]''', as the name suggests, is a form of [[malware]] which uses [[Social engineering (security)|social engineering]] (manipulation) to scare, [[Acute stress reaction|shock]], trigger [[anxiety]], or suggest the perception of a threat in order to manipulate users into buying or installing [[Potentially unwanted program|unwanted software]]. These attacks often begin with a "sudden pop-up with an urgent message, usually warning the user that they've broken the law or their device has a virus."<ref name="Malware-IBM" />
* '''[[Ransomware]]''' is when malware installs itself onto a victim's machine, encrypts their files, and then turns around and demands a ransom (usually in [[Bitcoin]]) to return that data to the user.