What is Malware Attack? | Different types of Malware Attack

Malware Attack

Malware (malicious software) is a General term for a variety of programs including viruses worms, Trojan and other forms of attack software that attacks can be carried out on particular host.

Different Types of Malware Attack

1) viruses

2) worms

3) Paylods

   - Malicious payloads

   - Benign Payloads

   - Adding code to HTML

   - Similar to viruses

   - User can turn off active content

 4) Non Mobile Malware

 5) Blended Threat

Viruses

The most widely known type of Malware is the virus which is piece of code that attaches itself to a file or infredueutly to a sensitive system sector of victim computers hard disk.

Viruses propagate when infected file are passed to another computer and executed there or in the case of system sector virus when A floppy disk is placed in an infected machines disk driver

The virus then infects the system sectors on that disk

Worms

Worms do not infect other program files for system sectors

Rather they spread by sending themselves to other computer

For instance a worm might scan host for web server program with known weakness

Paylods

Virus and worms usually content payloads which are section of code the are executed sometime after a virus or warm propagate to a new system

-Malicious payloads:- Many payloads are Malicious payloads designed to do damage for instance reformatting a computer's hard disk drive

-Benign payloads:- Other Payloads are Benign payloads design not to do damage beyond some prank such as putting up a message on a users screen

-Adding code to HTML:- To make webpage and email more "lively" Browsers were given the capabilities to execute active content which attaches either small script or a small program to an HTML web page JavaScript and VB script are common scripting language

-Similar to viruses:- Active content is similar to viruses in that attackers often add Malicious attractive content to an existing web page document

-User can turn off active content:- Browsers and email programs have option that cause scripting languages and program applets In html document to be ignored

Non mobile Malware

Non mobile attack program are not designed for propagation rather they are designed to be installed an a victim most and tend to remain there without propagating

Remote administration trojans keystroke capture program and the other post break in tools that we saw earlier are examples of non mobile Malware

Blended Threat 

A growing number of new Malicious program are blended Threats date combine the features of virus worms and non mobile malware