Malware are the short name for the malicious software. This software is installed in the systems of the owner without the authorization of the owner of the systems. This software can hurt the computer systems to a great extent. The malwares were introduced in the year 1970. They were improved in the year 1980. There has been a gradual improvement in the development of the malwares since then. The malwares that are designed in the recent times can hurt the computer systems to great extent. In the late 2000s the malwares were designed and they were very complex in nature. As time passed by more and more complex malwares were designed.

Definition of Malware

Malware are software that can hamper the effectiveness of the system [1]. These are designed by the programmers to hurt other people and often the main motive for the designing of this type of software is to obtain money from the people. These are also used for obtaining passwords for thee systems and obtaining confidential data of the high profile users. In addition to this the world government also uses this type of software so that they can track down the external invaders. These are also used in form of a trap by the government used for tracking down the enemies of the country and also for detecting any kind of conspiracy formed against them.

Types of malware

The malware are mal functioning software that is found on the computer systems. There are various types of malwares found on the computer systems. They are: Viruses, Worms, Trojan Horses, Spyware and Root kits. [2] there are various types of malware. The descriptions of the malwares have been provided in the paper. Firstly, there are descriptions about the viruses. The viruses are the most famous and common form of the malwares that infects the system. They propagate through various type of medium one of the most common medium being emails. The worms are the common type of malware. They generally are spread in the system due to the network vulnerabilities that are left exposed to the external actors. The Trojan horses are the type of malwares that are generally present in the systems in the form of a disguise. It can give the user remote access to the infected computer. Once any attacker gets access to the infected computer then they can create a lot of difficulties for the user. The spyware is a type of malware that is used for spying on the activities of the user. These are done without the actual knowledge of the user. The procedures involve the activities such as monitoring, collection of the keystrokes, data harvesting procedures such as information about the user accounts, financial data and the login details of the users. The Root Kits is malicious software that is used to remotely access the computer without being detected by any kind of security programs. This malware is used for modifying or even changing access of the files of the infected users system.

Threats from the Malwares

There are various types of threats that are detected in the systems due to the attack of malwares on the system [3].  The threats that a system faces from the malwares are:  interrupting the processes of the system, damaging the files in the system, hacking the user data, performing denial of service attacks and also reducing the space of the system. The malwares interrupts the procedures that are taking place in the system. They also slow down the processes of the system. Thus, resulting in the interruption of the processes of the system. They also mishandle the files in this system. They affect the files and the files are either deleted or they are corrupted resulting in the misplacement of the files. In addition to this, the malwares also help the hackers to hack the data of different users. Once the hackers get access to the systems of the users, then they can easily manipulate the systems of the users and can also get access to the data of the users. The data of the users can either get stolen or lost if this process. In addition to this, the denial of service attacks can be performed by the malwares. These results in the user not being able to perform various operations and also are barred from performing the actions on their systems. In addition to this various malwares multiplies themselves automatically and also to create a number of shortcuts automatically. This results in the malwares eating up a lot of space in the system and reducing the memory of the system.

Preventive measures to be taken against the malwares

Due the advancement in the functionalities there have been increased amounts of threats regarding the malware attacks in the systems. There are various steps that involve in the mitigation of the threats that arise due to the malware attacks. The steps that can be used to prevent their threats from the malware threats are installing antivirus into their system, upgrading the antivirus software up to date [4]. In addition to this, the users are advised to run regular scans on the systems and the system of the user should be kept up to date. The network on which the systems of the user are should be secured with a firewall implemented in the system. The users should be careful; about the accessibility of the systems. In addition to this, the users should think twice before clicking on any type of link. They should also not respond to the spams that are directed towards them. The users should also try to keep their information safe. They should also not be using the open WIFI available to them and avoid falling in the trap of the mal practitioners. They should also backup their files regularly and maintain strong passwords for their systems so that they are safe from the external threats.

Conclusion

For conclusion it can be said that, the malware is very harmful for the system. Malware are the short name for the malicious software. Due the advancement in the functionalities there have been increased amounts of threats regarding the malware attacks in the systems. There are various steps that involve in the mitigation of the threats that arise due to the malware attacks.

References

Sharma, A. and Sahay, S.K., 2014. Evolution and detection of polymorphic and metamorphic malwares: A survey. arXiv preprint arXiv:1406.7061.

Qiao, Y., Yang, Y., He, J., Tang, C., & Liu, Z. (2014). CBM: free, automatic malware analysis framework using API call sequences. In Knowledge Engineering and Management (pp. 225-236). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Gandotra, E., Bansal, D., & Sofat, S. (2014). Malware analysis and classification: A survey. Journal of Information Security, 5(02), 56.

He, D., Chan, S., & Guizani, M. (2015). Mobile application security: malware threats and defenses. IEEE Wireless Communications, 22(1), 138-144.