This document defines and describes several common types of malware and cyber threats. It explains that viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are programs that can infect computers without permission and open them up to attacks. It also discusses phishing scams, spyware, adware, wireless hacking, bluejacking which steals Bluetooth data, and social engineering which tricks users into revealing private information.
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5. ï‚¡ A virus is a parasitic program written intentionally to alter
the way your computer operates without your permission or
knowledge.
6. ï‚¡ Trojan horses are programs that appear to
serve some useful purpose or provide
entertainment, which encourages you to run
them.
7. ï‚¡ Worms are programs that replicate and
spread, often opening a back door to allow
hackers to gain access to the computers that
they infect.
8. ï‚¡ A Zombie is a dormant program that lies
inactive on a computer. It can be activated
remotely to aid a collective attack on another
computer.
9. ï‚¡ A Phishing attack is when you are sent an
email that asks you to click on a link and re-
enter your bank or credit card details.
10. ï‚¡ These sites are often made to look like well
known web sites and can have similar web
addresses to the sites they are imitating.
Users who visit these sites often
inadvertently download and run a virus or
Trojan and can then become infected or the
subject of hacker attacks.
11. ï‚¡ Spyware, Adware and Advertising Trojans are
often installed with other programs, usually
without your knowledge. They record your
behaviour on the Internet, display targeted
ads to you and can even download other
malicious software on to your computer.
12. ï‚¡ Virus hoaxes are messages, usually sent by
email, that amount to little more than chain
letters.
13. ï‚¡ If a wireless access point, e.g. an ADSL
(Broadband) Router, hasn't been secured
then anyone with a wireless device (laptop,
PDA, etc) will be able to connect to it and
thereby access the Internet and all the other
computers on the wireless network.
14. ï‚¡ The act of stealing personal data, specifically
calendar and contact information, from a
Bluetooth enabled device.
15. ï‚¡ Tricking computer users into revealing
computer security or private information, e.g.
passwords, email addresses, etc, by
exploiting the natural tendency of a person to
trust and/or by exploiting a person's
emotional response.