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Edu Level: CSEC,NCSE
Spam
- sending the same message to many different people using email or the Internet, usually as a way of advertising something
- email messages that a computer user has not asked for and does not want to read, for example from someone who is advertising something
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Malware (Malicious Software)
- Software that is specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system.
- Malware includes viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, ransomware, adware.
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Virus
A virus is a program purposefully written by someone to activate itself unknown to the victim and destroy or corrupt data.
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Worm
A worm is a program that uses computer networks to repeatedly copy itself into a computer’s memory or onto a magnetic disk until no more space is left.
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Trojan Horse
A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is a type of malicious code or software that looks legitimate but can take control of your computer. A Trojan is designed to damage, disrupt, steal, or in general inflict some other harmful action on your data or network.
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Example
You might think you’ve received an email from someone you know and click on what looks like a legitimate attachment. But you’ve been fooled. The email is from a cybercriminal, and the file you clicked on — and downloaded and opened — has gone on to install malware on your device. When you execute the program, the malware can spread to other files and damage your computer.
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Spyware
- Spyware is a type of malicious software that is installed on a computing device without the end user's knowledge. It invades the device, steals sensitive information and internet usage data, and relays it to advertisers, data firms or external users.
- It monitors internet activity, tracks login credentials and spies on sensitive information. The primary goal of spyware is usually to obtain credit card numbers, banking information and passwords.
Some of the most common ways for computers to become infected include the following:
- pirating media, including games, videos, and music;
- downloading materials from unreliable or unknown sources;
- accepting a pop-up advertisement or prompt without reading the content
- accepting and opening email attachments from unrecognized senders.
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Adware (Advertising spyware)
- It is used to gather personal information about computer users or bombards you with endless ads and pop-up windows that could potentially be dangerous for your device.
- Some advertising spyware records information such as email addresses, web browsing history, online shopping habits, passwords and other personal information.
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Ransomware
Hackers use this technique to lock you out of your devices and demand a ransom in turn for access.
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How to prevent Viruses & Malware
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Antivirus
- software is a type of utility used for scanning and removing viruses from your computer. Since new viruses are constantly being created by computer hackers, antivirus programs must keep an updated database of virus types.
- While antivirus software is primarily designed to protect computers against viruses, many antivirus programs now protect against other types of malware, such as spyware and adware.
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- Examples
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Firewall
Acts as a barrier between a trusted system or network and outside connections, such as the Internet. However, a computer firewall is more of a filter than a wall, allowing trusted data to flow through it.
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Protecting Data over the Internet
- Encryption – is the process through which data is encoded so that it remains hidden from or inaccessible to unauthorized users.
- It converts data to code or symbols so that it cannot be understood if intercepted by hackers.
- The user at the receiving end will need a key or passcode to decrypt the code.
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