Comprehensive Report on Computer Malware: Types, Impact and Prevention

This report provides an overview of computer malware, focusing on three primary types: viruses, worms, and spyware. It details how viruses, often spread through infected files and software, can compromise personal data and reduce network performance, citing the C-brain virus as an early example. Worms, distinct from viruses by their ability to self-replicate without user intervention, are illustrated by the 'I LOVE YOU' worm, which spread via email and compromised user data. Spyware, exemplified by Cool Web Search, is explained as malware designed to collect personal information and browsing data, often exploiting security vulnerabilities. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of using authentic networks, third party applications and adopting robust security measures like encryption and firewalls to mitigate the risks associated with these malware types, ensuring the protection of personal and organizational data. Desklib offers solved assignments and past papers for students.

Types of computer malware

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Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Virus......................................................................................................................................................2
Worms...................................................................................................................................................2
Spyware.................................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................3
Works cited...........................................................................................................................................4

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Introduction
Malware is defined as computer software which is used by the criminals in order to
block the computer servers of the consumer. There are major three kinds of computer
malware identified such as worms, spyware and viruses (Chandramohan and Tan 65-
71). The objective of this study is to describe the impact of viruses, spyware and worms
with their examples.
Virus
It is a part of computer malware which is produced by hackers in order to enter into the
consumer personal devices. They send a large number of viruses produced by malware
software into the human computer system and reduce the performance of their
networks (Gadhiya and Bhavsar 12-14). It affects the personal data files and
information of consumer and the use of unwanted signals and software can cause the
computer virus.
Example: In the year 1986 amjad and basit developed the C-brain software in order to
collect the personal data and information of the consumer. It was one of the famous
viruses that impacted on the million consumer private computers. This virus was
entered in the computer when the computer is booted.
Worms
The computer worm is a part of computer malware which is divided as the sub-class of
the computer virus. The major difference is that a worm does not need individual
intervention to spread but in the case of the virus, the consumer must perform an action

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to keep spreading the virus. Lack of security, use of third party applications are caused
by computer worms (Peng, Yu and Yang 925-941).
Example: in year 200, the I LOVE YOU worm was produced and spread with the help of
email and users clicked on these links due to which they lost their private details. It also
impacts on the human personal devices, account details, data files and so on. Such
infection could overwrite many of consumer data on the infected PC.
Spyware
Spyware is defined as the malware software which is involved in the hacking in order to
collect the personal data and information of users and companies (Saracino et al. 83-
97). Use of fraud mails and links, lack of security, use of unauthentic servers and
networks all these are major key factors which can cause the problem of spyware.
Example: cool web search is one of the best examples of spyware which takes benefits
of the security threats and vulnerabilities in the internet explorer to hack the browser.
Moreover, it also impacts on human personal information like login ID, passwords,
photos and other financial documents. Mainly it changes the browser setting and
transfers the browsing information to their researcher (Saracino et al. 83-97).
Conclusion
This study described the concept of a computer virus, spyware, and worms with their
causes and impacts. With the help of this paper, readers can understand the
fundamental of computer malwares and there are various examples also added for
better understanding their impacts. It is concluded that these computer malwares
impact on the consumer private details and users use the unauthentic networks and

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third party application which increase the rate of computer malware. Therefore, it is
recommended users should ensure that they use only authentic servers and adopt the
high level security systems like encryption, firewall and so on.

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Works cited
Chandramohan, Mahinthan, and Hee Beng Kuan Tan. "Detection of mobile malware in
the wild." Computer 45.9 (2012): 65-71.
Gadhiya, Savan, and Kaushal Bhavsar. "Techniques for malware analysis." International
Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering 3.4
(2013): 12-14.
Peng, Sancheng, Shui Yu, and Aimin Yang. "Smartphone malware and its propagation
modeling: A survey." IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials 16.2 (2014): 925-
941.
Saracino, Andrea, et al. "Madam: Effective and efficient behavior-based android
malware detection and prevention." IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure
Computing15.1 (2018): 83-97.