Ethical Hacking

17    Malware

Malware plays a central role in cybercrime and is considered one of the most effective tools used by state and non-state actors to spy on confidential information and gain strategic advantages. In this chapter, we will delve deeper into the world of malware. You will learn the following:

• What malware is

• How malware has developed historically

• What keyloggers and rootkits are

• How malware can enter and spread on a system

• What components malware consists of

• What Trojans and ransomware are and how these two types of malware are related

• Which approaches to use for analyzing malware

• How you can protect yourself against malware

17.1    What Is Malware?

Malware is an abbreviation for malicious software and refers to harmful ...