Security Strategies in Windows Platforms and Applications, 3rd Edition

The Purpose of Malware

The term malware refers to a collection of different types of software that share the goal of infiltrating a computer and making it do something. It is often called malicious software. In many cases, malware does something undesired and operates without the explicit consent of the owner. This is not always the case, however. Some types of malware are downloaded and installed with the owner’s full knowledge.

Malware was first introduced to computers and networks as “harmless” experiments or pranks. In fact, the earliest examples of programs that later came to be known as malware really were not malicious at all. The earliest malware developers were mostly interested in learning what novel computer programs could accomplish. ...