Malware Definition, Types, and How to Remove Malware?

What is a Malware?

Malware is an abbreviation for malicious software. It is a type of computer software and it is also a type of corrupted software whose purpose is to harm the computer of others. The malware was created for the purpose of causing damage to any computer system. It can do other things like:

Data theft
Password theft

It is created by a developer/hacker and also comes from wrong file downloading, spam email, and opening the wrong website from our computer.

Types of Malware:

Virus
Worm
Trojan horse
Ransomware Spyware
Adware

Virus

A virus is a program or software. A computer virus is a type of malware (malicious software) that infects the files and data lying in our computer/laptop etc., files which are important to us like:

In our previous article, we discuss types of computer viruses. if you are interested check it out.

Document or text file

Image file
Video file
Audio file etc.

Worm

A worm is a type of malicious software. It keeps a copy of itself. Once the worm enters our computer system, it gets copied very quickly and then the worm automatically reaches all the computers connected to our computer system.

Trojan horses

Trojan horse is a type of malware. A Trojan horse is malicious software that hides behind legitimate programs for the user to run voluntarily. Trojan infects your computer as fake software, people think it is using genuine software but it steals data in your computer or mobile, etc.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malicious software designed to block a computer. It also leaves a file called "Please read me" which explains what happened to your computer and how to send money to the hacker to fix it. There is a fixed limit on the amount to be paid and if the money is not paid before the stipulated time, the amount is increased. This money is paid through the virtual currency bitcoin. The computer stops working until it is repaid.

Spyware

It is also malware that aims to act as a spy against a computer user. It collects small amounts of information on the computer - email messages, usernames, passwords, details of previously visited websites, etc.

Adware

Adware is a software application that displays advertising banners while a program is running. In this, advertisements are shown through pop-up windows or bars in the user interface, which is usually made for adware computers but is also found in Android devices.

How to Remove Malware?

Step 1: Safe Mode

The first thing you want to do if you suspect that your computer is infected with malware is to disconnect from the Internet and boot into Safe Mode. This will prevent any malware from doing this that is initially set to auto-load and make it basically inactive.

Step 2: Delete Temporary Files

Once in Safe Mode, you can run a virus scan. Since this may take some time, it is recommended to first delete the temporary files and free up disk space. You may be able to get rid of some malware this way (though not overly stubborn).

Step 3: Download a Malware Scanner

The next step is to scan your computer for malware. You can download a malware scanner to do this. Don't trust your current anti-virus program because malware has already fooled it. Now, this is not a surefire way to detect malware as some malware can overtake even the best scanners. Your best bet here would be an on-demand malware scanner like Malwarebytes.

Step 4: Fix the Web Browser

Since many malware can modify the web browser homepage and thereby infect your PC again (even if you have cleaned it), be sure to check the homepage and Internet connection settings for your browser.

Step 5: Recover Files if Your Windows is Corrupted

Unfortunately, if it is corrupted or if you are unable to remove the malware from the system, you may have to reinstall Windows. Copy all (or at least the ones you need) files to an external USB and wipe the hard drive on your PC. If you can't start Windows to back up files, create a Live CD. Once you have successfully backed up the data on your PC, reinstall Windows using the original disc or download the installation from Microsoft.