malware
software intended to damage a computer, mobile device, computer system, or computer network, or to take partial control over its operation: tips on finding and removing viruses, spyware, and other malware.
Origin of malware
1Words Nearby malware
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use malware in a sentence
Malwarebytes mobile malware researcher Nathan Collier was at first puzzled.
Android barcode scanner with 10 million+ downloads infects users | Dan Goodin | February 8, 2021 | Ars TechnicaAfter remaining undetected for months, they inserted malware in new updates between February and June 2020.
The U.S. Spent $2.2 Million on a Cybersecurity System That Wasn’t Implemented — and Might Have Stopped a Major Hack | by Peter Elkind and Jack Gillum | February 2, 2021 | ProPublicaIn theory, elements within the seditious uprising or other actors using the rioters as cover might attempt to install malware on, say, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desktop.
Attempted coup at Capitol presents key opportunity for cyberattack, experts warn | dzanemorris | January 6, 2021 | FortuneThousands of private companies worldwide also were potentially affected, many in sensitive industries, after they uploaded software patches that were infused with malware, reportedly by Russia’s foreign intelligence service, known as the SVR.
Federal investigators find evidence of previously unknown tactics used to penetrate government networks | Craig Timberg, Ellen Nakashima | December 17, 2020 | Washington PostThe malware disguises its network traffic as the “Orion Improvement Program” and stores data inside legitimate files in order to better blend in.
How Russian hackers infiltrated the US government for months without being spotted | Patrick Howell ONeill | December 15, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
These attacks had distinct similarities with the malware used against Sony.
U.S. Spies Say They Tracked ‘Sony Hackers’ For Years | Shane Harris | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTPerhaps the most interesting and indeed relevant of this is the C2 (or Command and Control) addresses found in the malware.
Increasingly, criminals actually lease their malware from a group that guarantees their malware against detection.
These addresses were used by whoever carried out the attack to control the malware and can be found in the malware code itself.
Furthermore, checking online IP reputation services reveals that they have been used by malware operators in the past.
British Dictionary definitions for malware
/ (ˈmælwɛə) /
a computer program designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system, such as a virus
Origin of malware
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for malware
[ măl′wâr′ ]
Software that is written and distributed for malicious purposes, such as impairing or destroying computer systems. Computer viruses are malware.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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