THREAT‑WATCH
Glossary
Malware
An umbrella term for any software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to a system.
Malware includes viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware, and keyloggers, distinguished from each other mainly by how they spread and what they do once installed. Modern malware is often modular and delivered in stages, an initial small payload downloads and installs further tools, which is one reason early detection of the first-stage payload matters more than trying to catch every possible variant.