In the last 2 decades, the development of the internet has circled the centralization of data and power among the most successful tech companies and social media networks. As these platforms become the multifunctional hubs of information, education, and entertainment, average internet users rarely have the incentive to visit other websites.
When most internet traffic circles around the systems created by these tech giants, the new generation of web surfers know little about the dangers of the internet. Poor usage of information technology can lead users to viruses and other traps set up by malicious third parties seeking to harass and blackmail them. Some tools are designed to quietly use your hardware resources in the background for cryptocurrency mining and alteration of the browsing experience, while others focus on the extreme exploitation of wealthy corporations and gullible individuals.
In this article, we will take a deeper look at malware. You will learn about the most common tools for exploitation on the internet, and what you can do to protect your computer from viruses in 2022. For example, the article will address the most popular internet security tools like HTTP proxy. You can buy HTTP proxy from professional proxy providers or seek free Datacenter proxies online. While there are many sources of these intermediary servers, and their use cases are very flexible, we recommend buying an HTTP proxy instead of using unknown servers that are often owned by cybercriminals, which can inspect your connection and find vulnerabilities to infect your system with malware.
Most common types of malware
The term “Malware” encapsulates most malicious software encountered on the internet. Web users that lack technical experience love to refer to all types of dangerous programs as viruses, but the name only refers to software similar in nature to biological viruses. We will go over the most common types of malware and how they can affect your device and internet connection.
Adware
The type of malware that often goes under the radar, adware infects your computer to keep track of private information that is later used by advertisers to bombard your connection with personalized ads. Some adware can change the rendered HTML code in visited websites to show way more ads on the page, display invisible ads, and even stack multiple banners in the same place. By tracking your data packets and understanding your frequently visited ads, adware exploits gullible users for ad fraud or forces the browser to use more resources for cryptocurrency mining. Adware is extremely effective on inexperienced internet users that often see the changes in browsing experience as new features or deterioration of used hardware.
Keyloggers
Keyloggers are extremely dangerous because the software records each keystroke on your devices and saves them on a log for cybercriminals. This type of malware is often used as a feature for tracking software sold to parents that want to monitor their children, but keyloggers are an incredibly effective tool in the hacker’s arsenal, as having access to the logs that follow every decision of the device’s owner gives a clear view of the digital footprint and acquired information can be used to gain unauthorized access to your device and work tools if you work from home.
Ransomware and Worms
Now let’s look at the big guns – malware used to attack businesses and corporations. Ransomware is one of the most sophisticated types of malicious software, most often used to hijack and lock out the owner of information from accessing important information, usually company databases, until the ransom is paid. Without effective cybersecurity teams that take preventive measures, ransomware is one of the most effective tools for digital blackmail. If the company refuses to pay, criminals can leak their entire database to the public, forever tarnishing their reputation.
Worms are great at targeting local networks of large businesses. All it needs is access to a single computer on a company LAN, one gullible user to let the malware infiltrate the network, and a worm will multiply till it infects every computer on a targeted network.
Viruses
While worms are independent programs latching to data in transit and replicating on new computers, viruses need a way to contact the device before rapid replication begins. As the virus spreads, it affects the code of computer programs and documents. Just like other types of malware, the definition of a virus and its potential damage is uncertain because its goals depend on the creator.
Trojans
Another type of malware widely known even to inexperienced internet users, trojans mask themselves as legitimate programs that start to wreak havoc on your system. When the file is opened, trojans can steal, delete, or duplicate the information on a device.
How to protect yourself from malware
More often than not, malicious software preys on system vulnerabilities. Malware is much more rampant on windows systems because it is a closed-source operating system, and its users do not know what is inside. Linux users rarely encounter viruses because it is a transparent, open-source OS with a massive community aware of new weaknesses that get fixed instantly. Even if the system gets infected, it has no chance to affect the entire device without root privileges.
For security threats online, proxy servers will help you mask your IP address to make sure cybercriminals never know your real identity. To minimize the loss of internet speed, use fast data center proxies from the best proxy service providers. For connections to public networks, get yourself a VPN – Virtual Private Networks encrypt the data on its way to the destination. While it is rarely necessary, you can also try one of the critically acclaimed anti-virus systems, but be careful not to download malware disguised as fake anti-virus tools.
