Types of computer viruses

• Salami shaving - A technique where small amounts of money are siphoned off from numerous transactions without being noticed.
• Denial of service attack - An attack that floods a network or service with excessive requests, causing it to crash or become unavailable.
• Trojan horse - A malicious program disguised as legitimate software that allows unauthorized access or control of a system.
• Trapdoors - Hidden vulnerabilities or backdoors intentionally left in software to allow unauthorized access.
• Mail bombing - Flooding a user's email inbox with a massive volume of messages, often to overload or disrupt their email service.
• Software piracy - The unauthorized copying, distribution, or use of software without proper licensing.
• Piggybacking - Gaining unauthorized access to a system by exploiting an already authorized session or connection.
• Phishing - A scam where attackers trick users into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, via deceptive emails or websites.
• Defacing - Unauthorized modification of a website, often to display malicious or misleading content.
• Hijacking - Taking control of a user's session, system, or communication channel without permission, often for malicious purposes.
• Rootkits - Malicious tools designed to hide the presence of malware and allow persistent unauthorized access to a system.
• SQL injections - A code injection attack that exploits vulnerabilities in an application's database query to execute malicious SQL commands.
• Dialer exploits - Malicious programs that manipulate modem settings to connect to premium-rate numbers without the user's consent.
• Spyware - Software that secretly gathers information about a user's activities, often for malicious purposes like identity theft.
• Keyloggers - Malicious programs that record keystrokes to capture sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details.
• Crimeware - Malware designed specifically for illegal activities, such as stealing data or conducting financial fraud.
• Adware - Software that displays unwanted advertisements, often bundled with legitimate programs and used to generate revenue.

Protection techniques

• Firewalls - Systems that monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
• Antivirus software - Programs designed to detect, prevent, and remove malware from systems.
• Intrusion detection systems (IDS) - Tools that monitor network or system activities for malicious behavior and policy violations.
• Penetration testing (pen-testing) - Simulated cyberattacks conducted by ethical hackers to identify vulnerabilities in systems or networks.
• Encryption - Converting data into a secure format that is unreadable without a decryption key, ensuring data privacy and security.
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) - Enhancing security by requiring multiple verification methods before granting access to a system.
• Patch management - Regularly updating software and systems to fix vulnerabilities and improve security.
• Security awareness training - Educating users about best practices to recognize and avoid potential security threats.
• Vulnerability scanning - Using automated tools to identify weaknesses in systems, networks, or applications.
• Network segmentation - Dividing a network into smaller parts to limit access and contain potential breaches.
• Access control - Restricting user access to systems or data based on roles and permissions to minimize risks.
• Data backups - Regularly creating copies of critical data to ensure recovery in case of data loss or corruption.
• Secure coding practices - Writing software with security in mind to minimize vulnerabilities and exploits.
• Web application firewalls (WAF) - Protecting web applications from attacks like SQL injections and cross-site scripting.
• Endpoint detection and response (EDR) - Monitoring endpoints like computers and mobile devices to detect and respond to security incidents.
• Penetration testing frameworks - Tools like Metasploit or Burp Suite are used for ethical hacking and security testing.
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) - Platforms for real-time analysis of security alerts generated by network hardware and applications.
• Zero trust architecture - A security model that assumes no user or device is trustworthy by default, enforcing strict access controls.
• Physical security - Protecting physical infrastructure, such as data centers and devices, from unauthorized access or tampering.