Cybersecurity is a significant issue in the 21st century as reliance on technology increases, exposing personal information to hackers and malware. Various types of malware, such as viruses, trojans, and ransomware, pose threats to data security and privacy. To mitigate these risks, individuals should use trusted antivirus software, avoid suspicious downloads, and stay informed about potential cyber threats.

1. CYBERSECURITY
21ST CENTURY'S LARGEST SECURITY ISSUE
Diana Vrabie, XB

2. WHY IS CYBERSECURITY AN ISSUE?
• NOWADAYS, PEOPLE RELY MORE AND MORE ON TECHNOLOGY
• DATA, INCLUDING PERSONAL INFORMATION, IS STORED IN MASSIVE
AMOUNTS IN THE VIRTUAL SPACE
• HACKERS AND MALICIOUS SOFTWARE (MALWARE) CONSTANTLY
ATTEMPT TO DESTROY DATA, STEAL INFORMATION OR CAUSE HARM
• THE AWARENESS LEVELS ARE STILL LOW, LEADING TO MANY PEOPLE
USING LITTLE TO NO PROTECTION AGAINST CYBER THREATS

3. THREATS

4. MALWARE TYPES
• VIRUS – MALWARE THAT EXECUTES CODE WHEN THE USER
LAUNCHES AN INFECTED PROGRAM. CAN STEAL INFORMATION,
HARM COMPUTERS OR NETWORKS
• TROJAN HORSE – MALWARE DISGUISED AS HELPFUL SOFTWARE.
CAN GRANT UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO INFECTED COMPUTER,
INSTALL MORE MALWARE OR STEAL INFORMATION
• WORM – MALWARE THAT SPREADS THROUGH COMPUTER
NETWORKS. CAUSES HARM BY CONSUMING BANDWIDTH AND
OVERLOADING WEB SERVERS. IT SPREADS WITHOUT ANY USER
INTERVENTION (UNLIKE VIRUSES)
• SPYWARE – MALWARE THAT SPIES ON USER ACTIVITY WITHOUT
THEIR KNOWLEDGE. CAN READ PASSWORDS AND OTHER
PERSONAL DATA, FACILITATING HACKING

5. MALWARE TYPES
• ROOTKIT – MALWARE THAT GRANTS AN INTRUDER REMOTE ACCESS TO
AN INFECTED COMPUTER. ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE CANNOT IDENTIFY IT,
SO ONLY USERS CAN DETECT ITS PRESENCE.
• RANSOMWARE – MALWARE THAT BLOCKS THE INFECTED COMPUTER
AND DEMANDS PAYMENT IN ORDER TO GRANT ACCESS BACK TO THE
USER.
• BOT – COMPUTER SOFTWARE THAT AUTOMATICALLY PERFORMS
SPECIFIC OPERATIONS. CAN BE USED TO SCRAPE SERVER DATA, HACK
PASSWORDS ETC. CAPTCHAS CAN PROTECT AGAINST BOTS BY
VERIFYING THAT THE USER IS HUMAN.
• BUG – SOFTWARE CODING ERRORS THAT CAN BE EXPLOITED BY
OTHER TYPES OF MALWARE. USUALLY, THESE ARE A RESULT OF HUMAN
ERRORS AND CAN BE FIXED BY THOROUGHLY CHECKING THE
PROGRAM.

6. THE IMPACT OF MALWARE ON MODERN LIFE
• INFORMATION STORED ON THE VIRTUAL SPACE CAN BE ACCESSED BY
UNAUTHORIZED PEOPLE
• OUR PRIVATE LIFE CAN BE MONITORED, LEADING TO MANY DANGEROUS
SITUATIONS (THEFT, BULLYING, HARASSMENT ETC.)
• IF THEY ARE NOT PROPERLY SECURED, OUR ACCOUNTS CAN BE HACKED AND
MONEY CAN BE STOLEN

7. HOW CAN THESE DANGERS BE AVOIDED?
• INSTALL A TRUSTED ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
• AVOID DOWNLOADING FILES FROM SUSPICIOUS OR UNKNOWN SOURCES
• PERIODICALLY CHECK THE COMPUTER OR PHONE FOR UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR,
UNCHARACTERISTIC SLOWNESS OR IMPOSSIBILITY TO ACCESS CERTAIN SERVICES
• IMPLEMENT CAPTCHAS ON WEBSITES TO AVOID BOTS

8. HOW DO ANTIVIRUS AND ANTI-MALWARE
SOFTWARE HELP THE DEVELOPMENT OF
MALWARE?
• ANTI-MALWARE PROTECTION METHODS CAN STOP THE MAJORITY OF MALICIOUS SOFTWARE
• BEING PUBLIC, MALWARE PRODUCERS FIND THESE OBSTACLES AND CODE THEIR PROGRAMS
TO OVERCOME THEM
• UNWILLINGLY, PROTECTION SOFTWARE CONTRIBUTE TO THE EVOLUTION OF MALEWARE

9. CONCLUDING NOTES
• THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF MALWARE, EACH WITH ITS OWN CHARACTERISTICS
• MOST MALICIOUS SOFTWARE TYPES CAN BE STOPPED BY ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
• AWARENESS MUST BE RAISED IN ORDER FOR PEOPLE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES BETTER
• FOR EVERY NEW PROTECTION METHOD, HACKERS EVOLVE AND IMPROVE THEIR PROGRAMS TO
PASS THE TESTS