Malware refers to any program that executes and performs activities that are outside
of the user's consent. A virus is a form of malware. Other examples of malware include
Trojans, Worms, Backdoors, Denial of Service attacker agents, Joke programs, and several
other smaller categories of malicious code.
Viruses are just part of a large of group of malicious programs called malware, coined
from the two words "malicious software". When we say "malicious", we mean that the
program is doing something outside of our knowledge or consent. Calling every type
of malware a virus would be like calling every kind of vehicle that you see on the
street a car, when in fact some are not.
We often associate the term "viruses" with any type of malicious code. That is incorrect,
as not every malicious code is a virus.
In fact, malware is the best term to describe malicious code. Malware has many sub-categories
including:
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Viruses
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Worms
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Trojans
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Joke programs
Descriptions for each sub-category are provided below.