Malware

In plain language

Any software written to do harm, from viruses and spyware to ransomware.

The metaphor

Like a contractor's bag with a hidden tool in it: it arrives looking useful and does something else once inside.

Going deeper

How it works

Types include viruses, trojans, spyware, keyloggers and ransomware.
It arrives through email attachments, fake downloads, infected sites and unpatched software.
It can steal passwords, lock files or give an attacker a way in.
Defence has layers: updates, behaviour-based protection and careful clicking.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A four-person real estate office installed a “free PDF converter”. It was a trojan with a keylogger. Over three months it captured bank, brokerage and email passwords. The first sign was a client deposit redirected to a stranger.

How WILDCARD handles it

Workstation Defender watches what programs do on each business computer and stops the harmful ones. Email Security blocks much of what arrives by mail and Patch Management closes the holes malware uses.

In practice

A retailer's point-of-sale PC picks up spyware from a cracked design program.
A law firm's assistant runs a “Chrome update” from a pop-up on a news site.
A non-profit's shared laptop gets a bot that sends spam and gets the organization's domain blocklisted.

Example scenario: A small clinic's receptionist plugged in a USB stick found in the parking lot to see who it belonged to. It launched a script on insert. The EDR killed the process and flagged the device before anything was stolen. The stick went in the bin, and the story went into the next staff meeting.

A question owners ask

If I'm careful about what I click, do I still need protection?

Yes. Some malware runs through a software flaw with no click at all, and even careful people get fooled by a good enough fake. Protection covers the day your care runs out.

Where WILDCARD handles this