Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mrs. Jones, and I'm really pleased that you've decided to learn with me today.

Today we're going to look at malicious software, so let's get started.

Welcome to today's lesson from the unit Introduction to cybersecurity.

This lesson is called "Malicious software", and by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to assess the impact of malicious software on individuals and society.

There are five keywords in today's lesson.

Malware.

Malware is malicious software designed to gain access to a computer to cause problems. Virus.

A virus is malware that spreads between computers and interferes with their normal operation.

Worm.

A worm is malware that spreads through a network and uses resources to slow it down.

Trojan.

Trojan is malware that has been disguised as a harmless programme.

And bots.

Bots are automated programmes that perform tasks repeatedly.

There are two sections to today's lesson: compare types of malicious software and assess the impacts malicious bots can have.

We're going to start with compare types of malicious software.

Malware, malicious software, is software that is designed to gain access to your computer with malicious intent.

Malicious intent includes disabling hardware, data theft, forced advertising, sending email spam, or extorting money.

Categories of malware include virus, worm, ransomware, Trojan, spyware, and adware.

A virus is a type of malware that can damage files, the device, or the network.

Once on a computer or network, a virus will replicate itself by modifying other computer programmes and inserting code.

For a virus to infect a system, it needs to be executed by a user from an infected file, download, or programme.

A worm replicates but does not attach to a file as a virus does.

Instead, worms spread through the network and use the system resources.

Most worms cause problems by using up network bandwidth and therefore slowing down the network significantly.

Ransomware is malware that encrypts or locks files on a computer.

The attacker will demand a ransom is paid before they decrypt the files and unlock the computer files affected.

A Trojan is malware disguised as something else, including a game, movie, or software update.

It could open a back door to give an attacker remote access to your computer.

The name derives from the story of the Trojan horse, something malicious, in this case code, that is hidden inside to sneak in and attack.

Let's have a quick check.

Which type of malware replicates but does not attach to files? Is it A, Trojan; B, worm; C, ransomware; or D, spyware? Pause the video to consider your answer and then I'll reveal it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer is a worm.

Well done if you got that correct.

Spyware is malware that hides on your computer to monitor and gather information.

This can include your website browsing history, personal data, and online activity.

Adware is malware that can download or display adverts or popups when the victim is online.

If you are online and see a large number of adverts, or you are receiving popups when you are offline, then your computer might have been affected by malware.

Let's have a check.

Which of the following are types of malware? There's more than one answer.

Pause the video to consider your answer and then we'll check it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was A, Trojan; B, worm; and C, ransomware.

Well done if you got that correct.

You'll need your worksheet for this activity.

Complete the table comparing the different types of malware.

You have a table with three types of malware: a virus, a worm, and a Trojan, and you'll need to complete the different columns, how it spreads, and the effect on the system.

Pause the video here, use your worksheet to complete the activity, and then we'll go through the answers.

Let's have a look at the answers.

A virus is executed by running an infected file or programme, and the effect on the system is that it can damage files, device, or the network.

A worm spreads through a network of devices and it can slow down the system devices.

A Trojan is disguised as something else like a game, film, or software update and gives remote access to an attacker.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's move on to the next section, assess the impacts malicious bots can have.

Bots are automated programmes that perform tasks repeatedly.

It is believed that over 50% of all Internet traffic is bot traffic.

A significant portion of that is malicious bots.

Bots are a crucial part of the Internet's infrastructure and perform useful tasks such as finding new websites for search engines to index; providing customer service online, chatbots; monitoring the prices of items to find the best deal, shopbots.

Many of the bots circulating the web are deployed by cyber criminals with malicious intent.

Bots can be used to create social media accounts and to follow certain users to increase people's perception of their influence.

Bots can also be used to scour the web to look for and report on vulnerabilities of devices connected to the Internet.

This information can be used by a cybercriminal.

A botnet is a large collection of malware-infected devices, zombies.

An attacker, a bot herder, chooses when to wake the zombies to perform an attack.

This might be to send multiple requests to a single server.

This is a distributed denial of service, a DDoS attack.

Let's have a quick check.

True or false? The function of a bot circulating the Internet is always malicious.

Pause the video to consider your answer, and then we'll reveal it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was false.

There are lots of bots with different functions.

Some will have been deployed with malicious intent, but others, for example, will be finding new websites for search engines to index.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's have another check.

Which are examples of malicious uses of a bot? Is it A, providing customer service online through chatbots; B, looking for and reporting back on vulnerabilities of Internet-connected devices; C, monitoring the prices of items to find the best deal; or D, created to allow social media influencers to increase perception of influence? Pause the video to consider your answer and then we'll go through it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was B, looking for and reporting back on vulnerabilities of Internet-connected devices, and D, created to allow social media influencers to increase perception of influence.

Well done if you got that correct.

An example of malicious bots are sneaker bots.

Limited-edition trainers often sell out within seconds of being made available online.

Bots quickly buy up limited-edition trainers online, then resellers sell them for much higher prices.

This can impact the customer.

Sam says, "I cannot get the trainers that I want, which is frustrating and disappointing." And Aisha says, "I have found them, but now the cost has increased." This can also impact the company.

Retailers lose control over their products and pricing.

The market becomes dominated by resellers and inflated prices.

The company then has to deal with unhappy customers.

And companies have to pay extra costs to try and stop the bots from taking the stock before the customers.

Lucas asks, "Does this happen for other websites and products?" This happens with lots of products and services.

Another example is concert tickets.

You'll need your worksheet again for this activity.

Describe how bots are used for good and bad purposes on the Internet.

Pause the video, use your worksheet, and then we'll go through the answers.

Let's check your answers.

Bots are used for many purposes.

These include finding new websites for search engines to index, providing customer service online through chatbots, and monitoring the prices of items to find the best deal through shopbots.

There are also bots that have a malicious purpose, like sneaker bots that find and purchase limited-edition trainers before customers to sell elsewhere at inflated prices.

Well done if you got that correct.

You'll need your worksheet again for this next section.

What is the impact of sneaker bots on the company and customer? You have a table, one column for the company and one column for the customer.

Add your comments in there for what the impact is for each.

Pause the video, use your worksheet, and then we'll go through the answers.

Let's have a look at the answers.

The impact of sneaker bots on a company is loss of product control and pricing, market is dominated by resellers, dealing with unhappy customers, and extra costs to try and stop bots.

The impact of sneaker bots on a customer is that they are unable to get the product they want, they have to pay more from a reseller, and frustration and disappointment.

Well done if you got that correct.

In summary, there are different types of malware.

A virus is executed by running an infected file or programme and can damage files, devices, or networks.

A worm spreads through a network of devices and slows down the system devices.

A Trojan is disguised as something else, like a game, and gives an attacker remote access to the device, and Internet bots can be useful tools.

They can also be used maliciously.

This can impact companies and customers positively and negatively.