What is malware?

From Wikipedia (Yes, I know your English teacher would frown on this!):

Malware, short for malicious software, is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. The term "computer virus" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, including true viruses.

Here is one example

Here is an example of malware:

CNET Clickjacking

Here is the problem

You have probably all heard of computer viruses and know they are bad BUT do you really know what kind of bad things they can do and even more importantly how you get them? In this assignment, you will investigate various sources of malware, so you can better protect yourself.

Pick one (1) type of malware that no one else has chosen. Send me an email to reserve the kind you would like. You must do the following:

1. Define what the particular malware is.
2. How can you get it?
3. What can it do to your computer?
4. How do you prevent it from happening?
5. Provide at least two (2) sources in bibliographic format.

Remember DON'T wait until it is due!

Here is an example of what I am looking for

Clickjacking (And no, you can not use Clickjacking!!)

Things to note

• If you are not sure on any part of the problem, just ask me and I will give you additional information.
• More important than the information, the main focus of this assignment is to give you practice in following instructions EXACTLY. One of the main stumbling blocks students have when starting programming is to remember computers only follow the exact instructions you give them, so being very precise is important.
• Remember, you must have at least 2 cited references for each type of malware.
  • Place the citation under each type of malware you do.
  • Here is a guide to help you format your bibliography correctly (It is the same one you use in English class!)
    • Note the colouring on this web page is just for effect. You will just do it all in black text.
• The final assignment MUST be in one (1) *.pdf file.
  • You can do it in Google Docs right from your school Gmail account and then just "Download file as ... PDF" or you can do it in Pages in iOS and then convert it to a *.pdf.
• Make sure there is a title page in your document (so I know who to give the marks to!) that includes:
  • Course Code
  • Assignment #
  • Your Name
• Make sure the file name on your document is:
  • Assignment #01, course code, your name
  • Ex. Assignment #01, ICS3U, John Smith
• Make sure you submit it to Google Drive under Assignment #1 before the due date and time.
• Has my type been chosen yet? Check the following list:

Bonus

Can I get a bonus? Yes, you can!

If you complete just the above part of the assignment, you will be marked out of 3+. You will be marked out of 4+ if you do ONE of the following:

• in addition to the above, you can tell me what a "Malware Bot" is and make a paper one (to my satisfaction) from one of the templates (see below).
• or, do not do a traditional "English" written assignment. If you can present the above information in any other way besides written text or a "PowerPoint" type presentation. If you are not sure it counts, just ask me.