Spyware or Not? — TechKnowSurge

About this interactive

What you are doing: deciding whether each piece of malware is spyware. The lesson’s methods: spyware secretly collects information about the victim. It may capture what is on the screen, watch through the video camera, or log keystrokes as usernames and passwords are typed, and it sends what it gathers back to the attacker. How to use it: ask whether the code is quietly gathering information about the person and reporting it. If yes, spyware. If it encrypts files, shows adverts, mines coins or simply spreads, it is something else. A wrong answer resets your streak.

What you'll learn

Decide whether malware is spyware by its defining behaviour: it secretly collects information about the victim, such as the screen, the camera or keystrokes, and sends it back to the attacker
Tell spyware from malware that is noisy or destructive, such as ransomware, adware or cryptojacking, which does not secretly gather the victim’s information

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+

2.4 Given a scenario, analyze indicators of malicious activity.

Key terms

Spyware: Malware that secretly monitors and collects user activity and sends it to a third party without consent.
Keylogger: A type of spyware that records keystrokes on a device and transmits them to an attacker, capturing sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and private messages without the user's knowledge.
Malware: Software specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a system.

Topics

Spyware Interactive Streak Sort

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