Question 1

What type of malware disguises itself as legitimate software but contains hidden malicious code?

Accepted Answer

A Trojan horse. Unlike viruses, Trojans do not self-replicate; they rely on users to execute them by appearing to be a useful or trustworthy program.

Question 2

What malware type self-replicates across a network without requiring a host file or user interaction?

Accepted Answer

A worm. Worms spread autonomously by exploiting network vulnerabilities, consuming bandwidth and potentially delivering payloads along the way.

Question 3

What type of malware encrypts a victim's files and demands payment in exchange for the decryption key?

Accepted Answer

Ransomware. It typically spreads via phishing emails or malicious downloads and can make an entire system's data inaccessible until a ransom is paid.

Question 4

What type of malware is specifically designed to record every keystroke a user makes?

Accepted Answer

A keylogger. Keyloggers capture sensitive input such as passwords and credit card numbers and send the data to an attacker.

Question 5

What type of malware embeds itself deep in the OS or firmware to hide its presence and maintain persistent access?

Accepted Answer

A rootkit. Rootkits operate at a privileged level (kernel or bootloader) making them extremely difficult to detect and remove with standard antivirus tools.

CompTIA A+ Security Threats

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