People often use the terms “malware” and “virus” are often used interchangeably. While they are similar, there are important distinctions between them. Malware is a broader term that includes viruses but also describes many other forms of malicious software.
Malicious software, aka malware, is software designed to infect a computer system and cause damage. Malware has several forms, one of which is the computer virus. So, all viruses are malware. However, not all malware are viruses.
As a result, the answer to the question of whether malware and viruses are interchangeable is unequivocally “no.” Malicious software (or malware) covers a wide range of threats, from viruses to spyware to adware to ransomware. Knowing how viruses differ from other forms of malware can aid in both protection and elimination.
Viruses
A computer virus, like its biological counterpart, infects a host, replicates within it, and then moves on to infect other machines. Spreading via infected apps and email, computer viruses can also be spread via infected websites, infected email attachments, and even corrupted networking routers.
The sophistication of the virus determines its precise effects. Simple malicious code can erase files or corrupt your hard drive. A sophisticated infection could potentially lurk on your machine in order to spread malware or send out spam. Polymorphic viruses, which are extremely sophisticated, can alter their own programming to avoid detection.
Malware
The climate of cybersecurity is changing. The number of “bad guys” is at an all-time high, and they have more incentive than ever before (financial and otherwise) to constantly improve their methods. Internet users today face more than just the threat of viruses:
Worms: Malware that replicates itself and spreads from computer to computer. Sometimes opening backdoors into your system and sometimes doing little to no damage, just taking up space.
Adware: Advertising spam displays intrusive ads on your device for financial gain.
Spyware: It does what its name says – it spies on your activities and steals your credentials by capturing your keystrokes.
Scareware: Software that attempts to scare you by claiming that your computer has been infected with malware (which, technically it has) and offers to sell you the solution. The download itself may be malicious software, or you may simply be purchasing unnecessary programs.
Ransomware: Constantly in the news, this is a newer and extremely malicious type of software that encrypts your data and makes your computer, files, and folders unavailable unless you pay a ransom.
Rootkit: Burrowing into the depths of your computer, this malware can steal personal information (like spyware), send spam, take part in denial-of-service attacks (DDOS), or give hackers remote access to your device.
There’s a lot of overlap in these terms but the differences are irrelevant. The important point is that there are people trying to harm your computer and you don’t want them to succeed.
Threats
There is a higher level of classification, called threats, above malware and viruses. Malware is part of a larger category of risks that also includes phishing, identity theft, SQL injection, and other similar attacks.
Why is there Confusion in the Terms
Name familiarity is ultimately to blame for the misunderstanding between “virus” and “malware.” Words and phrases that enter common use have a way of staying there. We still use the phrase “dialing the phone” even though it’s been years (maybe decades) since I’ve seen a phone that had a dial. Sometimes we just can’t break out of our old patterns.
Malicious software was initially labeled “viruses” in the 1970s. Due to the prevalence of viruses at the time, the early anti-malware solutions were dubbed “antivirus,” and many modern tools still go by that term.
If you haven’t taken precautions, it doesn’t matter if malware is the same as a virus. Not really; you’ll be wide open to all manner of infections if you don’t have a reliable antivirus program.
Tracy’s Bottom Line
Currently, there’s no real difference between antivirus and antimalware software. It wouldn’t name sense to create software that can identify and eliminate infections while skipping over worms, Trojans, spyware, and ransomware. Just be sure to buy your software from a reputable “antivirus” company and you will get antimalware right along with it.
