Malware

What is malware?

Malware is short for 'malicious software'.

Malware infections on your computer or other data storage devices can have a serious impact depending on what the malware was designed to do. For example, it can:

  • corrupt or make important data inaccessible;
  • introduce hidden software which can detect usernames and passwords to University systems, or personal data such as bank and credit card details, and transmit them to criminals to use in fraudulent activities.

For further reading, see the malware page on Wikipedia:

Ransomware

Ransomware is a particularly common piece of malware that prevents you from accessing your computer, or data on your computer.

If your computer is infected with ransomware, it may cause the computer to become 'locked', preventing you from booting it as normal. The ransomware may also steal, encrypt, or delete data on your computer.

Ransomware normally asks you to make a payment (or 'ransom') to unlock your computer or retrieve your data. However, there's no guarantee that this will work, so it's important to keep a regular backup of your data. The National Cyber Security Centre recommends you do not pay if your computer is affected by ransomware.

You can find additional guidance on ransomware from the NCSC below: