2 How malware gets into your computer

Figure 5

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This abstract figure shows an open laptop and a number of circles and spheres with numbers floating around them.

Figure 5

Malware can get into a computer through a variety of mechanisms, most of which involve exploiting a combination of human and technical factors.

For example, a malware creator might get you to download their malware by putting a link in an email, or attaching the malware to an email. Alternatively, malware might be packaged with illegal copies of standard software so that it can get into the machines of people who choose to use these illegal copies rather than pay for the genuine versions.

However, before looking in detail at how malware gets into your computer, it’s worth thinking about why it does. What is malware for?