Worms are stand-alone applications that wriggle between systems by themselves, and don’t need an unsuspecting human helper to connect their device to an infected one. They then collect data or delete important information. They look like real programs, tricking users into opening them. When a device meets an infected device (e.g.: through open Wi-Fi networks or a USB flash drive), it too becomes infected.

Meet the three usual malware suspects: Viruses spread by replicating themselves. They can then use your identity to access online stores and go on a shopping spree! Some malware can even log your keystrokes to give cybercriminals your login details. It aims to disrupt your system or to give cybercriminals access to your data and bank accounts. Malware refers to ‘malicious software’ that secretly installs itself on a computer to harm the user in some way. Is your online security and privacy the real-world equivalent of standing at an open window, at night, with the curtains open? Are you an unwittingly helping hackers, and what steps must we all take every day to shut those virtual curtains? On the Dark Web, cybercriminals peddle illicit programs and stolen data.

Yet beneath the glittering façade of e-shopping malls and Instagram filters, lies a shadow world, where malware and online scams lurk. The digital devices on our desk and in our hands offer endless usefulness, fun…and a possible doorway to our data and private lives. Thank heavens for Amazon Prime! And, oh look, is that a video of a dancing goat? We’re always online and always distracted. You scroll through your emails, before remembering that you need a last-minute birthday gift. Are you a typical digital “citizen X”? From gaming to box sets and groceries, our every need and whim is catered for online.

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