Evolution of Computer Viruses and Cyber Threats

Computer viruses have been around since the 1990s, and although the term is still frequently heard these days, the actual viruses themselves are largely relics of the ______.

Cyber threats, however, are still very much a part of the modern picture and are often referred to simply as “viruses” because the word has become a ______ for any type of security issue.

Computer viruses are programs that easily ______ themselves using built-in self-replicating codes.

Old-school viruses generally accessed computers via files users installed themselves — music files used to be common culprits when viruses were in their ______.

Original virus writers were mostly gunning for ______, but innovations in security technology have pretty much rendered the old-school replicating code programs obsolete.

Malware refers to software that's designed for the purpose of accessing computers and causing disruptions and damage, often with the purpose of gaining access to sensitive financial information. It's most commonly introduced via ______ downloads that install themselves on your system automatically when you visit certain websites.

Ransomware threatens to expose the user's personal data to the public eye or block the user's access to it until and unless the user pays a ransom to an undisclosed source. Incidents of ransomware have been increasing at a steady rate for the past several years. Spyware gathers personal information via your computer without your ______.

Trojan Attacks — just like its historical counterpart, a Trojan horse is a malicious program designed to mislead users about its real intent. They often come in email attachments or fake advertisements on social ______.

Chances are, they're referencing ______.

Computer attacks are still going on because viruses have reached dinosaur status. So what's going on? They're talking about ______.