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Origin Of Malware Terms Trivia Quiz

Match each given word origin or definition to the correct term.

A matching quiz by AlexT781. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
AlexT781

Time
3 mins

Type
Match Quiz

Quiz #
387,892

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
622

Last 3 plays: drwinsac (8/10), xbenzx9755 (5/10), Guest 31 (5/10).

(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.

Questions		Choices
1. Short for "malicious software"		Worm
2. A program usually designed to "kidnap" your files by encrypting them unless you pay money		Ransomware
3. An attack on a web server intended to prevent others from accessing or otherwise using it		Zombie
4. Type of malware named for a famous Greek horse		Malware
5. Name of a type of malware taken from a 1970s sci-fi novel		Denial of service
6. Gain access to a network by pretending to be someone or something else		Trojan
7. Originally a sociology term, it also refers to manipulating people to give access to personal or confidential information		Spoof
8. Named from combining the word for the UNIX administrative account with 'kit', meaning software		Rogue Security Software
9. A hacked computer that can be used remotely to conduct further illegal activity		Social Engineering
10. Malicious software that claims a computer is infected and manipulates a user into paying for removal or downloading a real virus		Rootkit

Select each answer

1. Short for "malicious software"

2. A program usually designed to "kidnap" your files by encrypting them unless you pay money

3. An attack on a web server intended to prevent others from accessing or otherwise using it

4. Type of malware named for a famous Greek horse

5. Name of a type of malware taken from a 1970s sci-fi novel

6. Gain access to a network by pretending to be someone or something else

7. Originally a sociology term, it also refers to manipulating people to give access to personal or confidential information

8. Named from combining the word for the UNIX administrative account with 'kit', meaning software

9. A hacked computer that can be used remotely to conduct further illegal activity

10. Malicious software that claims a computer is infected and manipulates a user into paying for removal or downloading a real virus

Most Recent Scores

Dec 05 2024 : drwinsac: 8/10
Nov 21 2024 : xbenzx9755: 5/10
Nov 21 2024 : Guest 31: 5/10
Nov 21 2024 : Guest 217: 6/10
Nov 19 2024 : Guest 217: 8/10
Nov 19 2024 : Guest 31: 8/10
Nov 19 2024 : Guest 104: 5/10
Nov 19 2024 : Guest 217: 10/10
Nov 19 2024 : Guest 217: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Short for "malicious software"

Answer: Malware

Malware is the word for any kind of program designed to damage or compromise a computer or network. It includes worms, viruses, and rootkits, among others.

2. A program usually designed to "kidnap" your files by encrypting them unless you pay money

Answer: Ransomware

Most types that have targeted individual computers in the past pretended to be a law enforcement agency requiring you to pay a "fine" for having committed some sort of illegal activity. As time has moved on, the targets have changed to corporate networks simply because there is more money involved, and history shows companies would rather pay the ransom than spend the time required to remove the malware.

3. An attack on a web server intended to prevent others from accessing or otherwise using it

Answer: Denial of service

Denial of service (DoS) and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are common methods to disrupt internet service. Some of the more prominent attacks have been directed at Xbox Live, Playstation Network, and Twitter.

4. Type of malware named for a famous Greek horse

Answer: Trojan

A Trojan is a program that hacks a computer by pretending to do something useful for the user. A Trojan may contain some other type of malware, such as rootkits or worms, to do further damage to a system.

5. Name of a type of malware taken from a 1970s sci-fi novel

Answer: Worm

"Worm" was used in John Brunner's 1975 "The Shockwave Rider" to mean a computer program that replicates itself over a network. Since many real viruses work the same way, the name has stuck.

6. Gain access to a network by pretending to be someone or something else

Answer: Spoof

Spoofing can be an email that looks official, or an entire website built to look exactly like a bank's actual website. It is usually used in bank and credit card fraud schemes.

7. Originally a sociology term, it also refers to manipulating people to give access to personal or confidential information

Answer: Social Engineering

Social engineering in general refers to manipulating people, such as political campaigns and product advertisements. When used with computers, the object is to access bank accounts, credit cards, and any other confidential information through trickery.

8. Named from combining the word for the UNIX administrative account with 'kit', meaning software

Answer: Rootkit

Despite the term usually referring to malicious software, it also includes many forms of digital rights management (DRM) software and programs commonly used to bypass DRM, such as Alcohol 120%.

9. A hacked computer that can be used remotely to conduct further illegal activity

Answer: Zombie

A zombie computer is a computer connected to the internet that has been hacked in some way so the user is unaware. The computer can then be used remotely by the hacker to compromise other machines somewhere else. Zombie computers have traditionally been used in mass attacks, such as a Distributed Denial of Service attack.

10. Malicious software that claims a computer is infected and manipulates a user into paying for removal or downloading a real virus

Answer: Rogue Security Software

The most common form people encounter is usually based on social engineering. By using pop-up windows, exploiting security vulnerabilities, or taking advantage of people who don't read or think about what they are clicking on or agreeing to, a hacker can easily manipulate someone into downloading a real virus to their computer.

Source: Author AlexT781

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
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