Malware types and basic behavior
Categorizing malicious code variants based on operational profiles, replication methods, execution vectors, and payload delivery.
Section 2
Topic 6: Malware and Common Attacks
Ransomware, spyware, trojans, and viruses
Defining data-encrypting extortion code (ransomware), silent tracking utilities (spyware), deceptive delivery applications (trojans), and self-replicating programs (viruses).
Generative AI Social Engineering and Scam Patterns
De-emphasizing surface-level typos or spelling mistakes in training models. Evaluating how attackers leverage generative text models to execute grammatically flawless, highly contextualized, and tailored spear-phishing campaigns at scale.
Credential Theft and Active Browser Session Hijacking
Analyzing modern infostealer malware engineered explicitly to extract active session tokens, encryption certificates, and memory cookies directly from browsers, bypassing traditional authorization barriers.
Man-in-the-middle and network attack basics
Mapping unauthorized packet interception, ARP spoofing routines, local domain hijacking, and rogue Wi-Fi access configurations.
Knowledge Check
Why do modern cybercriminals frequently favor social engineering over technical exploits?
It allows them to bypass technological controls like firewalls by manipulating human error instead of writing difficult exploit code.
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