Malware is any software created explicitly to damage or gain unauthorized access to a computer, server, or computer network.

Can you name things a person might do with malware?

Send a political message by breaking a government websiteSteal financial informationPlant programs that spy on people

That's right! Once malware has access to files and hardware on your computer, it can do all sorts of things.

Malware can be programmed to send messages to large numbers of users, steal financial information, and even spy on people.