COM520 Systems Security Management
Module 3 Written Assignment
COM520 Written Assignment 3
Assignment: Identifying Types of Malware Infection
Assignment Requirements
You have learned that any computer or device can be vulnerable to malware. Vulnerabilities differ
depending on how the computer or device is used and what software is installed. For each of the
scenarios listed on the worksheet, select the most likely type of malware that is present on the computer
or device and provide a rationale for doing so.
Select from:
a. Virus
b. Worm
c. Trojan horse
d. Rootkit
e. Spyware
Suspected malware scenarios:
_________ 1. You notice that your computer is getting slower each day. You have terminated
unneeded programs, disabled unneeded services, and have recently defragmented
the disks. Your computer has plenty of memory but it still seems slow. Since it only
started getting slow within the last two weeks—you suspect malware. You have
carefully examined each of the programs running but there are no unusual programs.
However, you do notice that there is a substantial disk activity, even when no
programs are running that should be using the disk. What kind of malware do you
think is present in your computer?
_________ 2. You downloaded a new program to display the current weather on your desktop.
Since you installed the weather application, you noticed a lot of network activity, and
your computer is getting slow. When you terminate the weather application your
computer speeds up. What kind of malware do you think is present in your computer?
_________ 3. Within a week after ordering a new widescreen television (TV) from an online retailer,
you start getting many e-mail messages advertising products related to TVs. What
kind of malware do you think is present in your computer?
_________ 4. You downloaded a new game to your personal mobile device that runs Windows
Mobile. You notice on your mobile service bill that several charges appeared for calls
to premium numbers that started three days after loading the new game. What kind
of malware do you think is present in your computer?
Submission Requirements
? Format: Microsoft Word
? Font: Arial, Size 12, Double-Space
? Citation Style: APA Style
? Length: 1–2 pages
Self-Assessment Checklist
? I have matched correctly each type of malware with each scenario.
? I have provided a sound rationale for each answer.
