Malware

Malware is malicious software, and can do things that range from stealing passwords to spying on victims to taking over accounts. It is created and distributed by bad actors for their own personal gain, usually financial.

There are things you can do to reduce the risk of being a victim of malware.

• Never download files from untrusted sources, only from official sources you know you can trust
• Never download files you haven’t confirmed to be safe——bad actors often hide malware in things like game programs or mods for games.
• Treat files with extreme caution, don’t download anything you don’t know you can trust completely.
• Use an antivirus program, these can help flag files for common malware

A useful tool for scanning files is VirusTotal, which scans a file with many antivirus providers. Keep in mind that not being flagged does not necessarily mean a file is safe.