Before doing so, however, make sure they are legitimate and come from a trusted source. You can still download software and files. Antivirus software doesn’t just protect against viruses it protects against all forms of malware, including disk-wiping malware.īeing conscious of what software and files you can download can further lower your risk of sustaining a disk-wiping malware attack. Installing antivirus software on your computers and devices, for instance, will lower the risk of infection. You can protect against disk-wiping malware by deploying conventional cybersecurity measures. Tips to Protect Against Disk-Wiping Malware Nonetheless, they are all designed to harm infected computers and devices by deleting or otherwise rendering their stored data inaccessible.

There are dozens of types of disk-wiping malware. Upon infecting a computer or device, they execute a script that deletes some or all of the stored data. Other types of disk-wiping malware work by deploying scripts that automatically delete the data from infected computers and devices. The malicious code essentially locked the computers’ and devices’ data by encrypting it. It worked by targeting the master boot record of infected computers and devices with malicious code. In 2017, a variant of ransomware emerged with disk-wiping capabilities. How Disk-Wiping Malware Worksĭisk-wiping malware can work in different ways. Disk-wiping malware lives up to its namesake by wiping the storage disks of infected computers and devices. Their ability to cause harm, in fact, is what distinguishes malware from legitimate software. All forms of malware are designed to cause harm. What is disk-wiping malware exactly, and how does it work? Overview of Disk-Wiping MalwareĪlso known simply as a wiper, disk-wiping malware is a class of malicious software that’s characterized by its ability to delete data from the computers and devices it infects. If any of your computers or devices become infected with it, disk-wiping malware may permanently delete some or all of the stored data. The latter form is known as disk-wiping malware. Some of them are designed to covertly capture and steal data, whereas others are designed to delete data.

Disk wiper