Malware is harmful software installed on a computer.

Malware is harmful software installed on a computer.

• A. Harmful software installed on a computer
• B. A type of hardware component
• C. A network protocol
• D. A cloud storage service

Answer: (A)

Malware is harmful software installed on a computer. The key idea is that malware refers to software, not hardware, a network protocol, or a cloud storage service. It’s designed to perform harmful actions—such as damaging files, stealing information, or taking control of the system—often without the user’s consent. The other options describe physical hardware, a method devices use to communicate, or a service for storing data; none of these are software that runs on a computer with malicious intent, so they don’t define malware.

Malware is harmful software installed on a computer. The key idea is that malware refers to software, not hardware, a network protocol, or a cloud storage service. It’s designed to perform harmful actions—such as damaging files, stealing information, or taking control of the system—often without the user’s consent. The other options describe physical hardware, a method devices use to communicate, or a service for storing data; none of these are software that runs on a computer with malicious intent, so they don’t define malware.