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# What is malware?


|| Malware, or malicious software, is a program designed to cause harm: damaging a system, stealing data, spying on activity, or holding files hostage. The term covers several families with different goals.

## The word
"Malware" is a contraction of the English "malicious software." It's a generic term: it refers to an entire category of hostile programs, not one specific type.

## The main families
* **Virus**: code that attaches itself to a file or legitimate program and spreads when it's run.
* **Worm**: spreads on its own from one machine to another, without any action needed.
* **Trojan**: poses as useful software to get installed, then operates behind the scenes.
* **Ransomware**: encrypts your files and demands a ransom to make them accessible again.
* **Spyware**: quietly collects information (passwords, browsing data).
These families sometimes overlap: a single piece of malware can combine several behaviors.

## How it happens
Malware rarely gets in by magic. The most common vectors: a booby-trapped attachment or link in an email, a dubious download, an unpatched software vulnerability, or an already-compromised site. That's why human caution and updates matter just as much as technical safeguards.

## What Hodi does
Several layers reduce the risk and limit the damage:
* our 24/7 monitoring detects abnormal behavior on the servers;
* a web application firewall (WAF) filters out some attempts before they succeed;
* security updates close the vulnerabilities exploited by malware;
* and above all, your **out-of-country backups** let you restore your data in the event of an attack, without being at the mercy of the attackers.
This last point is essential: when facing ransomware, a clean, isolated backup is often the best response.

## What does this mean for you?
Hosting-level protection does a lot, but your own habits complete the picture: be wary of unexpected attachments and links, use strong passwords, and keep your applications up to date. Security is a chain: we hold several links, you hold others.