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: software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning
Examples of malware in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unlike Egnyte, IDrive Team lacks malware scanning, relying on versioning should disaster strike.
—Robert Anderson, PCMAG, 22 Jan. 2025
The deluge, directed at an unnamed Cloudflare customer, came from 13,000 IoT devices infected by a variant of Mirai, a potent piece of malware with a long history of delivering massive DDoSes of once-unimaginable sizes.
—Ars Technica, 22 Jan. 2025
It was comprised from a botnet of 13,000 devices taken over by the Mirai malware, according to Cloudflare’s blog.
—Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
To thwart these attacks, a U.S. court authorized the FBI to delete the malware and to disconnect infected routers from a botnet without the owners’ permission.
—Adam Segal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Jan. 2025
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Word History
Etymology
malicious + -ware (as in software)
First Known Use
1990, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near malware
Cite this Entry
“Malware.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malware. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
malware
nounˈmal-ˌwer
: software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning
Legal Definition
malware
noun
mal·ware
ˈmal-ˌwer
: software that is designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning and that can be used to commit cybercrime (as by revealing passwords, PINs, and other sensitive data)
Etymology
mal- bad + software
More from Merriam-Webster on malware
Nglish: Translation of malware for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of malware for Arabic Speakers
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