Exploitation of Human Trust, Curiosity and Ignorance by Malware

Abstract: Despite defensive advances in the Internet realm, Malware (malicious software) remains a Cybersecurity threat. These days, Malware can be purchased and licensed on the Internet to further customize and deploy. With hundreds of Malware variants discovered every day, organizations and users experience enormous financial losses as cybercriminals steal financial and user data. In this article surveys the human characteristics that are key to the defense chain against Malware. The article starts with the attack models/vectors that humans often fall prey to and their fallouts. Next, analysis of their root cause and suggest preventive measures that may be employed is detailed. The article concludes that while Internet user education, training, awareness can reduce the chances of Malware attacks,it cannot entirely eliminate them.