What term refers to malicious software designed to damage or disrupt a computer system?

What term refers to malicious software designed to damage or disrupt a computer system?

• A. Larceny
• B. Source Document
• C. Spyware
• D. Input Screen Design

Answer: (C)

Malware refers to software designed with harmful intent to damage or disrupt a computer system. This category includes viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, and similar programs that aim to harm data, compromise operations, or take systems offline. The key idea is that the software itself is intended to cause harm to the system or its ability to function. Among the options, spyware is a type of malicious software, but its main goal is covertly gathering information from a user or device, not directly damaging or disrupting the system. The other choices describe things unrelated to malicious software—theft, an accounting document, and user interface design—so they don’t fit the concept of harmful software designed to harm a computer. In a question like this, the precise term for the damaging software would be malware (and often a specific type like a virus), which isn’t perfectly represented by the given choices.

Malware refers to software designed with harmful intent to damage or disrupt a computer system. This category includes viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, and similar programs that aim to harm data, compromise operations, or take systems offline. The key idea is that the software itself is intended to cause harm to the system or its ability to function.

Among the options, spyware is a type of malicious software, but its main goal is covertly gathering information from a user or device, not directly damaging or disrupting the system. The other choices describe things unrelated to malicious software—theft, an accounting document, and user interface design—so they don’t fit the concept of harmful software designed to harm a computer. In a question like this, the precise term for the damaging software would be malware (and often a specific type like a virus), which isn’t perfectly represented by the given choices.