Which of the following is a type of malware?

• A. Firewall
• B. Spyware
• C. VPN
• D. Encryption

Answer: (B)

Malware is software designed to perform unwanted, harmful, or unauthorized actions on a computer. Spyware fits this description because it runs covertly to monitor a user’s activity and collect data—such as keystrokes, browsing habits, or login credentials—and often sends that information to someone else without the user’s consent. This contrasts with a firewall, which is a defensive tool that blocks unauthorized network access by filtering traffic. A VPN provides a private, encrypted tunnel for your internet traffic; it’s a legitimate privacy service, not malware. Encryption is the process of encoding data so it can only be read with the correct key, used to protect information rather than to secretly operate on a device. So spyware is the correct type because it embodies the harmful, covert data-collection aspect that defines malware.