What term refers to software designed to infiltrate a computer system without the owner's informed consent?

• A. Hackware
• B. Phishing
• C. Malware
• D. Spyware

Answer: (C)

Malware is software designed to infiltrate, damage, or take control of a computer system without the owner's informed consent. It serves as the umbrella term for malicious programs—viruses, trojans, ransomware, spyware, and more—that operate covertly to achieve unauthorized access or harm. Phishing isn't software; it's a trick used to obtain credentials through deceptive messages. Spyware is a specific kind of malware focused on secretly collecting data, but the question asks for the broad term for software with that infiltrating purpose. Hackware isn’t a standard cybersecurity term. So the broad category that best fits is malware.