SECAI Core · phase 11 of 15
Malware
Software that serves a malicious purpose, typically installed without the user's consent (or knowledge).
The Explain card
- Plain English
- Malware is any software built for a malicious purpose, usually installed without the user's consent or knowledge. Viruses, worms, ransomware, spyware, and trojans are all members of the family.
- Example
- A researcher downloads a "pretrained model" from a file-sharing site. The pickle file executes code on load, dropping a credential stealer that harvests cloud API keys from the machine.
- Why it matters
- Model files, notebooks, and plugins are executable content in disguise. Defenders need scanning, safe serialization formats, and sandboxed loading to keep AI tooling from becoming a malware delivery channel.
- Hook
- Software with a hidden agenda.
Where it sits in the deck
Phase 11: Threat Landscape: Attack Vectors and Adversarial Techniques
With defences named, learn what they must defend against — the full catalogue of attack techniques targeting AI systems, their inputs, outputs, training pipelines, and supply chains.
