- Individual computer users: Worms, viruses, and Trojan horses can infect individual computers, causing damage to files, loss of data, and disruption of services. Individual computer users may also suffer financial losses due to the cost of repairing infected computers or replacing stolen data.
- Businesses: Worms, viruses, and Trojan horses can infect business computers, causing damage to files, loss of data, and disruption of services. Businesses may also suffer financial losses due to the cost of repairing infected computers or replacing stolen data. Additionally, worms, viruses, and Trojan horses can damage a business's reputation by causing downtime or compromising sensitive data.
- Governments: Worms, viruses, and Trojan horses can infect government computers, causing damage to files, loss of data, and disruption of services. Governments may also suffer financial losses due to the cost of repairing infected computers or replacing stolen data. Additionally, worms, viruses, and Trojan horses can pose a national security risk by compromising sensitive data or disrupting critical infrastructure.
- Internet service providers (ISPs): Worms, viruses, and Trojan horses can spread across the internet, causing congestion and slowing down the performance of the network. ISPs may also suffer financial losses due to the cost of providing technical support to customers who have been infected with malware.
- Security software companies: Security software companies develop and sell products that protect computers from worms, viruses, and Trojan horses. These companies benefit from the existence of malware, as it creates a demand for their products.
- Cybercriminals: Cybercriminals create and distribute worms, viruses, and Trojan horses for financial gain. They may use malware to steal personal information from its victims, such as credit card numbers or passwords, or to infect computers with ransomware, which encrypts files and demands a ransom payment.
- Researchers and academics: Researchers and academics study worms, viruses, and Trojan horses in order to better understand how they work and how to protect against them. Their research can help to develop new security measures and improve the overall security of the internet.