Phishing websites impersonate trustworthy websites for the purpose of obtaining your personal or financial information. This information is often used for identity theft.

Malicious software or malware is software which is deceptive about functionality and is a security risk or privacy risk. The term malicious software or malware refers to programs that demonstrate illegal, viral, fraudulent, or malicious behavior. For example, viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are malicious software.

Potentially unwanted software is not considered malware, but it could have a negative impact on your Windows experience. Microsoft uses specific categories and their definitions to classify software as a potentially unwanted, including: advertising, torrent, cryptomining, bundling, marketing, and evasion software, as well as software with poor industry reputation. For more details, see the FAQ.