Which malware category covertly collects user browsing data and transmits it to an attacker?

• A. Spyware
• B. Spam
• C. Spear-Phishing
• D. Spoofing (MAC)

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how malware secretly gathers data from a user and sends it to an attacker. Spyware is specifically designed to do that kind of covert data collection. It runs in the background, often without the user’s knowledge, and can harvest things like browsing history, cookies, form data, and sometimes keystrokes. It then exfiltrates that information to a remote attacker, which matches the scenario described in the question.

Spam isn’t malware focused on data collection; it’s unsolicited messages sent to many users. Spear-phishing is a social engineering tactic used to deceive a target into revealing credentials or downloading malware, but on its own it isn’t the malware category that collects data covertly. Spoofing at the MAC level involves impersonating another device on a network to deceive devices or intercept traffic, not collecting user browsing data.

So the best fit for covertly collecting browsing data and transmitting it to an attacker is spyware.