Malicious drivers may appear similar to legitimate drivers, but they are designed to perform malicious or harmful tasks on the system. Typically, a malicious driver may be disguised to resemble a legitimate driver, often with a similar name, icon, or description that can be difficult to differentiate from a genuine driver.
Inside, malicious drivers can contain malicious code, which can be used to perform various harmful activities, such as stealing sensitive data, installing other malware, or modifying system settings. They may also include rootkits, which are designed to hide their presence, making them difficult to detect.
Some of the signs that a driver may be malicious include unusually high CPU usage or system slowdowns, unexpected pop-ups or error messages, and changes to system settings or files. Additionally, users should be wary of any driver that prompts them to download or install additional software, as this could be an indication of a malicious driver.
To stay protected against malicious drivers, it is important to only download drivers from reputable sources and to have robust security software installed on your computer. Regular system scans can also help detect any malicious drivers or other hidden threats that may be lurking on your system.