Often used interchangeably, the terms malware and virus have two distinct meanings.
Malware or malicious software, is an overarching term used to describe any program or code that is created with the intent to do harm to a computer, network or server.
A virus, on the other hand, is a type of malware. Its definition is limited only to programs or code that self-replicates or copies itself in order to spread to other devices or areas of the network.
Based on the above definitions, the word malware can be used to refer to any type of virus. However, the word virus does not describe all types of malware.
Common types of malware include: