an unwanted program running on a computeri..

An unwanted program running on a computer is called malware in general computer-security terminology.

Quick Scoop: What that means

• “Unwanted program” usually refers to software you did not knowingly install, or that behaves in sneaky or harmful ways (showing ads, stealing data, slowing the system, etc.).

• In many school/quiz contexts, the standard one-word answer to “An unwanted program running on a computer is called a ___” is malware.

• More specific types of malware include:
  • Virus (infects and spreads via files)
  • Worm (spreads across networks)
  • Trojan (disguises itself as something legitimate)
  • Spyware/adware (tracks you or shows aggressive ads)

So if you’re answering a test or quiz, the safest single-word choice for “an unwanted program running on a computer” is: malware.

TL;DR: An unwanted program running on a computer is called malware.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.