What describes malware that latches onto legitimate processes and manipulates them for malicious purposes?

The concept of malware that attaches to legitimate processes and manipulates them for malicious purposes is best described by a rootkit. A rootkit is a set of tools that allows an attacker to gain administrative-level control over a computer system without being detected. Rootkits are particularly insidious because they can hide their presence and the presence of other malware by operating at a low level within the operating system, making it difficult for traditional security measures to detect them.

Rootkits often integrate themselves into legitimate processes to obscure their activities from security software and users. By modifying system functions, they can intercept and manipulate the operations of the operating system and applications, making it challenging to identify and remove them.

Ransomware, Trojans, and worms serve different functions in the realm of malware. Ransomware typically encrypts files and demands payment for decryption. Trojans disguise themselves as legitimate software to entice users into execution, and worms are self-replicating malware that spreads across networks independently. None of these specifically focus on latching onto and manipulating legitimate processes in the same manner as rootkits.