Any type of code or program that is used for monitoring and collecting your personal information or disrupting or damaging your computer, may be referred to as malware. In fact, malware can be any type of malicious code, even if it has not yet been identified as a worm, Trojan, etc.

Good anti-virus programs can be configured to scan email for any type of malicious or suspicious code, and alert you to its presence, even if it is not currently recognized malware. Also Malware is a generic term for bad software.