Malwares

Malware

A malicious software made for the sole purpose of infiltrating a user/ targets devices to do harm mainly for financial gain. This effects any computer devices. Malware is usually found attached to emails, embedded in fraudulent links, hidden in ads, or lying in-wait on various sites that you (or your employees) might visit on the internet. The end goal of malware is to harm or exploit computers and networks, often to steal data or money.

Some common types of malwares:

· Trojan Horse: A malicious program that pretends to be a legitimate one confusing users and tricking them into installing it.

· Virus: Special malicious program intended to modify computer files and spread quickly. A virus infects other programs and can spread to other systems, in addition to performing its own malicious acts. A virus is attached to a file and is executed once the file is launched. The virus will then encrypt, corrupt, delete, or move your data and files. Viruses will often be attached to phishing emails and lead to larger attacks like business email compromise (BEC) attacks. Hummingbad, FalseGuide and Shedun family malwares are the most famous examples. They are used to modify, corrupt or delete data and/or files on the device.

· Worm: Like a virus, a worm can duplicate itself in other devices or systems. Unlike viruses, worms do not need human action to spread once they are in a network or system. Worms often attack a computer’s memory or hard drive.

· Ransomware: Locks out critical and sensitive files and folders in return for a ransom

· Spyware: Software made to spy on their victims by monitoring their usage and key strokes infos. They are mainly used for recon activity. Spyware often leads to credential theft, which in turn can lead to a devastating data breach. It often originates in corrupt files, or through downloading suspicious files. Keyloggers are a common kind of spyware that monitors and records users’ keystrokes. With this kind of spyware, hackers can steal credentials as well as credit card numbers and other data that may be entered into a system through typing. Spywares are malicious softwares secretly installed on a device, in order to collect and transfer private information without the user’s knowledge. A well-known example is Pegasus which is capable of collecting passwords, gathering information from other apps, tracking location, phone calls, and text messages.

· Adware: Display random unwanted or malicious ads installed on the user's endpoint. While relatively harmless, it can be irritating, as adware can hamper your computer’s performance. In addition, these ads may lead users to download more harmful types of malware inadvertently.

· Botnet: Self-replicating worm infecting softwares and commonly spread via email. A bot is a software program that performs an automated task without requiring any interaction. Bots can execute attacks much faster than humans ever could. A computer with a bot infection can spread the bot to other devices, creating what’s known as a botnet. This network of bot-compromised machines can then be controlled and used to launch massive attacks — such as DDoS attacks or brute force attacks — often without the device owner being aware of its role in the attack.

· Rootkits: Rootkits give a user administrative-level access while concealing that access, allowing them to take over a given device. Rootkits are often the first stage in a breach, and after employing one, a threat actor can install more malware, launch a DDoS attack, or take other nefarious actions. Rootkits can also install and hide keyloggers, a common kind of spyware. Rootkits are specific malware that allow you to take full control of an infected device by automatically installing the necessary tools. The Gooligan rootkit is a famous example that breaches over one million Google accounts by rooting the infected device and accessing data from various Google applications.