Infections in the Real World, Part 4

We’ve talked about infections many times, at our location, in our newsletters, and here on this blog. But you might be asking yourself, just how do real infections act in the real world, without being filtered through a maze of possibilities and opinions that each infection seems to have.

Part 4: The Unruly Application

What Is an Unruly Application?

Many people use applications (programs) that can be easily used for purposes they were not intended to be used for. For example, instant messaging programs and peer-to-peer (P2P) programs can be used to transfer files from one location to another. While that feature is potentially useful, it can pose a security risk if someone compromises that person’s account and sends a file that may potentially be infected. Some examples of potentially unruly applications are instant messaging programs, peer-to-peer programs (usually used to download “free” music), social networking sites, games, and voice over IP (VoIP) programs.

The Real Life Example

In 2010, the United States Federal Trade Commission informed close to 100 organizations and individuals that their personal information – including sensitive data about customers and employees – had accidentally leaked onto peer-to-peer networks due to the P2P software not being configured correctly.

How Do I Protect Myself?

Be very mindful when installing and configuring programs on your computer, especially programs that have the potential to send or receive information. An incorrectly installed P2P program can and will expose everything on your computer to the World Wide Web. If you find that you’re unsure how to set up the program correctly, you may want to either contact someone familiar with the program or just not install the program at all.

Computer Works would like to thank Sophos for information used to write this article.
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Infections in the Real World, Part 3

We’ve talked about infections many times, at our location, in our newsletters, and here on this blog. But you might be asking yourself, just how do real infections act in the real world, without being filtered through a maze of possibilities and opinions that each infection seems to have.

Part 3: Patching Your PC

What Is a Software Patch?

A software patch is a small piece of code that is installed after the release of the original software that makes changes to either the functionality or security of the software. Many software patches are released to fix bugs or security holes that were not found in the initial testing of the software.

The Real Life Example

Infections such as the Conficker worm come in through computers by taking advantage of unpatched vulnerabilities. If these types of infections come in contact with a computer that has not been patched, it will continue to spread until it reaches a machine that has the appropriate security patch installed to stop the spread of the infection. Even a system that has had these infections removed but remains unpatched can be reinfected with the same infection over and over again until the patch is applied. Once these infections arrive, they can transmit information – including financial account credentials – back to the cyber criminals that originally released it.

How Do I Protect Myself?

The answer to this question is just as easy as it sounds; do your software updates when they become available! This includes the software you use as well as the operating system itself. Remember, any small, unpatched vulnerability can lead to huge problems! According to recent research, approximately 90% of successful attacks against software vulnerabilities could have been prevented with a simple software patch that was readily available.

Computer Works would like to thank Sophos for information used to write this article.
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Infections in the Real World, Part 2

We’ve talked about infections many times, at our location, in our newsletters, and here on this blog. But you might be asking yourself, just how do real infections act in the real world, without being filtered through a maze of possibilities and opinions that each infection seems to have.

Part 2: Operating Outside a Firewall

What Is a Firewall?

A firewall is a part of a computer system or network that is designed to block unauthorized access while permitting outward communication. A firewall is like the door between your computer or network and the internet. Using a network, either wirelessly or plugged in, that does not have a good firewall in place is like leaving the door between your computer and the internet wide open; anyone who wants to get in or out can.

The Real Life Example

The Conficker worm, which is still active on many computers today despite dropping out of the media’s eye, is primarily spread through networks that do not have adequate firewall protocols. This worm has created a mostly unsuspecting botnet that consists of millions of infected, zombie computers. So long as the Conficker worm stays on an unprotected system, cyber criminals can potentially push malicious software and spam to the infected computers.

How Do I Protect Myself?

When you are connecting to a network, especially wirelessly, you want to ask yourself a simple question: Would I be okay with a group of people looking over my shoulder while I work on this network? If the answer is no, you probably don’t want to access any websites or files that contain potentially sensitive information. If the answer is yes, then go ahead and connect and access files from that network. Remember, your firewall is like the door to your house; you choose who gets a key and who has to stay outside.

Computer Works would like to thank Sophos for information used to write this article.
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Infections in the Real World, Part 1

We’ve talked about infections many times, at our location, in our newsletters, and here on this blog. But you might be asking yourself, just how do real infections act in the real world, without being filtered through a maze of possibilities and opinions that each infection seems to have.

Part 1: The Zero-Day Threat

What Is a Zero-Day Threat?

A zero-day threat is a piece of malware that is not recognizable by your protection software because it does not match up to previous infections in the software’s database. These threats exploit vulnerabilities that were probably previously unknown and have not been patched yet. Some zero-day threats have the ability to polymorph, which means the malicious portion of the code changes every time the infection is encountered.

The Real Life Example

Last spring, attackers managed to exploit a zero-day vulnerability in Adobe’s Flash, causing the attackers to gain access to security company RSA’s servers and sensitive information. The multi-layered attack targeted unwitting employees of RSA through an email claiming to be from the company’s human resource department. When employees opened the spreadsheet, they inadvertently activated the malicious code within the infected file.

How Do I Protect Myself?

Without very expensive, corporate-level software, the average person can only do so much to protect themselves from zero-day threats. Keeping your operating system and antivirus as up to date as possible and making sure that you look before you open things are the only ways to keep yourself from catching a zero-day infection.

However, to put it into better perspective, most zero-day threats do not target the average home user. Many zero-day threats are designed with attacking specific companies or organizations in mind and won’t do much good if someone else happens to contract the infection on accident.

Computer Works would like to thank Sophos for information used to write this article.
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The Trojan Worm Virus

Virus. Trojan. Spyware. Malware. If you’ve heard these words, or even used them yourself, you know that they all mean something bad. But just what is the difference between a virus and spyware, or a Trojan and adware? While all of these terms sound like they’re talking about the same thing, they are actually different, more specific terms for the way infections come into your computer and how they act once they get there.

What Is the Difference?

Malware is a portmanteau of the words ‘malicious’ and ‘software,’ and its meaning is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin: software that is designed to harm your computer or network, with or without you knowing. Once the malware is on your computer, it can be something as simple as a brief annoyance or something as complicated as an attempted identity theft.

Knowing how malware gets into your computer and what it is designed to do once it gets there can help you learn to avoid future infections from similar types of malicious software.

Virus

How Does It Get In?
Viruses are installed on your computer by way of an already infected file. This file can be a piece of music downloaded or a document that looks like it was sent by your coworker.

What Is It Designed to Do?
Once a virus enters your computer, it acts just like a virus that enters the body; it replicates. After replicating itself, it attempts to infect other computers by way of people downloading infected files from your computer or you sending infected files through emails.

Worm

How Does It Get In?
A worm inserts itself into other computers along the same network without needing an outside source (for example, you) to spread it.

What Is It Designed to Do?
A worm enters a computer network and, much like a virus, replicates itself. However, these additional versions of itself do not just sit on your hard drive waiting for you to transmit the file. Worms actually send themselves to all computers connected to the network.

Spyware

How Does It Get In?
Spyware installs itself either using the virus, Trojan, or worm method.

What Is It Designed to Do?
All malware that collects pieces of information about the computer’s users is known as spyware. These pieces of information can be large or small, but they are always collected without the user’s knowledge.

Adware

How Does It Get In?
Adware installs itself either using the virus, Trojan, or worm method.

What Is It Designed to Do?
Adware, short for advertising software, automatically plays, displays or downloads advertisements onto your computer.

Trojan or Trojan Horse

How Does It Get In?
These are the most malicious types of software when they try to get into your computer. The best way to identify a Trojan is to remember that, much like the myth it is named from, it masquerades as something else when it asks you to download or install it. It can appear as something as harmless as a free program or as something frightening as a security scan.

What Is It Designed to Do?
When installed, Trojans have the capability to monitor where you go and what you do online, including stealing passwords or other important information.

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Can you think of any other types of infections you’ve seen? Let us know!

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