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every good thing that jumps out to get your attention, there is also a shady threat
lurking in the background, waiting to pounce on their next unsuspecting victim.
This might sound a touch melodramatic, but that is the reality.
Everyone knows what a computer virus is, and most people have some
understanding of what they can do. However, most people do not understand the
broader picture. Viruses are just one form of malware, and so they represent only
one small part of the total threat analysis. To try and remedy this problem, let’s
go over the basics of malware: What it is, how it works, and how to protect
yourself.
It’s very hard to pin down a definition for malware because it can work in so many
different ways. Anything that is intended to cause harm or gain unauthorized
access would fall under this broad heading, and that’s probably all you need to
know.
For one thing, malware can allow someone else to take control of your
computer/device. This might include the installation of programs, the changing of
settings or passwords, or the theft of intellectual property (among other things).
Anything that you put on the computer will be accessible to the one who controls
the malware.
Ransomware Attacks
In many cases, malware is intended to bring about monetary gain for the attacker.
In recent years, malware attacks have been used to lock people out of their
computer systems. In cases like these, which are called “ransomware attacks,”
the attacker will first infect your computer via phishing or some other social-
engineering method. Then, they will use the illegitimate access they have gained
to encrypt the entire hard drive. Normally, this will be followed up with a ransom
demand, and the victim cannot regain access until they do as the hacker
demands.
Keyloggers
Obviously, ransomware attacks are seldom carried out against private
individuals. Only companies and corporations have enough money to be
appealing as ransomware targets. If someone infects your private computer with
malware, they will probably have more modest goals. For instance, they can use a
special type of malware called a keylogger to capture your online banking login
info.
Password Crackers
Yes, there are programs that can crack your password, but it’s not as bad as it
might sound. These programs work by taking hundreds or even thousands of
guesses. Obviously, most of those guesses will be wrong, but the computer is
able to learn a tiny bit from every failed guess. Eventually, they can construct a
complete set of login credentials. The good news is that these programs take a
very long time to do their work. Thus, they are virtually useless against long and
complex passwords.
APT Malware
In some cases, a hacker might have personal motivations for infecting you with
malware. For instance, there have been cases in which people have used malware
to spy on former partners or spouses who have rejected them. As petty as this
might sound, there are plenty of people out there who are petty enough to do this.
If someone is trying to spy on you, they will probably use something called an
APT (advanced persistent threat). This is like the undercover ninja of the malware
world. The ninja does not expose himself, nor do anything that might draw
attention. Instead, he sits in the background and quietly gathers information,
doing nothing that might reveal his presence.
However, this kind of hacking is by no means innocent. Stalkers, serial killers,
and other dangerous/deranged individuals can potentially use this sort of
software to find and stalk their victims. Here’s a point to remember: Malware is
almost always designed to get something from you. If they aren’t after your
money or your data, they may be after you.
Trojans
Trojans are basically programs in disguise. They masquerade as a trusted
program so that you will open them. Once opened and given permission to
install, they act as a vector with which to install all sorts of other disruptive
malware. This software is named for a deceptive war tactic that was once used by
the Greeks against their Trojan enemies. They pretended to retreat after
presenting the trojans with a huge wooden horse, presumably as a peace
offering. Little did the Trojans know that the Greeks had hidden their soldiers
inside this horse. When the Trojan horse was brought inside the gate, The city of
Troy was doomed.
Worms
Worms are some of the worst computer viruses of all. They behave a lot like other
types of malware, except for one important difference: These viruses are self-
replicating. Once set loose, they act as if they have a mind of their own. Like an
infestation of worms, they will continue to reproduce, infecting any new system
with which they come into contact.
As an example of how bad these programs can be, we might mention the Code
Red virus (A.K.A. The Red Worm), which was first detected in 2001. Although this
worm was neutralized fairly quickly upon discovery, it had already infected about
359,000 computers. This one garnered a lot of media attention because some
highly confidential government information was hacked and released before the
worm was discovered.
The best thing you can do here is to make up your own words. If you make up a
random nonsense word that has no meaning in any language, it will be virtually
impossible for any program to get through.
Anyway, if you can spoof your Windows system to look like IOS or Fedora or
something like that, it will really throw hackers for a loop. If you can fool them
into thinking that your Windows computer is running Ubuntu (for example), they
will send a virus that is tailored for Linux-based operating systems like that one.
However, because this is actually a Windows computer, those attacks will be
completely ineffective.
Conclusion
We should mention that malware is not a simple or easy subject. There are so
many vectors of attack that we didn’t even have space to mention all of them.
However, you should now have enough knowledge to understand how malware
works and how you can guard yourself against it. You don’t have to be a
cybersecurity professional to understand a few basic concepts and protect
yourself accordingly. If our efforts have helped you to gain a better
understanding of this subject, and if we have made you safer as a result, please
fill out the contact form below.