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Ict Report Outline

Viruses, worms, and trojans are common forms of malware that can spread from computer to computer and gain unauthorized access. Rootkits are more advanced trojan variants that can hijack programs or gain control of a machine. Phishing scams try to trick users into revealing personal information through fake emails or websites. Users should be wary of unsolicited messages and ensure antivirus software is up to date.

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Joseph Icaonapo
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90 views

Ict Report Outline

Viruses, worms, and trojans are common forms of malware that can spread from computer to computer and gain unauthorized access. Rootkits are more advanced trojan variants that can hijack programs or gain control of a machine. Phishing scams try to trick users into revealing personal information through fake emails or websites. Users should be wary of unsolicited messages and ensure antivirus software is up to date.

Uploaded by

Joseph Icaonapo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THREATS AND ISSUES

• Viruses, Worms, and Trojans


- common forms of malware
o Virus - executable code that is written to alter the way a computer
operates and is designed to spread from one computer to another;
- it operates by inserting or attaching itself to a legitimate
program or document.
How to protect computer against viruses?
✓ Use a trusted antivirus product
✓ Avoid clicking on any pop-up ads
✓ Always scan email attachments and downloaded files before opening them
o Worms – similar to a virus by design, but it has the capability to
replicate, spread, and travel without any help. (Source:
websecurity.symantec.com)
o Trojan Horse – it is not a virus;
- it is a destructive program that looks like a genuine
application
- it does not replicate
- opens a backdoor entry to your computer which gives
hackers or malicious programs access to your
computer. (Source: websecurity.symantec.com)
Summary:
• Rootkits
- are Trojan variants that can highjack programs or gain control of a
machine
- “Root” part of name refers to how these programs can provide
“root access” on a host
Types of Rootkits:
1. User level - modification of a Windows DLL file associated with the OS or a
program
2. Kernel level - hidden very effectively because they can embed themselves
in the OS itself instead of being run by it
- specialized software or manual removal techniques are often
needed; many standard antivirus programs cannot remove them
3. Hypervisor - turn the technology against the user by creating a
malicious VM that can hide itself from the actual OS and control what the OS
can do
Examples: keyloggers and spambots

• Spam and Phishing


o Spam – irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to
a large number if receipients
o Phishing – refers to any technique designed to trick individuals into
revealing personal or other information
Example of a phishing email:
What actions to take?
✓ develop a healthy suspicion of any email solicitation
✓ utilize the spam settings available on the mail server and/or the client
software to block them.
✓ Social network accounts and associated privacy settings must also be
monitored
✓ Do not respond to suspicious unsolicited email messages
✓ Do not open attachments or URLs accom- panying suspicious messages
✓ always “think before you click.”
✓ Browser software should be set to prevent, or at least warn, of any attempt
to install add-ons
✓ third-party cookies should be refused
What are the trade-offs?
✓ adjusting spam filters to their maximum levels can flag legitimate mail as
spam, requiring added effort to identify and retrieve it.
✓ Browser security settings may cause interruptions with dialog boxes asking
for explicit permission to perform some action or run an applet
✓ Antivirus pro- grams can interfere with legitimate software installations and
need regular updating

• Hoaxes
- Emails, messages or posts arriving in chain letter fashion that
often describe impossible events, highly damaging nakware or
urban legends. (Source: trendmicro.com)
- Their intent is to frighten and mislead receipients and get them to
forward to friends. (Source: trendmicro.com)
Examples:
• Fake Sites, Pharming, and Honeypots
➢ Fake sites - counterfeits that attempt to mimic a legitimate
company or present the appearance of some official government
site.
➢ Pharming - companion technique that guides or redirects users to
these fake sites; The goal is to fool users into providing personal
or financial information such as credit card numbers or bank
accounts to the counterfeit site.
➢ Honeypots - servers that are designed to prey hackers; they are
used by security experts to study how intruders attack systems
and to gather forensic information that may lead to their
prosecution
• Cookies and Web Bugs
o Cookies – packet of data that a computer recieves, then sends back
without changing or altering it; its purpose is to help the website
track of your visits and activity.
✓ Session cookies - used only when a person is actively
navigating a website; once you leave the site, the session
cookie disappears.
✓ Tracking cookies - may be used to create long-term records of
multiple visits to the same site.
✓ Authentication cookies - track whether a user is logged in, and
if so, under what name.
✓ Ad-serving cookies – track previous websites you have visited
and then use the information to generate additional targeted
advertising
✓ Flash cookies - set and used by the Adobe Flash player; can
collect data or even activate a webcam on a computer
o Web bug - a very small or transparent embedded graphic that is
associated with an HTTP set-cookie request by a third-party server;
this is often an ad server but could also be associated with hackers
collecting information to be used in some potential future attack
• Bots and Spyware
➢ Bots - any program that can automate some task
o Zombie - program acts under the control of some
remote hacker
Examples:
“good” bot - be a program that can automate Web searching based on
parameters the user provides.
“bad” bot is one used in a DoS attack or as a spambot
➢ Spyware - malware that uses one or more of these techniques
to track your activities and gather personal information from
your computer, usually to sell or use for targeted advertising;
can capture keystrokes to gather passwords and credit card
numbers.
How do spywares enter your computer?
✓ Through free downloads
✓ Through Popup ads

• Wi-Fi Eavesdropping and Spoofing


o Wi-Fi Eavesdropping – invloves a hacker stealing data while on a public,
unsecured wifi network.
How to recognize this threat?
- Regular scanning of available wifi networks operating around your area
- users can also spot this if there is no required login in order to have
access to it.
How to prevent this prevent?
- Users must confirm the network validity before connecting
- users may also use VPN to ensure their data is encrypted and difficult to
access
o Spoofing – act of disguising a communication from an unknown source
as being from a known, trusted source. (Source: forcepoint.com)
Example of Website Spoofing:
• Mobile Device Threats
Top 7 mobile device threats(According to kaspersky.com):
1. Data Leakage
2. Unsecured WiFi
3. Network Spoofing
4. Phishing Attacks
5. Spyware
6. Broken Cryptography – happens when app developers use weak encryption
algorithms, or strong encryption without proper implementation.
7. Improper Session Handling – happens when apps unintentionally share
session tokens with malicious actors, allowing them to impersonate
legitimate users.

Device threats in Android devices Vs. Device Threats in Apple devices:


✓ Android system – more appealing for malicious code writers, since it is
more widely used, easy to work with and has multiple distribution sites.
✓ Apple iOS - is a closed system that distributes apps from a single source. It
is possible for malware writers to sneak undesirable code into the App
Store, but Apple has tighter control of its app-distribution environment.

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