computer viruses & management strategies

Computer Viruses & Management Strategies

Dasun Hegoda

Software Engineer

What we are going to talk

What's Malware

Spyware, Adware, Backdoor

What's A Computer Virus

Why Computer Malware(Virus)

How Viruses Are Created

How Viruses Are Spread

Types Of Malware

Types Of Viruses

What we are going to talk

How To Detect A Malware(Virus)

How To Protect Yourself

Top Anti-Virus Programs

BuzzWords

Bottom Line

Malware Definitions

Malware Definitions

Malware, short for malicious software, is software used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems.

It can appear in the form of code, scripts, active content, and other software.

Malware includes computer viruses, ransomware, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, keyloggers, dialers, spyware, adware, malicious BHOs, rogue security software and other malicious programs.

Spyware, Adware, Backdoor

Spyware

Spyware is malicious computer program that does exactly what its name implies Eg:, spies on you.

After downloading itself onto your computer either through an email you opened, website you visited or a program you downloaded, spyware scans your hard drive for personal information and your internet browsing habits.

Some spyware programs contain keyloggers that will record personal data you enter in to websites, such as your login usernames and passwords, email addresses, browsing history as well as sensitive banking and credit information.

Some spyware can interfere with your computer's system settings, which can result in a slower internet connection.

Adware

Adware is any software that, once installed on your computer, tracks your internet browsing habits and sends you popups containing advertisements related to the sites and topics you've visited.

While this type of software may sound innocent, and even helpful, it consumes and slows down your computer's processor and internet connection speed.

Additionally, some adware has keyloggers and spyware built into the program, leading to greater damage to your computer and possible invasion of your private data.

Backdoor

A backdoor is a method of bypassing normal authentication procedures.

Once a system has been compromised one or more backdoors maybe installed in order to allow easier access in the future.

Backdoors may also be installed prior to malicious software, to allow attackers entry.

Crackers typically use backdoors to secure remote access to a computer, while attempting to remain hidden from casual inspection.

Computer Virus Definitions


A computer virus is a type of malware that, when executed, replicates by inserting copies of itself (possibly modified) into other computer programs, data files, or the boot sector of the hard drive; when this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected".

Viruses often perform some type of harmful activity on infected hosts, such as stealing hard disk space or CPU time, accessing private information, corrupting data, displaying political or humorous messages on the user's screen, spamming their contacts, or logging their keystrokes.


The defining characteristic of viruses is that they are self-replicating computer programs which install themselves without the user's consent.

Virus writers use social engineering and exploit detailed knowledge of security vulnerabilities to gain access to their hosts' computing resources.

The vast majority of viruses (over 99%) target systems running Microsoft Windows, employing a variety of mechanisms to infect new hosts, and often using complex anti-detection/stealth strategies to evade antivirus software.

World 1st Computer Virus

The first ever computer virus was developed in 1986 by two Pakistani brothers in Lahore Pakistan.

It was named Brain and was designed by Amjad Farooq Alvi and Basit Farooq Alvi with the intention of discouraging the piracy of a software written by them.



Seeking profit

Desire to send a political message

Personal amusement

To demonstrate that a vulnerability exists in software

For sabotage and denial of service

To explore evolutionary algorithms

Cause systems failures.

Steal information.

To prove a point, to prove it can be done, to prove ones skill or for revenge purposes.



The first step is that someone will create the virus.

The 2nd step is to pick out the program that the person wants to attach to.

The 3rd step is attaching the virus to the program.

The 4th step is to try to lure or advertise the program, so someone will download it in to your computer.

The 5th step is to have the virus get in to the computer.

The 6th step is to infect the computer.

The 7th step is to destroy all of the files on the computer & more.



Email attachments

Rogue Websites

Networks

Infected Boot Disks

Phishing Schemes

Infected Software

Hackers

Instant Messaging

Fake Anti Virus Software

From Mobile Devices

Friends and Relatives

Types Of Malware

Types Of Malware

Trojan horses : A Trojan horse is simply a computer program. The program claims to do one thing (it may claim to be a game) but instead does damage when you run it (it may erase your hard disk). Trojan horses have no way to replicate automatically.

Worms : A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that has a specific security hole. It copies itself to the new machine using the security hole, and then starts replicating from there, as well.

Types Of Malware

Viruses : A virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs. For example, a virus might attach itself to a program such as a spreadsheet program. Each time the spreadsheet program runs, the virus runs, too, and it has the chance to reproduce (by attaching to other programs).

Types Of Malware

E-mail viruses : An e-mail virus travels as an attachment to e- mail messages, and usually replicates itself by automatically mailing itself to dozens of people in the victim's e-mail address book. Some e-mail viruses don't even require a double-click -- they launch when you view the infected message in the preview pane of your e-mail software

Types Of Viruses

Types Of Viruses

Boot Sector Virus

Browser Hijacker

Direct Action Virus

File Infector Virus

Macro Virus

Multipartite Virus

Polymorphic Virus

Resident Virus

Web Scripting Virus

How To Detect A Virus

How To Detect A Malware(Virus)?

Programs takes longer to load.

The programs sizes keep changing.

The drive light keeps flashing when you are not doing anything(Loading).

User created files have strange names.

The computer doesn't remember CMOS settings.

System crashes for no reason.

Screen sometimes flicker.

Files/directories sometimes disappear.

How To Detect A Malware(Virus)?

It might change the power ratings of your computer and could blast the system.

You cannot print items correctly.

Disks or disk drives are inaccessible.

Applications on the computer do not work correctly.

Strange sounds or music plays from the speakers unexpectedly.

Computer restarts every few minutes automatically.

........



Use Antivirus Programs

Use Firewalls

Make Passwords Encrypted

Scan your PC Daily

Switch off net when not using

Dont download software from unknown source

Disable Auto run

Read reviews before installing software


Download anti-spyware program

Dont open e-mail that you are not sure

Keep backups

Keep OS up to date

Scan removable storages



Bitdefender Antivirus

Kaspersky Anti-Virus

Norton AntiVirus

F-Secure Anti-Virus

AVG Anti-Virus

Avast! Pro Antivirus

McAfee AntiVirus

Panda Antivirus Pro

Buzzwords

FireWalls

A firewall is a software or hardware-based network security system that controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic by analyzing the data packets and determining whether they should be allowed through or not, based on applied rule set.

Firewalls can be defined in many ways according to your level of understanding. A firewall establishes a barrier between a trusted, secure internal network and another network (e.g., the Internet) that is not assumed to be secure and trusted.

FireWalls

Antivirus software

Antivirus, anti-virus, or AV software is computer software used to prevent, detect and remove malicious computer viruses.

Most software described as antivirus also works against other types of malware, such as malicious Browser Helper Objects (BHOs), browser hijackers, ransomware, keyloggers, backdoors, rootkits, trojan horses, worms, malicious LSPs, dialers, fraudtools, adware and spyware.

Computer security, including protection from social engineering techniques, is commonly offered in products and services of antivirus software companies.

Boot sector

A boot sector or boot block is a region of a hard disk, floppy disk, optical disc, or other data storage device that contains machine code to be loaded into random-access memory (RAM) by a computer system's built-in firmware.

The purpose of a boot sector is to allow the boot process of a computer to load a program (usually, but not necessarily, an operating system) stored on the same storage device.

Encryption

Encryption is the process of encoding messages (or information) in such a way that third parties cannot read it, but only authorized parties can.

Encryption doesn't prevent hacking but it prevents the hacker from reading the data that is encrypted.

The message or information (referred to as plaintext) is encrypted using an encryption algorithm, turning it into an unreadable ciphertext.

That's It!!!

Bottom Line

Computer viruses currently cause billions of dollars worth of economic damage each year, due to causing systems failure, wasting computer resources, corrupting data, increasing maintenance costs, etc.

In response, free, open-source anti-virus tools have been developed, and a multi-billion dollar industry of anti-virus software vendors has cropped up, selling virus protection to Windows users. Unfortunately, no currently existing anti-virus software is able to catch all computer viruses.

References

www.makeuseof.com/tag/types-computer-viruses-watch/

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