Chapter 3: Malicious Code

Malware (Malicious Software)

Any software that brings harm to a computer system.

Ransomware

Software that encrypts programs and data until a ransom is paid to remove it.

Trojans

Programs that look useful, but actually cause damage to your computer

Remote Access Trojan (RAT)

Provides the attacker with remote control of a victim computer and is the most commonly used type of Trojan

Anti-malware software

Software designed to stop malware from damaging a computer or network

Worms

destructive programs that replicate themselves without requiring another program to provide a safe environment for replication

Rootkits

Programs that allow hackers to gain access to your computer and take almost complete control of it without your knowledge. These programs are designed to subvert normal login procedures to a computer and to hide their operations from normal detection methods.

Backdoors

Used in computer programs to bypass normal authentication and other security mechanisms in place.

Bots

Software robots that function automatically. A botnet is a group of computers that are joined together. Attackers often use malware to join computers to a botnet, and then use the botnet to launch attacks.

command and control servers

Used by hackers to control malware that has been launched against targets.

Fast-flux DNS

A technique rapidly changes the IP address associated with a domain

DNS (Domain Name System)

The Internet's system for converting alphabetic names into numeric IP addresses.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

A method for analyzing risk in software systems. It is a centralized collection of monitoring of security and event logs from different systems. SIEM allows for the correlation of different events and early detection of attacks.

keylogger

a malicious program that records keystrokes.

multifactor authentication

the use of two or more types of authentication credentials in conjunction to achieve a greater level of security

logic bombs

an instruction in a computer program that triggers a malicious act

computer viruses

A program that copies itself into other programs, files or drives.

memory-resident viruses

A virus that is capable of installing itself in a computer's operating system, starting when the computer is activated, and residing in the system's memory even after the host application is terminated. Also known as a resident virus.

non-memory-resident virus

A virus that terminates after it has been activated, infected its host system, and replicated itself.

boot sector virus

Which type of malware hides in the MBR program of a hard drive?

Macro viruses

A type of virus that uses a program's own macro programming language to distribute the virus

email virus

a virus transmitted by email that often uses the address book in the victims email system to distribute itself

Fileless virus

sSoftware that uses legitimate programs to infect a computer. It does not rely on files and leaves no footprint, making it challenging to detect and remove.

Spyware

a special class of adware that collects data about the user and transmits it over the Internet without the user's knowledge or permission

potentially unwanted program (PUP)

program that installs itself on a computer, typically without the user's informed consent

Adversial artificial intelligence (AI)

artificial intelligence is used by the attackers for malicious purposes