Network Attacks and Malware

Define a passive attack

Where someone monitors data travelling on a network and intercepts and sensitive information they find. They can called packet sniffers and they are hard to detect

Define an active attack

When someone attacks a network with malware or other planned attacks. They are easily detected and one of the main defences is a firewall

Define insider attack

When someone inside an organisation exploits their network access to steal information

How does a brute force attack gain access to a network

By cracking a password through trial and error

How does a DoS gain access to a network

As a hacker tries to stop users from accessing a part of the network or website. Most involve flooding the network with useless traffic

What is malware an abbreviation for?

Malicious software

What are the typical actions of malware?

-Deleting or modifying files

-Scareware which tells the user the computer is infected to scare them into paying for the problems to be fixed

-Locking files (ransomware) and needing a sum of money for them to be unlocked

-Spyware which secretly monitors user actions

-Rootkits which gives hackers admin level access to devices

-Opening backdoors (a hole in security)

How does a virus gain access to a device?

They attach themselves to files and users spread them by copying infected files and activate them by opening infected files

What does a worm do meaning it can spread very quickly?

Self-Replicate without any user help to which they exploit weaknesses in a network

What are Trojans?

They are Malware disguised as legitimate software, unlike other malware trojans don’t replicate themselves - users install them not realising their intentions