...The Trojan Horse Race Bruce Schneier Communications of the ACM September 1999 1999 is a pivotal year for malicious software ( malware) such as viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Although the problem is not new, Internet growth and weak system security have evidently increased the risks. Viruses and worms survive by moving from computer to computer. Prior to the Internet, computers (and viruses!) communicated relatively slowly, mostly through floppy disks and bulletin boards. Antivirus programs were initially fairly effective at blocking known types of malware entering personal computers, especially when there were only a handful of viruses. But now there are over 10,000 virus types; with e-mail and Internet connectivity, the opportunities and speed of propagation have increased dramatically. Things have changed, as in the Melissa virus, the Worm.ExploreZip worm, and their inevitable variants, which arrive via e-mail and use e-mail software features to replicate themselves across the network. They mail themselves to people known to the infected host, enticing the recipients to open or run them. They propagate almost instantaneously. Antiviral software cannot possibly keep up. And e-mail is everywhere. It runs over Internet connections that block everything else. It tunnels through firewalls. Everyone uses it. Melissa uses features in Microsoft Word (with variants using Excel) to automatically e-mail itself to others, and Melissa and Worm.ExploreZip make use of the...
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...The ILOVEYOU worm was first reported in Hong Kong on 4 May 2000 and spread westward on that day. The ILOVEYOU worm affected computers at more than half of the companies in the USA and more than 105 mail servers in Europe. Internal e-mail systems at both the U.S. Senate and Britain's House of Commons were shut down. It was estimated that the ILOVEYOU worm did more damage than any other malicious program in the history of computing: approximately US$ 9 × 109. On 4 May 2000, MessageLabs filtered ILOVEYOU from one in every 28 e-mails, the all-time highest daily infection rate seen by MessageLabs. The ILOVEYOU incident was commonly reported as a virus in the news media, but it was actually a worm, because this malicious program did not infect other programs. I call this worm by the subject line of e-mail that propagated this worm. Norton Anti-Virus calls it VBS.Loveletter.A. The ILOVEYOU worm arrived at the victim's computer in the form of e-mail with the ILOVEYOU subject line and an attachment. The e-mail itself was innocuous, but when the user clicked on the attachment to read the alleged love letter, LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.VBS, the attachment was a Visual Basic program that performed a horrible sequence of bad things: Deletion of files from victim's hard disk. The worm overwrote files from the victims' hard disk drive, specifically targeting files with extensions:*.JPG, *.GIF, and *.WAV, amongst many others (i.e., files containing audio/visual data), *.CSS (i.e., cascading style...
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...Trojan Horse The ancient Greeks where in the beginning of a war. Awakening to the lovely Helen being gone king Menelaus was blowing up with fury. She was kidnapped by Paris the prince of Troy. Menelaus furiously declared to get Helen! Then because he asked kings for help they answered and sailed to the treacherous Troy. They got to the city but there was a wall, so they couldn’t get in. So the Greeks who were angry sat on the beach and plotted. Thinking precisely, they knew Helen was behind the enemy wall. Unfortunately they tried for ten miserable years, but failed anyway. Odysseus thought of an idea. First he instructed them to build a fence around them to hide their work. His brilliant idea was to construct a wooden horse, which was...
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...The Workings of Trojan Horse Viruses Name School In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for Class Professor Due Date Abstract Since the beginning of computer security one form of malware has always been a thorn in everyone’s side, it is one of the oldest and most commonly misunderstood malware and people hardly ever see it coming. It is the Trojan horse; a piece of programming code disguised as another program or file. This paper discusses how Trojans function, the damage Trojans cause and how Trojans can be prevented. The Workings of Trojan Horse Viruses What is a Trojan Horse Virus? Computer Trojans emerged in the mid-1980’s as a way to infect software and distribute the infected payload to different systems without raising suspicion. Trojans are not like viruses or worms per se, Trojans are malicious and cause damage but they are not self-replicating and don’t reproduce by infecting other files. Hackers have taken advantage of human nature with persuading the user to install a Trojan for the hacker by means of deception (Greenberg, 2011). Trojans Spread by users, the Trojan is latched onto an enticing program like a popular game, screen saver or any other program the user finds legitimate. Trojans usually open a covert backdoor into a targets computer or server, once installed the Trojan gives a hacker access to man operations including: Data theft, crashing the victim’s system, installing key loggers, and viewing the user’s screen (Greenberg...
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...potential attackers. The problem is that everyone is not educated in the many ways a computer can be hacked. Family and friends are probably the biggest threat to home network security. Most people are willing to give full access to their computers to people that they think are trustworthy. It is easy for a trusted friend to steal your personal information or mistakenly download a virus, Trojan horse, or worm. The best known way of attacking a system is with a computer virus. A computer virus attaches itself to a program or file allowing it to spread to every computer it encounters. Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on your computer but it actually cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program. (The Difference Between a Computer Virus, Worm and Trojan Horse, 2011) One of the most common ways an intruder use to invade your home computer is a Trojan horse program. A Trojan horse program will be hidden, in what appears to be legitimate software or files from a legitimate source. The effects of a Trojan horse vary from something annoying like adding icons to your desktop. It can be more malicious and give the intruder access to your computer and your personal information. Another method used by hackers is a computer Worm. Worms are typically installed when a person opens an infected email attachment or a message that contains executable scripts. Computer worms spread from one computer to another...
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...A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself[1] and spread from one computer to another. The term "virus" is also commonly, but erroneously, used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have a reproductive ability. Malware includes computer viruses, computer worms, Trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware and other malicious or unwanted software, including true viruses. Viruses are sometimes confused with worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself automatically to other computers through networks, while a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but hides malicious functions. Worms and Trojan horses, like viruses, may harm a computer system's data or performance. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious or simply do nothing to call attention to themselves. Some viruses do nothing beyond reproducing themselves. An example of a virus which is not a malware, but is putatively benevolent, is Fred Cohen's compression virus.[2] However, antivirus professionals do not accept the concept of benevolent viruses, as any desired function can be implemented without involving a virus (automatic compression, for instance, is available under the Windows operating system at the choice of the user). Any virus will by definition make unauthorised...
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...to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransom ware, spyware, adware, scare ware, and other malicious programs. As of 2012 approximately 60 to 70 percent of all active malware used some kind of click fraud to monetize their activity. A computer virus is a malware program 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. However, not all viruses carry a destructive payload or attempt to hide themselves—the defining characteristic of viruses is that they are self-replicating computer programs which install themselves without the user's consent. For a malicious program to accomplish its goals, it must be able to run without being detected, shut down, or deleted. When a malicious program is disguised as something normal or desirable, users may unwittingly install it. This is the technique of the Trojan horse. In broad terms, a Trojan horse is any program that invites the user to run it, concealing harmful or malicious executable code of...
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...Security Threats And Attacks Week 4 Case Study Dustin Soria Security Threats And Attacks Week 4 Case Study Dustin Soria 2014 2014 Recent statistics show that a large percentage of people have the idea that computer security is an issue that only affects organizations. Many people believe that, at a personal level, there is little that one can have to do with their information especially because they don’t see if someone will need their information. In contrast, there is a lot of useful information that a third party may obtain from a personal computer that the user may not even realize. For instance, a user may have sensitive information that would lead to his or her private life, secrets, or even important financial information. Such information can be used by attackers to monitor their internet activities, whether they are logged into their own personal computer on a local network, or even the internet. The victim’s sensitive information can be sold over the internet, or even to third parties such as advertisers and criminals among others. As such, it is important that serious security measures are taken to protect one’s personal computer from such security issues. There are numerous security threats that can be on a personal computer. One of the most common threats is a Virus. A Virus is a piece of software that can replicate itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user. A Virus can only spread when it is transmitted by a user...
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... | ____ 2. A _____ is a program that copies itself repeatedly in memory or on a network, using up resources and possibly shutting down the computer or network. |a. |computer virus |c. |Trojan horse | |b. |worm |d. |all of the above | ____ 3. A _____ is a malicious-logic program that hides within or looks like a legitimate program and usually is triggered by a certain condition or action. |a. |computer virus |c. |Trojan horse | |b. |worm |d. |all of the above | ____ 4. The _____ is the destructive event or prank a malicious-logic program is intended to deliver. |a. |zombie |c. |cracker | |b. |hash |d. |payload | ____ 5. Computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses deliver their payload on a computer when a user _____. |a. |opens an infected file...
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...computer viruses are small software programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another and to interfere with computer operation. Computer virus can attack computers in many ways and are often damaging to the computer. These viruses often spread without a persons knowledge about the virus and can be specially damaging to computers and expensive to those who own the computers to repair. Viruses can also affect program and the performance of the computer and cause severe harm. The main component in describing a virus is the viruses’ ability to replicate itself through computers or the internet. The first computer virus was created by Dr. Cohen, 26 yrs ago at the University of Southern California. Dr. Cohen realized that if a Trojan horse copied itself into other programs, then all those programs would be infected, and then everybody that ran any of those programs would get infected and so forth (Lee). From here, Dr. Cohen has since developed many ways to remove viruses and is one of the leading experts in that field. One of the most difficult things with viruses are they come in all different forms and are often disguised to the user. One type of virus is a direct action virus. According to the article “Different Types of Computer Viruses” on buzzle.com, the purpose of a direct action virus is to replicate and take action when it is executed. When a specific condition is met, the virus will go into action and infect files in the directory or folder that it is in...
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...Malware 1. Trojan Horses For a malicious program to accomplish its goals, it must be able to run without being detected, shut down, or deleted. When a malicious program is disguised as something normal or desirable, users may unwittingly install it. This is the technique of the Trojan horse or Trojan. In broad terms, a Trojan horse is any program that invites the user to run it, concealing harmful or malicious executable code of any description. The code may take effect immediately and can lead to many undesirable effects, such as encrypting the user's files or downloading and implementing further malicious functionality. 2. Rootkits Once a malicious program is installed on a system, it is essential that it stays concealed, to avoid detection. Software packages known as rootkits allow this concealment, by modifying the host's operating system so that the malware is hidden from the user. Rootkits can prevent a malicious process from being visible in the system's list of processes, or keep its files from being read. Some malicious programs contain routines to defend against removal, not merely to hide them. 3. Adware Adware is a form of malware which presents unwanted advertisements to the user of a computer. The advertisements produced by adware are sometimes in the form of a pop-up. While some sources rate adware only as an "irritant" others classify it as an "online threat" or even rate it as seriously as computer viruses and Trojans. The precise definition of the term...
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...in building the confidence of customers in a specified e-commerce site. This security depends heavily on an organization's ability to ensure authenticity, availability, privacy, integrity and disruption of unwanted intrusions. Malicious program known as sniffer programs often disrupt the privacy transactions especially when one uses unauthorized networks. They are found at network connection end points. When transactions are carried out, confidentiality is necessary thus it requires removing of any data showing transaction paths. This has become a common problem in the e-commerce sites. Another common problem for e-commerce site is a Trojan horse. A Trojan horse, or Trojan, in computing is a generally non-self-replicating type of malware program containing malicious code that, when executed, carries out actions determined by the nature of the Trojan, typically causing loss or theft of data, and possible system harm. Hackers and cyber-criminals are motivated by financial gain, notoriety, or simply by the thrill of the challenge. Cyber-crime can be extremely lucrative. The sale of cyber-resources including credit card information, stolen intellectual property, or networks of compromised, Internet-connected servers has created a burgeoning black market economy. The tools created for these purposes are openly shared on the Internet, creating a large population of professional and “recreational” hackers. A system administrator, or sysadmin, is a person who is responsible for the...
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...A Brief History “In 1949, Von Neumann established the Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata, where he presented for the first time the possibility of developing small replicating programs able to control other programs with a similar structure In 1959, in Bell Computer’s laboratories, three young programmers: Robert Thomas Morris, Douglas Mcllroy and Victor Vysottsky created a game called CoreWar, based on the theory of Von Neumann and in which programs fought between each other, trying to occupy as much memory as possible and eliminating opposing programs. This game is considered the precursor to computer viruses. In 1972, Robert Thomas Morris created the first virus as such: Creeper, which could infect IBM 360 on the ARPANET (the predecessor of the Internet) and show an on-screen message saying “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can”. To eliminate it, a virus called Reaper was created to search for it and destroy it”…………………...PANDA SECURITY ( 2011) Malware Overview Retrieved from http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS391US392&q=virus+clipart&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=nOx7TfqZEoXorAGvu5zCBQ&ved=0CDMQsAQ&biw=1174&bih=463 Malicious software, better known as Malware, is the most sophisticated type of threat to a computer system. Malware is simply code that is designed with purpose and intent to destroy, steal, disrupt or damage someone’s data, computer system or network. Malware is software that is written...
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...EE 4215 Security Technology Chapter 1 Introduction Q1. 1999 – 2000 Sem B 5.b) [8 marks] 2004 – 2005 Sem B 3.b) [8 marks] To give access to authorized people are under four categories. What are they? Gives one example for each category. Answer: 1. What You Have • This means of authentication is based on your having a physical thing. • Example: A key, badge, token, or plastic card. 2. What You Know • Many systems verify authorized access based on what you know. • Example: A password, identification number, or the correct combination of numbers on locks. 3. What You Do • This mode of authorized access is based on something you do that is unique. • Example: Your signature. 4. What You Are • This security system uses biometrics—the science of measuring individual body characteristics. • Example: Fingerprints, retinal scans, and hand characteristics. 1 Chapter 2 Threats To Computer System Q2. 1998 – 1999 Sem B B-1.a) [9 marks] 2000 – 2001 Sem B 3.a) [9 marks] 2003 – 2004 Sem A 5.c) [9 marks] 2004 – 2005 Sem B 5.b) [9 marks] There are three different types of threats: namely disclosure threat, integrity threat and denial of service threat. Describe the characteristics of these threats and the importance of them with example in affecting the normal operations of some computer or organization activities. Answer: Disclosure threat • This threat involves the dissemination of information to an individual for whom that information should not be seen • This information may be in computer...
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...Today, many people rely on computers to do homework, work, and create or store useful information. Therefore, it's important for the information to be stored and kept properly. It's also extremely important to protect computers from data loss, misuse and abuse. For example, businesses need to keep their information secure and shielded from hackers. Home users also need to ensure their credit card numbers are secure when participating in online transactions. A computer security risk is any action that could cause loss of information to software, data, processing incompatibilities or damage to computer hardware. An intentional breach in computer security is known as a computer crime, which is slightly different from a cybercrime. A cybercrime is known as illegal acts based on the Internet and is one of the FBI's top priorities. There are several distinct categories for people that perpetrate cybercrimes, and they are: hacker, cracker, cyberterrorist, cyberextortionist, unethical employee, script kiddie and corporate spy. A hacker is defined as someone who accesses a computer or computer network unlawfully. They often claim that they do this to find leaks in the security of a network. The term cracker refers to someone intentionally accessing a computer or computer network with malice in mind. They access computers with the intention of destroying or stealing information. Both crackers and hackers are having advanced network skills. A cyberterrorist is someone who uses a computer...
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