Information Technology and protection of Malware †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Information Technology and protection of Malware. Answer: Introduction Malware is the abbreviated term used for "malicious software". This is the software which is specifically developed to gain access or to damage a computer without any knowledge of the owner. Software is considered malicious based on the intent of the developer rather than the function the software performs. Malicious software's are developed to get personal information of the owner which may be of sheer importance to him. Initially malwares were developed for the purpose of experiments and pranks but with development in the technology now these malwares are now created to earn profit via forced advertisements (adware), stealing important information (spyware), spreading email spam (zombie computers) or for the purpose of money extortion (ransomware). Certain factors can make computer prone to malware attacks such as defects in operating system, running of computers on the same network etc. So it is very important to stay alerted from these type of malicious softwares (Skoudis Zeltse r, 2004; Elisan, 2012). Scope of Engagement The purpose of this report is to provide the reader with an insight on the concepts of malware and how its development took place with the years and how the technologies have been developed simultaneously to prevent unauthorized access to networks and computers. The report also discusses about how cyber criminals use this technology to their advantage and infect computers and how security applications have been developed to prevent the same. A brief history of the topic is also presented to provide the reader with a basic understanding about the issue of computer security. History The knowledge about viruses came into existence with publication of the research paper named "Computer Viruses-Theory and Experiments" which was written by Prof. Fred Cohen in 1984 in which he discussed about the potential of the viruses, how could they enter the system and what could be done to prevent them. He showed that the only systems that are safe from the attacks of the viruses were the systems with low or no sharing or has developed protection measures (Athina, 2012 ). Three years later in 1987 another computer specialist named Ralph Burger decided to investigate about the virus and he jotted down his research in the book titled "Computer Viruses: A High Tech Disease" (Virus Scan Software, 2017; Creutzburg, 2016). Publication of this book cause major problems in the sector of information technology. His research was so in depth that he even wrote about how the viruses worked and how they can be designed. This resulted in the sharing of knowledge of virus development among th e people who earlier had no or little idea about this technology. The book published by him acted as a beginner's guide of virus development and people started developing their own viruses for prank as well as for experiment purposes. With the introduction of modern internet in the 1990's the reporting's of security breach also increased (Radware, 2017). The new and modern viruses named Michelangelo and Melissa were the latest and the most dangerous addition to the world of viruses. The year also saw the development of new virus technology like bots and botnets (Landesman, 2017). With the development of modern internet for the first time the private and personal information of the people were exposed. This became a serious issue as it was getting hard to trace these notorious criminals and there were no measures taken or a force sanctioned to tackle these incidents. Eventually the problem was becoming a national security concern and not only the personal systems were affected but the systems with government were getting affected too. In the year 1998, the US attorney general passed a bill of $64 million to counter the problem of cyber-attacks. A command center was sanctioned to protect the systems on national as well as personal levels and in 1990 a Protection Center was introduced. With the development of internet, the security issues and the threat to the privacy is also increasing. With the change in preference of people and the shift towards cashless transactions and using digital methods instead of hard copies there is a need to develop proper measures t o protect people from malware and viruses. Initially only viruses were the only malicious software that posed threat but with the development of technology and internet many malwares developed with time. Most common types of malwares are discussed below (Adaware, 2016; Miloevi?, 2013): Viruses - Virus is the type of malware that has potential to replicate itself and harm the computer. A virus accesses the code of the computer by executing its code. A virus generally targets executable files and applications. A virus is capable of damaging data files, hampering the performance of the system and corrupting the data stored on the system. Spyware - A spyware is used to spy on computers or any digital device running on a particular OS. It is often used in the form of adware which when clicked by the user enters the system and monitors the activity of the system. It is mainly used to gather the information about the financial systems and obtain sensitive data. Worms- A worm is a malware which replicates itself and occupies the data on the disk and hampers the performance of the computer through the network. Unlike a virus a virus does not need to attach itself to an executable file to replicate itself. Bots - A bot is a program that when released on a computer can access and control that computer from a remote server. This is generally used by hackers and can be released through the means of game or a software application. A computer can be controlled by a bot when the application is run on the system and then the remote server access and controls the system in the background. Trojans - A Trojan software is the one which disguises itself in form or other applications. A Trojan also known as Trojan horse slows down the process speed of the system, spies the activity and steals the information from the system. The software generally steals the information from the system and sends the data back to the hacker who developed the Trojan. Spam - A spam is generally targets a large group of systems. It is also used to steal personal and important information like credit card details and other information which may be of benefit to the person who sent the spam. A spam is sent in the form of tricky message or advertisements. Apart from the tools that the malware uses to interfere with personal data there are certain tools that have been developed to counter with these attacks and to help people to keep their personal information safe (Infosec, 2017). These tools are listed below (Comodo Antivirus, 2014; McAfee, 2017): Firewall- A firewall is software which acts like a barrier which prevents the infection from spreading. Firewall is the term used by fire fighters. It is a barrier which is used by them to stop the fire. Just like this in computing terms a firewall is software which checks the file for infection and then it allows the transfer of file to its desired destination. It is preferred in organization in which the data is shared on large scale. A firewall is generally installed in the main computer and then the data is allowed to be sent to other computer after the successful scan of the file. If there is no malicious file attached with the data, then only the firewall allows the sharing of the data (Noonan Dubrawsky, 2006). Antivirus software- Antivirus software scans the file and blocks and deletes any malware or viruses attached with the file. With the development of viruses, antivirus technologies have developed too and have been successful in dealing with the issue. Viruses though have always been a step ahead but antiviruses have always been the most reliable method to counter them. An antivirus program generally uses a two-step method to identify activities of malware. First it looks for suspicious activities in the system which doesnt occur normally and then in the next step it scans the whole system for malicious software. It identifies the virus by the set of database which is pre-installed by the software company in the software which has a unique method or prevention for every type of virus. If the software finds any unusual activity in the system, it pops up a security message and prompts the user to take a measure to counter the problem. Antivirus software is needed to be updated on a regul ar basis to keep up with various developments in the malicious world and so that the user can be protected. This is the main reason the antivirus software prompts the user to keep his system and database updated (Parsons Oja, 2012). Spam filter- There are many sites on the internet which contains spam and are malicious. These spams pose a worldwide threat to the security of the users. With spreading awareness and netizens getting educated many users are able to avoid these types of threats but still it sucks a small amount of users in it. It is very cheap to develop and it spreads very easily. A spam filter works in many ways and the most common way is that it scans and filters the spam in the e-mails. This method is effective but is time consuming too (Downing, 2015). Impact of Malware in Real Life A malware can do many things, from stealing personal info to destroying the performance of the computer. We have already discussed about the potential of malwares. Here is the list of the impact of malware if it enters your system (Visually, 2017; ClearPath IT Solutions, 2017): It can cause the system or the connection to slow down. In extreme conditions it can cause the system to crash and a person may lose his unsaved data. It can cause a message to be displayed continuously. It can cause serious trouble in shutting down and restarting of the computer as various programs will be still active. It can even hijack the browser and redirect the user to various sites. It can use your computer to broadcast various files and attacks. It can send e-mails which were not written by the user and can lend him into trouble. It can be invisible if designed well and can cause the harm in background without any knowledge of the user. Conclusion There are various security measures available to the user which can protect his system and him from the malware. Though there are many companies which are providing these services there are many notorious hackers who manage to stay one step ahead and stay trouble. This is a never ending fight between the two and it is required by the person to stay alerted in order to avoid any kind of harm to his personal information. Apart from this it is necessary for a user to install and update these anti malware programs on a regular basis so that they do not fall prey to cyber criminals. References Adaware. (2016, September 13). The History of Malware. Retrieved from https://www.adaware.com/blog/history-of-malware Athina, P. (2012 , October). Malware Forensics Framework. Retrieved from https://repository.ihu.edu.gr/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11544/508/Provataki_Malware%20Forensics%20Framework.pdf?sequence=1 ClearPath IT Solutions. (2017). How Does Malware Impact Your Computer's Performance? Retrieved from https://www.clearpathit.com/how-does-malware-impact-your-computers-performance Comodo Antivirus. (2014, July 31). 5 Simple Steps to Protect Your PC from Hackers. Retrieved from https://antivirus.comodo.com/blog/computer-safety/5-simple-steps-protect-pc/ Creutzburg, R. (2016). Handbook of Malware 2016. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Reiner_Creutzburg/publication/305469492_Handbook_of_Malware_2016_-_A_Wikipedia_Book/links/578fe89e08ae64311c0c79b8/Handbook-of-Malware-2016-A-Wikipedia-Book.pdf Downing, R. (2015). Spam Filter: Little Known Tips You Need to Know About Anti Spam, Email Spam and Spam Software. Lulu Press. Elisan, C. C. (2012). Malware, Rootkits Botnets A Beginner's Guide. McGraw Hill Professional. Infosec. (2017). Virus Malicious Code. Retrieved from https://www.infosec.gov.hk/english/virus/antivirus.html Landesman, M. (2017, May 11). A Brief History of Malware. Retrieved from Lifewire: https://www.lifewire.com/brief-history-of-malware-153616 McAfee. (2017). Defending Against Malware and Trojan Horse Threats. Retrieved from https://home.mcafee.com/advicecenter/?id=ad_vp_damathtctst=1 Miloevi?, N. (2013). History of malware. Retrieved from Cryptome.org: https://cryptome.org/2013/02/malware-history.pdf Noonan, W., Dubrawsky, I. (2006). Firewall Fundamentals. Pearson Education. Parsons, J. J., Oja, D. (2012). Computer Concepts: Illustrated Introductory. Cengage Learning. Radware. (2017). The History of Malware. Retrieved from https://www.radware.com/resources/malware_timeline.aspx Skoudis, E., Zeltser, L. (2004). Malware: Fighting Malicious Code. Prentice Hall Professional. Virus Scan Software. (2017). The history of computer viruses. Retrieved from https://www.virus-scan-software.com/virus-scan-help/answers/the-history-of-computer-viruses.shtml Visually. (2017). The impact of malware to your computer and business . Retrieved from https://visual.ly/impact-malware-your-computer-ans-business