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Apr 3, 2024
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Running Head: Malware
Malware Attacks on Operating Systems and Their Preventions
Beverly B. Baxter
ISSC242: Hardening Operating Systems
Professor: Dr. AJ Rutherford
March 9, 2024
Malware
Malware has increased over the years and has caused many attacks on operating systems since the change and technological improvements. Cybersecurity has become a threat in recent years as attackers have become more prominent in their approach and attacks.
Malware
is a malicious software which is typically used to infect computers or networks. Common types of malware include viruses, worms, trojans, Ransomware, adware, spyware, rootkits, keyloggers, fireless malware, cryptojacking, and hybrid malware." (Titanfile, 2024). We will discuss malware
in more detail, along with some common types of malware and what you could do to better protect yourself against malware and the common ones you may run into.
Malware authors use a variety of techniques to expose the vulnerabilities in different web
services, operating systems, browsers, or in versions of browser plug-ins and exploit these weaknesses. Some commonly used techniques implemented include dead code insertion, register
reassignment, subroutine reordering, instruction substitution, code transposition and code integration to evade detection by traditional defenses like firewalls, antivirus and gateways which typically use signature based techniques and are unable to detect the previously unseen malicious executables. (Ray and Nath, 2016). Malware attacks are becoming more into play in short periods with technology increase, and experts are fighting to stay up-to-date with techniques to combat these issues.
Some types of malware you may run into are worms, trojans, Ransomware, spyware, rootkits, fireless malware, keyloggers, and crypto-jacking. Let us discuss these further and what you can do to prevent such attacks. Worms are malware that infects computers but replicate itself
to infect other computers and remain active on the infected operating system. Worms can further
Malware
duplicate themselves to spread to other uninfected computers. When it comes to attackers, they can disguise the worm into work file links, believable downloads, and more, where a victim will assume the links or downloads are legit and will not know it is a worm until after the damage is done. Worms can allow attackers to control vulnerable victims' computers, where they can delete
important information from their computers and obtain sensitive information. How you can prevent worms from happening on your computer is.
1.
Install operating system updates and software
patches
.
2.
Use
firewalls to protect systems from malicious software
.
3.
Use antivirus software to prevent malicious software from running.
4.
Never click on attachments or links in emails or other messaging applications that might expose systems to malicious software.
5.
Use encryption to protect sensitive data stored on computers, servers and mobile devices. (Bedell, Loshin, and Hanna 2022)
Trojans are malicious software that takes control of your computer even when it may look natural to you. Trojans damage and steal information from or put other harmful information on your network. Trojans can easily trick someone into loading or downloading the malware onto their device. For example, you receive an email from your boss and decide to open it and click on the link, but it was an attack by a cybercriminal. By opening and clicking on the link, the cybercriminal can install the malware trojan onto your device and infect your system. One good part about a Trojan is that it cannot duplicate onto other systems. You can prevent a Trojan from happening on your computer by following these steps: Implementing robust security measures, such as strong encryption protocols, secure authentication mechanisms, and regular monitoring,
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Malware
is imperative in safeguarding wireless networks against trojans and other attacks. (Mlelwa, 2022).
Ransomware is exactly how it sounds: a type of malware that holds victims' information and data, hostage, unless they pay the hacker or attacker a ransom they are demanding from them. Some ransomware is overtaking your social media accounts, banking information, or passwords. It is vital to protect your information from Ransomware, and I know from experience that I had my Instagram account hacked by someone who lives in Nigeria and was told to send him $250.00 to get my account back. Another reason was that I never had the 2-step authentication on
my account, which allowed the hacker to access my account more efficiently.
Encrypting and crypto-ransomware hold your information hostage, as in my situation with my IG account, and after giving the hacker the ransom, they usually will provide you with an encryption key to decrypt the data and recover your account. Non-encrypting and screen-locking ransomware locks a victim's device and keeps them from accessing their operating system. What happens from there is when the victim tries to start up their device, they receive a ransom display
screen from the attacker demanding a ransom to decrypt the attack. How you can prevent Ransomware from happening to you is as follows:
Step 1: Back Up. If the data is backed up, there is no need to pay a ransom to get the data back.
Step 2: Avoid Email Links and Attachments. Phishing attacks are the most common way to spread Ransomware, so avoiding clicking on links or opening attachments in spam emails will go a long way to avoiding Ransomware.
Malware
Step 3: Patch and Block. The operating system, browsers, and security software should always be kept patched and up-to-date. Likewise, third-party plug-ins, like Java and Flash, need to be kept patched if they are allowed at all.
Step 4: Drop-and-Roll. At the first sign of an infection, the infected machine should be immediately turned off (or unplugged) to minimize the damage to files. If it is connected to a network, administrators should immediately shut down the network to minimize the propagation of the Ransomware (Zetter, 2016). (Richardson and North, 2017).
Spyware is another malware installed on your devices without your consent and gains access to sensitive and personal information.
Spyware
is a common threat that occurs more than usual and is challenging to detect. Spyware infiltrates your device, captures your date, and then provides your data to a third party, including browsing history, email addresses, login credentials,
and credit card details. You can prevent spyware from occurring on your computer by ensuring your system is wiped clean and following the current steps, which is good practice to remember.
Be skeptical about installing strange or free software.
Pay Attention to Security Warnings.
Read the End User Licensing Agreement.
Practice Basic Computer Security Hygiene
o Always Use Anti-Virus Software
o Always Use a Firewall
o Keep Your Software Up To Date
Read the Web Site Privacy Policy
Use Tools to Remove Spyware. (Bytheway 2004)
Malware
Rootkits is another malware-like spyware that allows a cyberhacker to control your computer without you knowing it. Once the attacker gets rootkit installed onto your computer, they can gain access to your files, change your system configurations, and more. Another way rootkits can infiltrate your system is by piggybacking off of software you trust or with a virus. Rootkits are like Trojans, viruses, and worms that conceal what is on a user's system. How you can prevent rootkits from happening on your computer is. Prohibit useless service, do not run an application or network services that are not in use. Because unnecessary services and operation of the inappropriate software will generate unnecessary risk. Select safe configuration method configuration when configuring server. Sometimes, convenient operation can bring about risks. When necessary, use software of security assessments and vulnerability scanning to conduct a comprehensive security audit over the system. Thus enhancing system security. (Li and Lu, 2010).
Fireless malware is another type of malicious software that uses known programs to infect your computer. These attacks are built into systems that perform cyber attacks. Fireless is one malware unlike the other, where cyber attackers don't have to install anything on a victim's system. The two types of fireless malware attacks are memory code injection and Windows registry manipulation. Regarding fire, regular antivirus software may not work to combat it. Some ways you can prevent fireless malware from occurring on your system are as follows:
➢
Perform OS patches and updates periodically.
➢
Restrict the PowerShell usage policy to
restricted access to run the scripts through
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Malware
windows policy.
➢
Perform Behavior-based analysis.
➢
Periodically check the recent patches for
vulnerabilities in the application and security
checks frequently. (Khushali, 2020)
Keyloggers or keystroke loggers are a form of malware that records keystrokes and keeps track of them. The information is sent to the hacker, who analyzes the keystrokes to find passwords or the victim's usernames to use them to hack into other people's systems, social media, banking information, and more. You can prevent keyloggers from happening to you as follows: The most important thing is always ensuring your operating system is up-to-date and that you have the latest anti-virus on your computer to combat any attacks. There is some anti-
malware software which can help in detecting and removing Keyloggers. The other way is to examine the running process via the Task Manager in Windows OS to check for some unusual .exe processes that are running in the background. Also, we should check all the start-up entries for anything unusual. Some Keyloggers which enter through browsers, are generally called browser Keyloggers. We should uninstall that browser and install a fresh new version. (Singh, 2021).
Cryptojacking involves a user not knowing that an attacker gained access to their smartphone, computer, tablet, or servers to mine cryptocurrency. As we know, cryptocurrency is digital or virtual money, and these hackers use cryptojacking to gain profit from access to a vulnerable victim's device or devices. Cryptojacking works by hackers hacking into victims'
Malware
devices and installing cryptojacking software. The software does its job, mining for cryptocurrencies and stealing from the victim's cryptocurrency wallets while the victim is using their phone and not noticing what is happening. There are two ways cybercriminals get victims' devices to mine cryptocurrencies. First, they get the victim to click on a malicious link in an email, and second, they infect websites or online ads by changing the way they are through JavaScript code that attacks the victim's browser once they click on the website link.
To prevent these incidents from happening, you must know how to avoid them and remain cognisant of what attackers are attempting to do. How you can prevent yourself from falling victim to these attacks is as follows:
o
Keep all your software and devices up-to-date with the latest patches and fixes. Many attacks exploit known vulnerabilities in existing software.
o
Only install software from trusted sources.
o
Avoid suspicious websites (e.g.
torrenting
,
shortened URLs
) that can host these malicious scripts.
Malware has been and will continue seriously threatening individuals, organizations, and businesses. Malware is designed to infect your computer, whether you know it or not, and trick you into falling victim to hackers ways. It can steal sensitive information from your computer, smartphone, or tablet and slow its progress, or even send fake links and emails from your email or others without your knowledge. It's imperative to be aware of all types of malware and their preventions to keep your business and operating systems safe. By taking the steps outlined in this
Malware
paper, remaining cognizant and aware of what malware is and every type. You can help prevent future malware and attacks from cybercriminals from occurring.
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Malware
References
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The Comprehensive Guide to 11 types of malware in 2023
,
TitanFile
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Nath, A. and Ray, A. (2016)
(PDF) International Journal of Advance Research in Computer Science ...
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Bedell, C., Loshin, P. and Hanna, K.T. (2022)
What is a computer worm and how does it work?
,
Security
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Malware
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Malware
6ogoyAxCa1i-
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