Malware

A Survey of Malware media type="file" key="Malware.mp3" width="240" height="20"  Malware is a generic term for a piece of malicious code. That is, programming code specifically developed to harm a computer or its data. If you’ve studied Spanish (or Latin, for that matter), you’ll know that “mal” means bad—like malcontent (an un-contented, unhappy person) or Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I (the obvious bad guy dressed in red and sporting horns). Nothing good ever starts with “mal.” Malware is, quite literally, bad software.

Malware Definition-Programming code designed to harm a computer or its data. Since malicious code and malware mean the same thing, for simplicity’s sake we use the term malware throughout this book. In the world of malware, there are several standard types of villains. We’ll be covering all of these villains, but the main categories are;


 * Viruses
 *  Worms
 *  Trojans
 *  Bot armies
 *  Keystroke loggers
 *  Spyware
 * Adware
 *  Scareware
 *  Ransomware

You’re probably already familiar with some of these categories. For instance, computer viruses are now so well-known in the popular culture that they provided the grand finale to the 1996 sci-fi thriller Independence Day. If you’ll recall, Will Smith saved the day by helping Jeff Goldblum (better known as Ian Malcolm of Jurassic Park) to upload a computer virus to the “mother ship,” disabling the alien space crafts’ force fields. In real life, viruses and worms have taken out entire unprotected networks. In August 2009, attackers shut down Twitter for nearly three hours, leaving 44 million tweeters worldwide out of touch. If that doesn’t sound like a big deal, imagine CBC or CNN being driven off the air for an afternoon.

<span style="background-color: #e1e0e0; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 160%;">1. What other businesses can you think of that MIGHT be effected by malware and HOW would they be effected?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">You are no doubt also familiar with antivirus software. Most, but not all, new computers now arrive fresh from the factory already preloaded with at least a trial version of one of the major antivirus packages. Usually, that’s Norton AntiVirus, Trend Micro, McAfee, or Webroot. For virus protection, they are all excellent products.

<span style="background-color: #e1e0e0; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">2. What anti-virus software do you have on your computer?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">You may not be aware, however, that antivirus software can’t protect you against all types of attacks. Many people think as long as they have antivirus software installed that they are protected. That’s not true because several layers of security are needed to protect you. Antivirus software is only one of those layers.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Before we take a look at the other layers of security, it is important to understand what antivirus software can and cannot do. Think of your antivirus software as a series of vaccinations. Having a polio vaccination won’t keep you from getting hepatitis. Likewise, having antivirus software won’t necessarily protect your com- puter from spyware or adware. In fact, if you don’t routinely update your antivirus software, it may not even protect you from viruses. Like their biological cousins, computer viruses mutate. Just as you may need a new flu shot each winter to protect against new viral strains, you also need to update your antivirus software continuously. For other types of malware, you may need other types of protection. We’ll explain these as we discuss the specific types of malware.

<span style="background-color: #e1e0e0; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">3. What is the key limitation of anti-malware software?