Research Paper on
Protecting Against Malware
Among the three options given in the MIS6082 final paper requirements, i am going with option A and selecting Chapter 9 (Protecting Against Malware) as my research area.
Research paper at a GLANCE
1. Introduction
2. Malware
Categories of Malware
Vulnerability to malware
Symptoms of a malware affected system
Famous malware attacks
3. Protecting against malware
Anti Virus software
Firewall
Browser security
Defensive Computing
Other recommended methods
INTRODUCTION
In this globalized arena, with the proliferating computer users as well as computer networks, risks associated like Malware attacks are also multiplying. As the proverb
“ Prevention is better than cure ”, if computer users are aware of Malware attacks, they may prevent those attacks . So, in this research paper i am going to focus on Malware and Protecting Against Malware.
MALWARE
Malicious software in short known as Malware. It is also known as computer Contaminant. Similar to biological parasite, malware also reside in a Host. Malware will get installed on host without user’s consent. Generally a software is considered malware based on the intent of the creator...
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...open automatically when you fire up computer. Turn off computer and disconnect the DSL or modem line when you’re not using it. Beware of spam-based phishing schemes—don’t click links in emails or IM.
Back up files regularly
Store the backups somewhere besides PC. If you fall victim to a Trojan attack, you can recover photos, music, movies, and personal information like tax returns and bank statements. McAfee PC Protection Plus provides essential protection from viruses, spyware, and hackers along with automatic backups of hard drive.
http://www.bullguard.com/bullguard-security-center/pc-security/computer-threats/malware-definition,-history-and-classification.aspx http://www.websitedefender.com/what-is-malware/ http://blog.veracode.com/2012/10/common-malware-types-cybersecurity-101/ http://malware.wikia.com/wiki/Melissa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware
At the Aim Higher College there have been recently discovered malware on the campus systems that are due to many recent attacks. I used an Anti-virus protection software called AVG on the computer systems on campus and ran a whole computer scan. The results came back very quick of numbers of malware being high and medium priorities that these should not be taken lightly. Furthermore, the scan found many viruses, Trojans, and malicious software and applications.
It is recommended that all personal computers be backed up. Copies of the personal computer files
Having first appeared in Russia in 2005, referred as Winlock, that successfully scammed over £10m from unsuspecting victims before the Russian authorities arrested 10 individuals for involvement in such hackings in 2010, however it hasn’t stop the growing number of the problem. With such profitable money to obtain, perpetrators have discovered new ways to spread the malware and to cash-in at the expense of victims.
Malware is defined as “a program that is inserted into a system, usually covertly, with the intent of compromising the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the victim’s data,
Computers are main technological features that allow criminals to step into unsuspecting victims lives. With a simple piggy-backing program hackers are able to track every keystroke made by the victim. One such program is called spyware, not to be confused with adware, which is often referred to interchangeably with spyware, but is potentially harmless (Louis 15). Spyware, hidden within downloaded software, implants itself deep within a computer’s hard drive, allowing it to track every move made by the user (Louis 16).
Spyware is all around us; relentlessly trying to ruin our private lives. My security essay is going to be on Spyware and how Avast tracked down an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT); aka, Tempting Cedar Spyware which was disguised as a Kik Messenger app.
Cyber Security as an International Security Threat National and International Security is a sum of the actions taken by countries and other organizations that can guarantee the safety and well being of their population. It is vital for a nation to pre-emptively discover what issues could affect their security, and take action to prevent any detrimental or harmful events from happening. With the development of technology and the transition into a more technologically savvy society, cyber security has become one of the most prevalent and important economic and national security issues that the United States will come to face. United States President Barack Obama has identified cyber security as a key issue the nation will face. President Obama declared that the “cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation” and that “America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cyber security (“Foreign Policy Cyber Security,” 2013).”
In today’s days malware is designated as a software which aims to disturb a computer with the consent or permission of the owner. This term “Malware” is used by computer professionals to describe a varied forms of destructive, annoying and intrusive software code. This word “Malware” is used to indicate all types of malware which include a true set of viruses.
on Networking, 2005. S. Chen and Y. Tang, Slowing Down Internet Worms, Proceedings of 24th International Conference on Dis- tributed Computing Systems (ICDCS'04), Tokyo, Japan, Mar. 2004. X. Jiang and D. Xu, Pro ling Self-Propagating Worms via Behavioral Footprinting, Proceedings of ACMWork- shop on Recurring Malcode, Nov. 2006. 16
...ntial information from a user. Luckily, there are reliable ways of defending against them. The most reliable way is to install strong security software that has the capacity to defend against the multifaceted forms of threats. Avoiding P2P file sharing sites and scanning email attachments before downloading them are also a surefire way of protecting a computer against malware threats. Basic acts like using an updated browser and allowing Windows updates to install and update themselves are also necessary to keep a machine safe. Furthermore, checking validity of individual website addresses and installing authenticated software can also help a computer user remain safe from potential data theft and possible damage of useful programs. It may also pay good dividends to backup files. In case of a lethal malware attack, backed-up files can always be recovered easily.
Cyber security is the protection of networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access. This is important because a great number of our confidential information is on computers and transmit that data across networks to other computers. As of now cyber-attack is one of the transnational issues that we are concern about in the United States. If these private networks were hack our national security infrastructure will be in distress.
Malicious code, also known as malware, installed on a computer provides an attacker with the control over this machine. Therefore, malware can be defined as “a set of instructions that run on your computer and make your system do something that an attacker wants to do”. It is more common to see malicious code to be implemented in binary executable files. However, it can be implemented in almost any computer language. Attackers have used a huge number of scripting languages, word processing macro languages and a h...
While the impact of globalization has led to amazing, new discoveries throughout the world, Internet connectivity has also made cybercrime easier. America and the rest of the world have become more reliant on technology and use it in more aspects of their lives, technology users make themselves more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Globalization and the growing use of computers in the world have given people a motive to learn more about computing and become more knowledgeable as programmers. As these people learn more, there is a risk that they will use their new intelligence to commit cybercrimes. The internet offers high-speed connectivity between countries, which allows criminals to commit cybercrimes from anywhere in the world.
...h the threat of “Mobile Malware” looming in the air, the desire to give the general public fair warning has never been greater. This paper was intended to provided that knowledge the general public needs and will reinforce the topic to those who were already aware. The history of malware gave you a look into the not so distant past. The discussion of technical examples of malware was intended to show you how rapidly the threat is developing along with the statistics of malware’s current expansion, and the future examples of malware and research showed you concepts that were unimaginable to the common electronic consumer. The majority of malware was originally designed to be a practical joke, but as we can see from the ever growing desire for malicious intent, the evolution of malware has followed suite. We can only hope that the growing need for security can be met.
In today’s society technology is used for everything. With the invention of computers and the internet this open doors to the cyber world. Today you can do almost anything without having to leave your home. The internet gives us the opportunity of shopping online, ordering food online, working from home and video chatting with friends and family across the world. Everyone has a computer and internet access in their homes. While the internet is really convenient it also opens doors for cybercrimes, loss of privacy and the need for computer security.