1 / 22

What Are Malicious Attacks?

What Are Malicious Attacks?. Malicious Attacks are any intentional attempts that can compromise the state of your computer. Including but not limited to: Performance Data. Goals of Attackers. Prank Data Access Identity Damage. Examples. Software Website forgery Social Engineering

nasim-farley
Download Presentation

What Are Malicious Attacks?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. What Are Malicious Attacks? • Malicious Attacks are any intentional attempts that can compromise the state of your computer. • Including but not limited to: • Performance • Data

  2. Goals of Attackers • Prank • Data • Access • Identity • Damage

  3. Examples • Software • Website forgery • Social Engineering • Keystroke logging • Password Cracking

  4. Viruses • a program that can copy itself and infect a computer without the owner’s knowledge • the term “virus” usually refers to all types of malware including viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, etc.

  5. How they Spread • For a virus to spread, the host must be taken to target computer • Viruses can be spread via the internet, email, file sharing, instant messaging, a USB drive, etc.

  6. Infection • To infect a target, the virus must be allowed to execute code and write itself to memory • Thus, viruses are often software that attach to a program (such as Microsoft Word) • As soon as the Word document is opened, the virus is free to infect target computer

  7. History • 1971: First identified virus called the Creeper Virus was a self-replicating program • 1981: Viruses began to be spread via removable media (floppy disk)

  8. Origins • Factors that lead to the spread of viruses in the late 1980s: • Use of Personal Computers • Bulletin Boards (download programs) • led to the precursor to viruses- trojan horses (program would erase files) • Introduction of floppy disk

  9. Examples • Viruses show the vulnerability, but also the sophistication of humans • 1999: Melissa virus: Microsoft forced to shut down entire system • 2000: ILOVEYOU virus • 2004: MyDoom worm: infected a quarter million people in one day

  10. Phishing - an illegal act where the criminal pretends to be a reputable organization to obtain through trickery the personal information from the victim with the intent of stealing money.

  11. Link manipulation Website forgery Phone phishing Dumpster diving Mail theft Types of Phishing

  12. Urgency phrases like… “To restore you bank account…” “We suspect that you are a victim of identity theft… to confirm…” “Please help support your local fire department…” “You account needs to be confirmed… Please follow this lin and login…” Main Phishing Technique

  13. “3.6 million adults lost US $ 3.2 billion in the 12 months ending in August 2007” Phishing Damages

  14. Be aware, ask questions, confirm messages What can you do?

  15. Recent Developments • Peer-to-peer viruses • Computer espionage • Future Attacks

  16. Peer-to-peer Viruses • 2008 Conficker virus • Estimated 15 million computers infected • Used peer-to-peer networks to download updated versions of itself • Still active today, accepting commands from spammers • Peer-to-peer nature essential to its success

  17. Computer Espionage • Pentagon and CIA have been warning of threat since early 2000s • 2008 CIA press release reveals Chinese hacking network targets US Government websites • Power grids, banking systems, and other essential services could be at risk, analysts say • Some say threat overstated

  18. Future Attacks • “The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards.”
– Gene Spafford, Security Expert • As long as there are computers, there will be attacks targeting them

  19. Malicious Attacks: Prevention • Firewalls • Email Virus Scanners • Use caution when downloading files • Filtering Spam • Avoid Pop Ups • Use Trusted Websites • Add-ons for Web Browsers

  20. Malicious Attacks: Prevention • Software • Ad-Aware • Spybot: Search and Destroy • AVG • Norton Antivirus • MalwareBytes • Frequently Update Anti-Virus Definitions Files

More Related