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Malware, Spyware, Phishing...... WTF is all this?
With all the hype in the media about the Conficker virus that was supposed to cause havoc around the world yesterday, the topic of viruses has once again moved to the top of the list of many PC users concerns. In the past 10 years there have been many terms created to describe different threats to the PC user. Below are definitions for them for your review.
Malware = Malicious computer software that interferes with normal computer functions or sends personal data about the user to unauthorized parties over the Internet. Software is considered malware based on the perceived intent of the creator rather than any particular features. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware and other malicious and unwanted software.
Spyware = 1. Software that secretly gathers information about a person or organization.
2. Any malicious software that is designed to take partial or full control of a computer's operation without the knowledge of its user.
Virus = typically a short program designed to disperse copies of itself to other computers and disrupt those computers' normal operations. A computer virus usually attaches or inserts itself to or in an executable file or the boot sector (the area that contains the first instructions executed by a computer when it is started or restarted) of a disk; those that infect both files and boot records are called bimodal viruses. Although some viruses are merely disruptive, others can destroy or corrupt data or cause an operating system or applications program to malfunction. Computer viruses are spread via floppy disks, networks, or on-line services. Several thousand computer viruses are known, and on average three to five new strains are discovered every day. Virus programs can also infect advanced cellular telephones.
A Bomb = A form of virus that is a program that resides silently in a computer's memory until it is triggered by a specific condition, such as a date.
A Worm = A form of virus that is a destructive program that propagates itself over a network, reproducing as it goes.
Trojan Horse = A form of virus that is a malicious program that passes itself off as a benign application; it cannot reproduce itself and, like a virus, must be distributed by diskette or electronic mail.
Phishing = the practice of luring unsuspecting Internet users to a fake Web site by using authentic-looking email with the real organization's logo, in an attempt to steal passwords, financial or personal information, or introduce a virus attack; the creation of a Web site replica for fooling unsuspecting Internet users into submitting personal or financial information or passwords. No company asks for personal info via email. Only when YOU access their website AND log into your account, will this info be asked for or verified.
Browser Hijacker = is a form of malware or spyware that replaces the existing internet browser home page, error page, or search page with its own. These are generally used to force hits to a particular website. Some rogue security software will also hijack the start page generally displaying a message such as "WARNING! Your computer is infected with spyware!" to lead to an anti-spyware vendor's page. The start page will return to normal settings once you've bought their software. But sometimes not.
Zombie Computer = is a computer attached to the Internet that has been compromised by a hacker, a computer virus, or a trojan horse. Generally, a compromised machine is only one of many in a 'botnet', and will be used to perform malicious tasks of one sort or another under remote direction. Most owners of zombie computers are unaware that their system is being used in this way. Because the owner tends to be unaware, these computers are metaphorically compared to zombies. Zombies have been used extensively to send e-mail spam, conduct distributed denial of service attacks, or used to commit click fraud against sites displaying pay per click advertising. Others can host phishing or money mule recruiting websites.
Now most Anti Virus programs scan for these pests automagically, as do other specific scanners. The challange is that the nimrods that write these programs are always trying to find ways around the scanners so the Cat-n-Mouse game continues.
One item that gets a bad rap is the computer cookie. While it can be used for malicious intent, and was in the early days of the internet. Now it is used mostly for good.
HTTP cookie = A system invented by Netscape to allow a web server to send a web browser a packet of information that will be sent back by the browser each time it accesses the same server. Cookies can contain any arbitrary information the server chooses to put in them and are used to maintain state between HTTP transactions, which are otherwise stateless.
Typically this is used to authenticate or identify a registered user [Like your username and password for this forum for example] of a website without requiring them to sign in again every time they access it. Other uses are, e.g. maintaining a "shopping basket" of goods you have selected to purchase during a session at a site, site personalisation (presenting different pages to different users) or tracking which pages a user has visited on a site, e.g. for marketing purposes. [ElderGeek] Some people think this is a Spyware function, which it is, but usually no personal info is transfered.
The browser limits the size of each cookie and the number each server can store. This prevents a malicious site consuming lots of disk space. The only information that cookies can return to the server is what that same server previously sent out. The main privacy concern is that, by default, you do not know when a site has sent or received a cookie so you are not necessarily aware that it has identified you as a returning user, though most reputable sites make this obvious by displaying your user name on the page.
Special note! - After using a public PC, e.g. a PC in an Internet cafe, or even your buddy's house, you should remove all cookies to prevent the browser identifying the next user as you if they happen to visit the same sites. If it is your buddy's or family member's PC, you will also remove their cookies, forcing them to log into websites and forums, etc. the next time they visit, which might piss them off....
I realize this is rather dry readingbut the more one is aware, the chances of being infected are less. Keep your Anti Virus software up to date, pay attention on what you click on, and suspect all email from persons you don't know.
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