NTRODUCTION
This paper aims to educate on the issue of malicious software(malware). According to a research done at the AV-Test Institute, over 220 thousand malicious programs are recorded on a daily basis as a result of malware. The malicious software or malware, according to the Bull Guard Security Centre, refers to computer programs that are created to interfere or destroy computers functioning, without the users consent. Malware can take the form of worms, viruses, Trojans and spyware threats that can interrupt any data systems safety and even lead to denial of access to information on such system.
Since these malicious attacks are so vulnerable in the technological environment, this study is being undertaken in order to gain more knowledge about its roots, its manner of intrusion at present and its threats to the future if methods of safeguarding are not strongly implemented.
Malware originated in the year 1970, when it was created by BBN engineer Robert H. Thomas. A brief explanation in this research will relate how this engineers attempt to demonstrate a mobile application via the “Creeper Worm” failed as it initiated a threat that destroyed the system. Furthermore, an outline as to how a 15 year old kid, Rich Skrenta’s and his likeness in computers turned a prank into a virus and the consequences that was faced as a result.
Moreover, malware today is nothing compared to how it was in the 1990’s, in that as technology became more advanced so too did malware. Cyber criminals are constantly launching attacks on various forms of data and personal information on a daily basis. As a result of this, the safeguarding of information became a priority to many organizations. Details as to how this process of rampant intrusion t...
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... ahead, Just as they have for the last two decades.” They believe however that the malware will operate in a much more populated “landscape of mobile devices” thereby making information security initiatives and efforts even more difficult. (Roberts 2013)
CSO online, which is also a subsidiary of McAfee, in a report in 2013 headlined, “future malware could harm bytes, bone and brain” highlighted claims made by cyber security firms that future malware will distort the distinction between digital and analog harm as early as 2020. This concern was presented in a report by the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance and the European Cyber Crime Centre. According to the report, “evolved threats to critical infrastructure and human implants will increasingly blur the distinction between cyber and physical attack, resulting in offline destruction and physical harm
At this juncture, it may be somewhat difficult to accept the proposition that a threat to the telecommunications grid, both wired and wireless, in the United States could potentially be subject to a catastrophic cyber attack. After careful research on the subject, it appears the potentiality of an event of such magnitude, which either disrupts one or the other grids for a long period or destroys either, is both theoretically and realistically impossible. It may be that proponents—those who advance such theories—equate such “doomsday” scenarios as if a cyber attack would or could be of the same magnitude as a conventional or nuclear military strike. Terms such as “cyber Pearl Harbor,” “cyber 9/11” and “cyber Vietnam” have been used to describes potential catastrophic cyber attacks and yet, “Though many have posited notions on what a ‘real’ cyber war would be like, we lack the understanding of how such conflicts will be conducted and evolve.” (Rattray & Healey, 2010, p. 77). Yet, the U.S. government continues to focus on such events, as if the plausibility of small-scale cyber attacks were not as pressing.
As demonstrated by the examples above, these attacks can be extremely difficult to detect and mitigate. This highlights the need to ensure that all employees in an organization are aware of the threat these attacks present and are familiar with ways to stop them. Implementing the techniques mentioned above along with other proven methods will ensure that organizations are equipped to defend themselves against cyberespionage attacks.
The United States’ healthcare system is a three-trillion-dollar industry consisting of doctors, nurses, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical equipment providers, and health insurers. With so many components and millions of patients to care for, fast efficient health information systems are needed to reduce cost, store and modify patient information, and administer quality care (Akowuah, Yuan, Xu, Wang, 2012, pg. 40). Although health information systems have helped increase the healthcare industry’s efficiency and effectiveness, it has also exposed millions of patient’s identities and medical records to cyber-attacks. Managers in the healthcare field should be aware of cyberattacks, the laws that protect and secure patient’s privacy,
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.
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.
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). Once inside a system, spyware can gather e-mail addresses, passwords, and credit card numbers.
Cybercrimes are on the rise now. People information are constantly getting hacked. Target computers were recently hacked and over a thousand people credit card information was stolen. Every day we
“ 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.
Malicious code is a real danger to modern systems. Most systems nowadays do not work in isolation; they are more likely to be connected to other systems and sometimes they can even be dependent on them. Therefore an attack on one of the systems in the network is a potential attacking attempt to any other systems, with which it is interacting. Therefore, it is inevitable for any networked or Internet-connected computers to deal with malicious code attacks at some point. Businesses lose billions of dollars each year because of malicious code attacks. Responding to the attack and restoring all the data on the computers is a time-consuming and expensive task. It is a much better practice to try preventing it through organizing and maintaining effective defenses. However, it is important to keep in mind that there is no one general solution that can help to prevent all the attacks. Attackers are constantly looking for new ways to take advantage of systems’ vulnerabilities and find new ones. That’s why organizations have to not only defend themselves against existing attack methods, but also try to predict and prevent new attacking techniques. It means that computer and network security is a never-ending challenge and expense.
Andrew Massung Mr. Wyse ENC 1101 15 October 2015 Cyber Warfare: the New Frontier Since the beginning of time, mankind has waged war against each other. Over the years, warfare has evolved, from fighting with sticks and stones to using gunpowder and launching missiles. The newest, and possibly most destructive, type of warfare is cyber warfare. Cyber warfare has the potential to be more devastating than nuclear warfare.
To begin with, cyber security is described as the body of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access (Lewis, 2002). In a foreign policy brief, the White House described the importance of combatting cyber security. They said: Cyberspace touches nearly every part of our daily lives. It's the broadband networks beneath us and the wireless signals around us, the local networks in our schools and hospitals and businesses, and the massive grids that power our nation. It's the classified military and intelligence networks that keep us safe, and the World Wide Web that has made us more interconnected than at any time in human history. We must ...
“In India, we went straight from no telephones to the latest in mobile technology. Andthe same with internet-connected computers. They came in all of a sudden and no onewas taught even the basic facts about cyber security,...
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.
Computer crime or Cyber Crime is defined as any type of crime that involves or regards a computer or computer network. Cyber Crime mainly means that the computer may be used as a tool in the commission of the crime or the computer may be the main target of the criminal’s crime. The rapid growth of technology and gadgets as well as the further de...
...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.