Nowadays various threats of malicious software are considered the most dangerous because of the sphere of their influence and rapid spread. One should be aware of the reasons for viruses attack as well as be ready to find ways to identify and eliminate malware. Considering worms, viruses and Trojans as the greatest challenges for security personnel, it is extremely important to be well aware of the issues and methods of solving problems connected with malware. Users as well as systems administrators should act fast when a potential infection is detected. This way, the key to dealing with malware is the knowledge of various computer issues.
Targets of Malware
Security landscape modifies rapidly in order to match the latest system upgrades and so on. This way, one should take care of his computer for keeping his system secured and data sound and safe. Usually threats and vulnerabilities are not so obvious – they hit programs, which are used by nearly every user, from the inside. Such programs are Java JRE, Adobe Reader or Acrobat or different Internet browsers. For example, Firefox add-ons are affected because of the low risk of being detected right away. Pirated software on Macintosh is also a common threat due to the false sense of security (Yegulalp, 2010). Security holes as a part of some application may create great problems for users as well as for DNS servers. They transform Internet addresses into domain names, which can be easily poisoned in order to manage the user`s data according to the attacker`s needs.
Attractiveness of Targets
Hackers are attracted because of the ease of access to computers and databases. They use security holes for entering personal data and act up to their purposes. For example, the threat of router attack may be met by any user at home – hackers remotely control routers in order to steal encryption keys and to control computers completely. The threats of Adobe may be achieved without even a single click – they go into effect while the program is loading. Some infected documents can also influence the working process of a computer. Vulnerabilities of browsers are fixated on the ability to change supporting files according to requirements as well as the QuickTime concerns.
Best Practices Implemented
Each security department is obliged to reduce the risks of malware introductions to the network. To manage it, employees have to be well-acknowledged in such issues. Practices of improving the resilience to some of the most efficient attacks should be implemented widely – employees have to be trained and helped by their organization to identify potential security risks and respond to them. Without doubt, different firewalls, anti-malware and antivirus software is extremely important in solving issues of malware threat, however, employees play the crucial role, as they are the users, who manage their computers.
Many attacks are successful because of the proper choice of target – the human element of security, which is the most vulnerable (Pearson, 2015). The courses of action to be taken to remediate the viruses are required to be known by those, who deal with important data. Antivirus programs may be efficient if toned correctly and kept up to date. There is not a legal solution to malware, so the way to defeat malware writers is to eliminate the vulnerability to their malware. This way, people are able to secure their computers through convenient software, where every aspect is explained clearly, without any complicated technical vocabulary.
In cases, when any potential threat is suspected, users should act fast – they should use antivirus programs for scanning their computer. The main challenge then is to eliminate the threat. If something goes wrong, it is better to ask for professional help from the system administrators or programmers. Security awareness trainings may also be helpful for employees in order to learn some methods of solving the malwares - worms, viruses and Trojans.
Comparison and Contrasts to Protect Against
Viruses
One of the malwares of a computer is a virus – a program or a code, which replicates by copying or initiating it to other programs or documents and affects their work. Viruses are transmitted through e-mail, download files, flash drives or CDs. Some viruses are found immediately while opening of an infected program, when other malwares may not be noticed by users for a long time (Rouse). Some viruses can be harmful by erasing data or coercing disks to be reformatted. Modifications of programs, which are achieved by viruses, may lead to the malfunctioning of the whole mechanism.
Worms
One of the widely spread viruses is a worm. It is a self-replicating virus, which does not change files, but takes up place in active memory along with duplicating itself. It can hardly be found due to the specifics of its functions – automatic parts of operating systems are invisible to users. This is why it may be eliminated only after noticing the alterations in the working processes – halting or slowing tasks of a computer. It replicates for being spread to other computes through different portable devices. Security failures are the best ways for worms to alter the computer. Some worms are created in order to spread on various computers, so they may pass through flash drives, while a computer virus changes or corrupts files. An up to date operating systems, firewall and antivirus software reduce the risk of catching worms on the computer.
Trojans
Trojans are the hidden malwares. One may accidently download a Trojan together with harmless programs, just by being tricked. Unlike worms, they do not replicate, but survive because of being unnoticed. Trojans collect computer data and leave holes in security for further computer takeover. Being invisible, they are useful while taking important data – passwords, banking information or IP addresses. Personal data is under risk due to the Trojan ability to spy after accounts, credit cards details (What is Trojan horse malware? 2015). Modification of files is inevitable, when facing Trojans because of its spread and because of the complexity of detecting this kind of malware.
Considering all aspects of Trojans, viruses and worms, it is obviously that the most dangerous among them is the Trojan malware due to its invisibility. This way, the greatest challenge for security personnel is to find Trojans and remove them from computers. The harm brought by these malwares may be substantial, as Trojans create backdoors for open access of the user`s data. Controlling a computer through this kind of malware is quite possible, so users have to keep their anti-malware software up to date in order to avoid any issues with privacy.
Adherence of PCI
The payment card industry (PCI) regulation is the way to significantly improve the protection of card information. The adherence of PCI may be enough to protect corporate data from malwares due to its ease and wide spread. Having a standard for cardholder data security, it is easy to manage large transactions according to databases. PCI services are able to assure that users stay up to date with the latest safety requirements. Nowadays there are many companies providing PCI certification or compliance for keeping data secured. Data breaches are unlikely to occur because of the corporate security to PCI.
Security Controls
Companies should base their security on anti-cybercrime techniques, such as end-to-end encryption, which excludes any attempt of surveillance. Data is likely to be stored and kept safe thanks to the encryption. Hackers are unable to watch the public keys, so they are not ready to strike the protection of such an encryption.
Scareware
Malware protection has to develop along with the development of malwares and technologies in general. This way, the proliferation of scareware seems to be the best way to coerce people to change their approach to the working processes on any devices. It becomes the dominating force nowadays, so one should be able to eliminate it properly in order to protect his computer from malwares. There are many crimes committed with the use of scareware due to the ease of persuading users to visit malware-infected websites. Being seen as legitimate warnings, they receive trust from the side of the user. This is the reason of the malicious software’s wide use, even though it is still the innovative approach to fool people. However, as more and more viruses are “caught” only newer, updated and evolved versions take over.
Taking into account the complexity of the software performance, the ways of protecting computers are complicated. Being acknowledged with the nature of scareware and its aspects, users are likely to avoid being fooled. Some guidelines have to be created and implemented into use for better dealing with scareware. The re-branding of its releases is dynamic, so one should watch after the changes of suspicious advertising or impractical programs.
End User Population
I strongly believe that most computer users can be prepared to protect their data. Cyber security trainings are important in raising the level of users` consciousness. Considering the accordance between scammers and people, who are well-acknowledged in such issues, the balance of hacking and keeping computers safe will be followed. Nevertheless, there are some user mistakes that cause data breaches, so the cyber security training is obligatory for employees, who have to protect corporate data.
Conclusion
This way, there are many threats for users, which have to be withstood properly. They are viruses, worms and Trojans, which affect computers differently, but affect the working processes significantly. Along with malwares, the protection of data is getting more and more developed. Nowadays people are aware of scareware and respond to attacks with the knowledge of the matter. Cyber security trainings are held in large companies in order to keep information safe. Adherence of private card industry (PCI) allows cardholders to manage transactions being assured with the latest safety requirements. Data breaches are less likely to occur if using PCI. In general, most users are aware of malwares threats, so they use antivirus and anti-malware software. Various anti-cybercrime techniques help large companies keep their data secured in order to stay protected in the modern world.
References
Pearson, A. (2015). The 5 Most Common Security Attacks (and How to Guard Against Them). Security Innovative Europe. Blog. Retrieved from http://www.securityinnovationeurope.com/blog/the-5-most-common-security-attacks-and-how-to-guard-against-them
Rouse, M. n.d. Virus. Search Security. Retrieved from http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/virus
What is Trojan horse malware? (2015). AVG. Retrieved from http://www.avg.com/a/us-en/what-is-trojan-malware
Yegulalp, S. (2010). 7 Common Targets of Stealth Threats. PC World. Retrieved from http://www.pcworld.com/article/191503/7_common_targets_of_stealth_threats.html?page=2
