Abstract
Malicious Mobile Code is a growing worry in the field of technology as these worms or viruses that enter the system through the most unsuspected files, corrupt, and avail access individual’s personal data. There is a growing concern to spread awareness and prevent users from being victims to this kind of evil sources online and there are many ways by which the entry of malware into the system software could be prevented.
Malicious Mobile Code or MMC as it is popularly known is a malicious worm or virus that attacks the system of the user and claims access to the user’s personal information and data stored on the effected system. A worm can be typically defined as “a self-replicating program that is able to propagate itself across various networks, and typically having a detrimental effect on the system properties.” The worms are generally designed to effect one file after another in the user’s system from the effected file that has been downloaded by the user from the effected website.
These worms do not get detected during a normal system check owing to the fact that they enter the list of “allowed files” as they are downloaded with the user’s authentication.
The practice of creating such malicious files and affecting the systems was earlier restricted to attack large security networks and systems but this has undergone a change with hackers and malicious software writers writing encrypted data programs to attack even simple hand held devices that are capable of computing and provide internet access.
These software or malicious Trojans as they are called in the technical sense. The word Trojan referring to viruses and malicious files entering the system by assuming an innocent and harmless form like the Trojan horse in the legendary Trojan War. The virus or harmful files are placed on the internet websites that the users are more likely to access and thereby become victims to the process of being hacked of their personal information. These malicious content writers who are mostly out there doing this for the fun of it tend to victimize people by luring them on websites that offer free screensavers, pornography etc. these websites ask the user to download an Active X file. Active X is actually a Microsoft run application, which is often prone to carry malicious files, as the program is incapable of detecting any misdoing in the files that might be harmful to the system when downloaded.
Many a times these Malicious Mobile Code or MMC are written to access the user data for monetary frauds or to avail access to the important data of the user that are otherwise confidential.
The lack of technical knowledge and not having an upgraded anti-malware system often leads to these kind of errors creeping into the system at the times of download. Such follies can be avoided by taking shelter in the simple traditional practices of system security like upgrading the anti-malware system of the computer and other such computing devices to make sure the system is free of errors.
Apart from this there are many other ways by which the users can ensure that their system does not do something that they did not want it to do and thereby protect it from Malicious Mobile Code or MMC.
There are many ways that help ensure that the system is protected from the hands of these Malicious Mobile Code or MMC writers, a few being antivirus software, firewalls, and network intrusion detections systems (NIDS) etc.
Anti-virus software: This is the most commonly used system protection device that ensures that the system and the files are protected from various harmful forces that might weaken the system security. It is essential to have an upgraded an registered anti-virus software in the system as that offers complete protection and warns the user incase of the existence of a malicious file in the downloads being undertaken.
Firewalls: A firewall is an inbuilt protection system that the computer has been designed with to ensure that there are no unwanted or harmful bugs that creep into the system’s operating process. The firewall tends to act as a wall when new files are being downloaded or transferred into the system’s memory from an external source to ensure that there are no errors or unwanted Trojans present in it.
Network Intrusion Detections Systems (NIDS): Though similar in function with the firewall, the Network Intrusion Detections Systems provides system security at a more finer and specific level by controlling the security access to each and every file in the system. It avoids the creeping in of worms and other unsolicited files that might cause the user harm by accessing the confidential data or other information that the user might not prefer to be shared or allow access to unknown strangers who write such Malicious Mobile Code.
Abiding to the basic principles of system security and safety would ensure the user’s with a safe internet and computer experience as abiding by these safety principles would mean a blocked access to all the evil forces that try to make use of the growing spread of internet for all the wrong purposes possible.
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