Part 1
In most cases, scareware applications have limited or no advantage to the user and are forced through unethical marketing methods. The implementation of ransomware and rogue security software applications presents several implications on the unknowing user. In most cases, the user is manipulated into thinking that their computer system is infected with a virus. This perception may cause an innocent user to format his or her computer thereby losing sensitive data (Binsalleeh et al., 2010). Apart from the loss of data, the users are usually manipulated to think that they require a certain software application, which they end up buying only to realize that they do not need the application. Scareware like fake antivirus presents real problems to the users. Once it has been downloaded and installed on the user's computer, it can pester the user and hinder normal operation of the computer until compensation is made.
Part 2
Computer malware is one of the most daunting threats to handle in information technology across the globe. The ramifications associated with these threats are so detrimental given that they have the ability to cause real and physical damage in case they are controlled by malicious attackers. Some of the most common malware threats include Code Red, Zeus, Conficker, Cryptolocker and Qakbot.
Zeus malware threat did not attain its name just for its glamour; instead, the malware can be compared to the real Zeus, the mythical god of war, king of gods and ruler of Olympus. The malware form of Zeus is closely powerful as the mythical god. It has the capability to steal sensitive information and attack financial and banking institutions across the globe. The malware was originally identified back in the year 2007, but it has since been diminished to remnants. However, the malware has made reappearance through setups of Ransomware threats and phishing campaigns related to Dropbox (Binsalleeh et al., 2010). The malware is exploited as a cheap and easy to use tool collection for malicious hackers. Cases of Zeus have been on the rise over the last few years across the globe and the information technology platform in equal measure. This malware is a type of malicious software application that employs the use of social engineering to inflict anxiety, shock or the discernment of a threat with the intention of manipulating the user into purchasing software applications that they do not require.
On the other hand, Conficker malware threat has been on the rise with attributes that present real threats more than those inflicted by Zeus. While Zeus was a serious threat to all platforms of operating systems, Conficker threat is limited to Windows PC. It has been considered a serious worm infection for computer systems running on Windows operating system. The malware was originally identified back in the year 2008, a year after Zeus was identified (Binsalleeh et al., 2010). One of its strong attributes was its ability to disable anti-spyware and anti-virus software applications and further contaminate the computer system. According to Binsalleeh et al. (2010), this malware accounted for more than 30 percent of the top ten internet threats identified across the globe as it still does today. The malware was combated through the use of a specialized anti-malware tool which had the ability to eliminate it from infected computers. Similar to Zeus, it allowed a malicious hacker to take over the control of infected computers.
References
Binsalleeh, H., Ormerod, T., Boukhtouta, A., Sinha, P., Youssef, A., Debbabi, M., & Wang, L.
(2010, August). On the analysis of the Zeus botnet crimeware toolkit. In Privacy Security
and Trust (PST), 2010 Eighth Annual International Conference on (pp. 31-38). IEEE.
