Fake antivirus Trojans are particularly insidious. Instead of protecting, they get every device into serious trouble. With alleged virus findings, they want to cause panic among unsuspecting users and persuade them to purchase effective protection by paying a fee. But instead of a helpful virus scanner, the user only gets more problems, as their payment data is conveyed to the Trojan originator for further misuse.
So if you suddenly get a virus warning in your browser when visiting a website, you should ignore this and only trust your system virus scanner. This type of program steals user account information from online gamers. One could argue that these messengers are barely in use nowadays.
However, even new messenger services are not immune to Trojans. As recently as December , a Windows Trojan was commandeered via a Telegram channel.
Instant messaging should also be protected against dangerous phishing attacks. In January , security researchers at Kaspersky discovered a Trojan called Skygofree. The malware has extremely advanced functions and can, for example, connect to Wi-Fi networks on its own, even if the user has deactivated the function on their device.
The Skygofree Trojan can also monitor the popular messenger service WhatsApp. It reads messages and can also steal them. They may seem like a relic from another century, yet they are still active and pose a significant threat. Faketoken, for example, sends mass SMS messages to expensive international numbers and disguises itself in the system as a standard SMS app.
The smartphone owner has to pay the costs for this. These programs can harvest email addresses from your computer. Trojans now not only target Windows computers, but also Mac computers and mobile devices. Accordingly, you should never feel too safe or be on the internet without up-to-date anti-malware protection such as Kaspersky Internet Security. Malware often gets onto computers via infected attachments, manipulated text messages or bogus websites. However, there are also secret service Trojans that can be installed on the target systems remotely without the user noticing and without any interaction on the part of the targets.
The Pegasus software from the Israeli manufacturer NSO, for example, is distributed via the mobile phone network. Pegasus includes a powerful arsenal of interception options. The device can be read completely, calls can be recorded, or the phone can be used as a bugging device. In Germany, too, police authorities use a state Trojan to monitor and track criminals. If surveillance software is used by the state to track and punish criminal offenses, cybercriminals have exactly the opposite in mind.
In the latter case, it is all about personal enrichment at the expense of their victims. In doing so, the criminals use different programs, sometimes even entire malware chains. How do they do it? One example may be a backdoor installed unnoticed on the computer via an infected email attachment. This gateway ensures that further malware is loaded onto the PC secretly and silently without being noticed.
Another example is a keylogger to record keystrokes such as passwords or confidential content, a banking Trojan to steal financial data, or ransomware that encrypts the entire computer and only releases the hijacked data following payment of a significant amount of bitcoin.
Notorious in this context is the malware Emotet , which periodically makes its rounds and is described as the "most destructive malware. The BSI has set up an extra page with information on Emotet. In summary:. Trojans are not only found in email attachments. They can also "piggyback" on supposedly free programs. Once again, therefore, it is important not to use dubious sources for software downloads such as codec packs or cracked programs, even if you might save a few euros.
The damage that can be caused by Trojans often exceeds the value of the software if it had been purchased through regular channels. Incidentally, a Trojan should not be confused with a virus.
This simple but effective propagation method caused the virus to spread to millions of computers. Cryptolocker is a common form of ransomware. It distributes itself using infected email attachments; a common message contains an infected password-protected ZIP file, with the password contained in the message. It searches for files to encrypt on local drives and mapped network drives, and encrypts the files using asymmetric encryption with or bit keys.
The attackers then demand a ransom to release the files. The virus caused operator monitors to show business as usual, while it changed the speed of Iranian centrifuges, causing them to spin too long and too quickly, and destroying the equipment. Trojans are a major threat to organizational systems and a tool commonly used as part of Advanced Persistent Threats APT. Security teams can use the following technologies and methods to detect and prevent trojans:.
Modern endpoint protection systems include device traditional antivirus, next-generation antivirus NGAV that can prevent zero-day and unknown trojans, and behavioral analytics that identifies anomalous activity on user devices.
This combination of protective measures is effective against most trojans. A WAF is deployed at the network edge, and is able to prevent trojan infections, by preventing downloads of trojan payloads from suspicious sources. In addition, it can detect and block any unusual or suspicious network communication.
Threat hunting is the practice of actively searching for threats on corporate networks by skilled security analysts. Analysts use Security Information and Event Management SIEM systems to collect data from hundreds of IT systems and security tools, and use advanced searches and data analytics techniques to uncover traces of trojans and other threats present in the local environment.
Often, a simple user complaint about a slow machine or strange user interface behavior could signal a trojan. Triaging IT support requests with behavioral analytics and data from other security tools can help identify hidden trojans. The following are common symptoms of trojans which may be reported by users:. Imperva helps detect and prevent trojans via user rights management—it monitors data access and activities of privileged users to identify excessive, inappropriate, and unused privileges.
It also provides security and IT teams with full visibility into how the data is being accessed, used, and moved around the organization. Our comprehensive approach relies on multiple layers of protection, including:.
Trojans What Is a Trojan Virus Trojans are deceptive programs that appear to perform one function, but in fact perform another, malicious function. Article's content. In contrast to viruses, which require the spreading of an infected host file, worms are standalone software and do not require a host program or human help to propagate. To spread, worms either exploit a vulnerability on the target system or use some kind of social engineering to trick users into executing them. A worm enters a computer through a vulnerability in the system and takes advantage of file-transport or information-transport features on the system, allowing it to travel unaided.
More advanced worms leverage encryption, wipers, and ransomware technologies to harm their targets. A Trojan is another type of malware named after the wooden horse that the Greeks used to infiltrate Troy. It is a harmful piece of software that looks legitimate. Users are typically tricked into loading and executing it on their systems.
After it is activated, it can achieve any number of attacks on the host, from irritating the user popping up windows or changing desktops to damaging the host deleting files, stealing data, or activating and spreading other malware, such as viruses. Trojans are also known to create backdoors to give malicious users access to the system. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.
Trojans must spread through user interaction such as opening an email attachment or downloading and running a file from the Internet. Bots often automate tasks and provide information or services that would otherwise be conducted by a human being.
They may also be used to interact dynamically with websites. Bots can be used for either good or malicious intent. In addition to the worm-like ability to self-propagate, bots can include the ability to log keystrokes, gather passwords, capture and analyze packets, gather financial information, launch Denial of Service DOS Attacks , relay spam, and open backdoors on the infected host. Bots have all the advantages of worms, but are generally much more versatile in their infection vector and are often modified within hours of publication of a new exploit.
They have been known to exploit backdoors opened by worms and viruses, which allows them to access networks that have good perimeter control. Bots rarely announce their presence with high scan rates that damage network infrastructure; instead, they infect networks in a way that escapes immediate notice.
Advanced botnets may take advantage of common internet of things IOT devices such as home electronics or appliances to increase automated attacks. Crypto mining is a common use of these bots for nefarious purposes. Advanced malware typically comes via the following distribution channels to a computer or network:.
A set of stealthy and continuous computer hacking processes, often orchestrated by a person or persons targeting a specific entity. An APT usually targets either private organizations, states, or both for business or political motives. APT processes require a high degree of covertness over a long period of time.
The "advanced" process signifies sophisticated techniques using malware to exploit vulnerabilities in systems. The "persistent" process suggests that an external command and control system is continuously monitoring and extracting data from a specific target.
The "threat" process indicates human involvement in orchestrating the attack. Software that generates revenue for its developer by automatically generating online advertisements in the user interface of the software or on a screen presented to the user during the installation process. The software may generate two types of revenue: one is for the display of the advertisement and another on a "pay-per-click" basis if the user clicks on the advertisement. An undocumented way of accessing a system, bypassing the normal authentication mechanisms.
Some backdoors are placed in the software by the original programmer and others are placed on systems through a system compromise, such as a virus or worm.
Usually, attackers use backdoors for easier and continued access to a system after it has been compromised. Adversaries may use bootkits to persist on systems at a layer below the operating system, which may make it difficult to perform full remediation unless an organization suspects one was used and can act accordingly. Software that modifies a web browser's settings without a user's permission to inject unwanted advertising into the user's browser.
A browser hijacker may replace the existing home page, error page, or search engine with its own. These are generally used to force hits to a particular website, increasing its advertising revenue.
This software often comes in the form of a browser toolbar and is received through an email attachment or file download. A class of malware designed specifically to automate cybercrime. Crimeware distinct from spyware and adware is designed to perpetrate identity theft through social engineering or technical stealth in order to access a computer user's financial and retail accounts for the purpose of taking funds from those accounts or completing unauthorized transactions that enrich the cyberthief.
Alternatively, crimeware may steal confidential or sensitive corporate information. Malicious attempts by one or more people to cause the victim, site, or node to deny service to its customers. A computer file that contains a sequence of instructions to run an automatic task when the user clicks the file icon or when it is launched via a command.
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