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| How Profits Motivates Virus
Creators |
| Posted: 02-05-2006 |
| Author: Richard Rogers |
The motivation behind hackers
has evolved noticeably over the last couple of years.
Developing harmful viruses is less about “bragging rights”
or satisfying the creator’s ego and is becoming more and
more about generating profit or commercial return.
The destruction of data on your computer or corruption
of programs you use is a common side effect and what people
have traditionally associated with a computer virus. The
reformatting of your computer “c: drive”, especially at
work, and the loss of valuable data used to be an incredibly
painful experience.
The widespread deployment of data back up solutions within
companies to comply with legislation and other factors
means less and less valuable data is now stored on your
computer’s local hard drive. More importantly for the
virus writer this attack does not generate much tangible
profit so there is not much motivation to develop more
sophisticated programs to counter improved anti virus
applications and corporate network security.
However, there is profit for the virus writer in turning
your computer into a spam distribution machine. “Spam”
is email sent without the permission of the person receiving
the message. Hackers gain control of your computer through
a Trojan Horse which gives them the same access rights
as the user. Once your computer is controlled by the hacker
it becomes known as a “Zombie.” A group of zombie machines
is known as a “botnet.”
By controlling a botnet a hacker can generate profit in
a number of ways. The botnet can be used to exhort a ransom
from a company by threatening launch a damaging “Distributed
Denial of Service” (DDoS) attack against its web site.
The botnet can also be hired out to other hackers.
The most common way of profiting from a botnet is to use
it to send out spam email. According to the security software
company Sophos over 50% of all spam email now originates
from botnets. Hackers use spam email to drive traffic
to pay per click advertising sites or distribute virus
programs further. Using a zombie computer helps cover
their tracks.
The drive for generating profit is clearly evident in
a new form of virus dubbed “Ransomware” by security experts
which started to appear in 2005. Ransomware, as the name
suggests, holds data on your computer “hostage.” Files
on your hard drive are encrypted with a password. The
user is then contacted and asked to pay a ransom to release
the file.
Here are some simple tips and strategies to help prevent
your computer turning into a “Zombie.”
• Keep
your computer up to date with the latest software patches
for Windows and other Microsoft programs. Most viruses
and other malware exploit vulnerabilities in widely used
programs.
• Install a reputable anti virus program.
Keep the definitions up to date and scan your computer
regularly.
• Install a personal firewall or buy a
router with a hardware firewall. Ideally you need a firewall
solution which filters both incoming and outgoing traffic
from your computer to the internet.
• Never open spam
email or associated email attachments which is frequently
used to distribute virus programs. Use a spam filter to
help reduce the amount of spam you receive.
This article is free for republishing
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/ |
| Richard Rogers runs a number of computer-related
sites offering Spyware
Remover and Anti
Virus Software help. |
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