Microsoft has executed a plan to take down a vast ransomware distributor after successfully arguing in court that its copyright has been violated. The action is focused on a botnet called Trickbot, one of the world’s most prolific ransomware distributors. Trickbot began life in 2016 as a banking trojan. Since then, its operators (mainly Russian-speaking … Read more
A Trojan can be detected in many ways. Port scanning, which can prove very effective if you know what to look for. Because a Trojan is used to allow access through backdoors or covert channels, a port must be opened to allow this communication. A port scan using a tool such as Nmap reveals these … Read more
One of the older and potentially widely misunderstood forms of malware is the Trojan. Simply put, a Trojan is a software application that is designed to provide covert access to a victim’s system. The malicious code is packaged in such a way that it appears harmless and thus gets around both the scrutiny of the … Read more
A relatively new type of software is scareware. This type of malware warns the victim of potential harm that could befall them if they don’t take some action. Typically, this action involves providing a credit card or doing something else to buy a utility they need to clean their system. In many cases, the utility … Read more
Adware is a well-known type of malware. Many systems are actively infected with this type of malware from the various installations and other activities they perform. When this type of software is deployed onto a victim’s system, it displays ads, pop-ups, and nag screens, and may even change the start page of the browser. Typically, … Read more
malware is an extremely broad term that blankets a range of software packages. We can say that malware is anything that steals resources, time, identity, or just about anything else while it is in operation. In order to understand what malware is, let’s look at the major types before we delve deeper into the mechanics … Read more
Ethical hackers should be mindful of the web of laws that relates to the deployment and use of malware. Over the years, malware has been subjected to increasing legal attention as the technology has evolved from being harmless to much more malicious and expansive in its abilities. The creation and use of malware have led … Read more
Malware is a term that is frequently used but frequently misapplied, so let’s first clarify its meaning. The term malware is short for malicious software, which accurately explains what this class of software is designed to do: to perform malicious and disruptive actions. Simply put, malware is any type of software that performs actions without … Read more