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CompTIA A+ Certification Prep 3: Network/Security > Lesson 10 - Chapter 1: Malware > Flashcards

Lesson 10 - Chapter 1: Malware Flashcards

1
Q

What is malware?

A

software designed to do something harmful to a system or network

(maldad)

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2
Q

What are 4 of the many types of malware?

v, b, t, r

A
  1. Virus
  2. Boot Sector Virus
  3. Trojan Horse
  4. Rootkit
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3
Q

What is a virus?

A

a program with 2 jobs: to replicate and to activate

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4
Q

What is replication? (Virus)

A

it makes copies of itself by injecting itself as extra code added to the end of executable programs or hiding out in a drive’s boot sector

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5
Q

What is activation? (Virus)

A

when a virus does something like corrupt data or steal private information

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6
Q

A virus only replicates to….

A

other drives (thumb drives, optical media)

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7
Q

Can a virus replicate itself across networks?

A

No

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8
Q

A virus needs ___ ___ to spread

A

human action

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9
Q

What is a boot sector virus?

A

a virus that infects the boot sector of the hard drive (so the virus loads on boot)

(stays in memory, infects other files as they run)

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10
Q

What is a Trojan Horse?

A

malware that pretends to do one thing but behind the scenes does something evil

(can be a game, fake security program, etc)

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11
Q

Can a Trojan Horse replicate?

A

No

(viruses do replicate though)

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12
Q

What is a Rootkit?

A

a program that takes advantage of very low-level operating system functions to hide itself from all but the most aggressive anti-malware tools

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13
Q

A rootkit by definition gains privileged access to a computer, which can strike what 3 things?

A
  1. Operating systems
  2. Hypervisors
  3. Firmware (hard drives, accessories)
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14
Q

What are 5 bad things malware can potentially do?

S
R
Z, b
C
G

A
  1. Harvest private information (spyware)
  2. Hold files for ransom (ransomware)
  3. Use the PC to attack other systems (zombie; botnet)
  4. Cryptomine
  5. Gain a foothold in the system
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15
Q

What is spyware?

A

software that spies on the computer user, collecting info about their activities and habits

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16
Q

Keyloggers are what type of software?

A

spyware

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17
Q

What are keyloggers? are they all malware? (2)

A

keyloggers log the user’s keystrokes and sends the data back to the spyware creator (harvesting important info like passwords, cc numbers)

not all are malware, parental controls use keyloggers

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18
Q

What is ransomware?

A

encrypts all the data it gains access to on a system and even mapped network drives!

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19
Q

What happens after ransomware locks up all your data?

A

the ransomware application pops up a message asking for money (often bitcoins) to decrypt your data often with a timer and if it reaches 0 triggers the deletion of the encryption keys

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20
Q

What’s a zombie?

A

an infected computer that obeys the commands of the malware creator

(zombie puppet)

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21
Q

What is a botnet?

A

a network of infected computers under the control of a single person or group

(can easily grow into millions of zombies for large networks)

[zombie horde]

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22
Q

What is a bot herder? What does it activate?

A

controls the botnet actions, activates scripts installed on the zombies to launch an attack

[Puppet master]

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23
Q

What’s one of the most common ways to send spam?

A

using botnets (use hacked/stolen bandwidth)

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24
Q

Which method is used to launch Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed DoS (DDoS) attacks?

A

botnets

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25
Q

What is crypto mining?

A

using a computer’s processing power to “mine” for cryptocurrency

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26
Q

What malware method is used for crypto mining?

A

botnets

(malware creators use bots to take control of zombies and steal processing power as a mining ‘team’)

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27
Q

How does malware help a criminal gain a foothold in the system?

A

some malware creates a backdoor that cybercriminals use to access the system’s data (can harvest info and sell it)

28
Q

What’s one tricky thing about how malware presents?

A

it can appear like normal PC “wonkiness”

(momentary slowdowns, random one-time crashes, etc)

29
Q

What are 8 symptoms of a PC infected by malware?

  1. sl
  2. ap
  3. cha
  4. me
  5. up
  6. lo
  7. ov
  8. se
A
  1. Slow PC
  2. Application crashes
  3. Changed permissions or missing or renamed files
  4. Messages you didn’t send
  5. Update/Protection software stops working
  6. Loss of Internet connectivity
  7. Overwritten Hosts file
  8. Security alerts
30
Q

A slow PC can mean what 2 things?

A
  1. too many applications are open at once
  2. system hit with malware (like a botnet using up CPU)
31
Q

How do you tell the difference between a normal application crash and malware?

A

if it’s happening a lot (even when all applications are closed)

(also goes for frequent lockups too)

32
Q

What does malware try to do to system files?

A

rename system files, change file permissions, or hide files

33
Q

How would you know when malware is fighting back?

A

Windows Update stops working or tools show up as “Access Denied”

34
Q

What do you do if removing malware broke your Internet connection?

A

reinstall your NIC and its drivers, reboot router, etc

35
Q

What is a Hosts file?

A

overrules any DNS settings and can redirect your browser to whatever site the malware adds to the file

36
Q

How would you know if malware has overwritten your hosts file?

A

you type in one web address and end up at a different site

37
Q

What is rogue anti-malware?

A

free anti-malware applications that are actually malware

38
Q

The only way to permanently protect your PC from malware is to what?

A

disconnect it from the Internet (unlikely scenario)

39
Q

What are 4 tools you have for combating malware?

A
  1. Anti-malware software
  2. Training and awareness
  3. Patch management
  4. Remediation
40
Q

What 2 ways does an anti-malware product protect your PC?

A
  1. Active seek and destroy mode
  2. Passive sentry mode
41
Q

Is antivirus software the same as anti-malware?

A

malware is a more generic term and refers to all types, antivirus is an older term to remove viruses. today, antivirus software can also target non-virus malware.

42
Q

How do anti-malware programs detect boot sector viruses?

A

they compare the driver’s boot sector to a standard boot sector because most boot sectors are the same

43
Q

___ viruses are harder to find because they can be found on any file in the drive

A

executable viruses

44
Q

What does an anti-malware program use to detect executable viruses?

A

it uses a library of signatures

45
Q

What are signatures?

A

a code pattern of known viruses

(virus code patterns, a virus’s signature)

46
Q

Where is the library of signatures stored?

A

in a definition file

47
Q

Anti-malware programs compare each executable file to its library of ____

A

signatures

48
Q

The first line of defense shouldn’t be anti-malware but ___ ___

A

user education

49
Q

What is patch management?

A

keeping systems patched

(automatic updating OS, otherwise update it manually)

50
Q

What are the 7 steps to take to remediate malware?

On the A+ exams

A
  1. Identify malware symptoms
  2. Quarantine infected system
  3. Disable System Restore (Windows)
  4. Remediate infected systems (update anti-malware software, use scan and removal)
  5. Schedule scans and run updates
  6. Enable System Restore and create a restore point (Windows)
  7. Educate end users
51
Q

What are 2 signs a PC might be infected?

A
  1. Starts spewing emails
  2. Was running fast yesterday but today it’s sluggish
52
Q

What are 2 ways to disconnect and quarantine a system?

A
  1. Software employed on a network that automatically monitors and cuts off a machine from the network if it starts to send suspicious packets
  2. Manually disconnect the network cable
53
Q

Before making any changes to get rid of the virus/malware, what should you do? Why?

A

disable System Restore so the virus isnt’ included in any restore points going forward

54
Q

How do you turn off System Restore in Windows?

A

Settings > System > About > System Protection > Select Drive > Configure > Disable system protection

55
Q

What kinds of events might malware leave traces of in Event Viewer? (3)

A
  1. Destabilizing programs
  2. Disabling protection services
  3. Triggering warnings about resource use
56
Q

What do you do after you’ve isolated the infected computer(s)?

A

get to a safe boot environment and run anti-malware software

(try Windows Recovery Environment first bc it only requires a reboot)

57
Q

How do you boot into the Windows Recovery Environment?

A

Hold down SHIFT as you click the POWER button on the START menu

58
Q

What do you do if you suspect a boot sector virus and can’t use Windows Recovery Environment?

A

use an external bootable source (bootable CD or USB flash drive)

59
Q

Get into the habit of keeping around a bootable anti-malware flash drive or optical media so you…?

A

can use the boot media if you suspect a virus or other malware, even if the anti-malware program says it eliminated the problem

(boots you into a clean environment)

60
Q

How do you boot from an anti-malware disc or drive?

A

change CMOS settings to boot to optical or USB media

61
Q

What options do you have for creating a bootable optical disc or flash drive? 3

A
  1. Anti-malware software in a bootable version (Avast! Virus Cleaner Tool)
  2. Download a copy of Linux that offers a live CD/DVD option like Ubuntu so you can boot to the disc and install a complete working copy of the OS into RAM to be Internet-ready and access anti-malware sites for tools
  3. Download and burn a copy of Ultimate Boot CD (contains several anti-malware programs but out of date)
62
Q

What do you do after you get into a boot environment?

A

you update your anti-malware software and run its most comprehensive scan and check all removable media exposed to the system and any system that received data from it

63
Q

When would you need to turn to an external (anti-malware) boot environment?

A

When Windows Recovery Environment doesn’t work or it might be a boot sector virus

64
Q

What does remediation mean?

A

Fixing files that the malware harmed

65
Q

What do you do if you can’t start Windows after the malware scan is finished?

A

boot from Windows setup media and use the Windows Recovery Environment/System Recovery options

66
Q

What should you remember to do after the system has been repaired?

A

re-enable System Restore and create a new restore point

CompTIA A+ Certification Prep 3: Network/Security (45 decks)

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