Malware Flashcards
Define malware
Malicious software. Any software that is designed to infiltrate a computer system without the user’s knowledge.
For malware to infect a system, it needs to create a threat vector and an attack vector.
Threat vector: how the attacker breaks into the system. It refers to the vulnerabilities that could be exploited such as unpatched software, installing code using a thumb drive, or phishing campaigns.
Attack vector: it refers to the way those vulnerabilities are going to be exploited.
List the different types of malware attacks
Ransomware, trojan, worm, spyware, bloatware, virus, keylogger, logic bomb, backdoors, zombies and botnets, and rootkit.
Define computer virus
Malicious code that runs on a machine without the user’s knowledge and this allows the code to infect the computer whenever it has been run. A virus requires a user to take some kind of action such as opening a file, clicking on a malicious web link, or connecting a mass storage device to your system.
Name the 10 types of viruses
Boot sector, macro, program, multipartite, encrypted, polymorphic, metamorphic, stealth, armor, and hoax.
Define worm
A worm is a piece of software, much like a virus, but it can replicate itself without any user interaction. It doesn’t requires the user to take any action to replicate or spread throughout the network.
Define trojan
A trojan is a piece of malicious software that is disguised as a piece of harmless or desirable software.
Define RAT
Remote Access Trojan. A type of trojan that provides the attacker with remote access to the victim’s machine.
Name the nine primary indications of malware attacks
It is important that cybersecurity professionals can recognize the nine primary indications of malware attacks: increased account lockouts, concurrent session utilization, increases in blocked content, impossible travel, increased resource consumption, resource inaccessibility, out-of-cycle logging, missing logs (or fewer logs than usual during peak hours), and documented attacks.
