Week 2 Flashcards
______ is software that enters a computer system without the user’s knowledge or consent and then performs an unwanted and usually harmful action.
Malware
________ changes its internal code to one of a set number
of predefined mutations whenever it is executed.
Oligomorphic malware
Malware code that completely changes from its original form whenever it is executed is known as __________.
polymorphic malware
_________ can actually rewrite its own code and thus appears different each time it is executed.
Metamorphic malware
Some malware has as its primary trait spreading rapidly to other systems in order to impact a large number of users.
Circulation
Once the malware reaches a system through circulation, then it must “infect” or embed itself into that system.
Infection
Some malware has as its primary trait avoiding detection by concealing its presence from scanners.
Concealment
When __________ are the primary focus of malware, the focus is on what nefarious action(s) the malware performs.
Payload capabilities
Three types of malware have the primary traits of circulation and/or infection.
viruses, worms, and Trojans.
A biological virus is an agent that reproduces inside a cell. When a cell is infected by a virus, the virus takes over the operation of that cell, converting it into a virtual factory to make more copies of it.
Viruses
Instead of inserting pieces of the decryption engine throughout the program code, some viruses split the malicious code itself into several parts (along with one main body of code), and then these parts are placed at random positions throughout the program code.
Split infection.
Instead of having a single “jump” instruction to the “plain” virus code, some armored viruses perform two actions to make detection more difficult.
Swiss cheese infection
A second type of malware that has as its primary purpose to spread is a ______.
Worm
According to ancient legend, the Greeks won the Trojan War by hiding soldiers in a large hollow wooden horse that was presented as a gift to the city of Troy.
Trojans
A computer _____________ is an executable program that masquerades as performing a benign activity but also does something malicious.
Trojan horse (or just Trojan)
Different types of malware are designed to collect important data from the user’s computer and make it available to the attacker.
Collect Data
__________ is a general term used to describe software that secretly spies on users by collecting information without their consent.
Spyware Spyware
A __________ can be a small hardware device or a software program. As a hardware device, the keylogger is inserted between the computer keyboard connection and USB port.
keylogger
___________ are programs installed on the computer that silently capture sensitive information.
Software keyloggers
One of the newest and fastest-growing types of malware is ______.
Ransomware
__________ prevents a user’s device from properly operating until a fee is paid.
Ransomware
The payload of other types of malware deletes data on the computer.
Delete Data
A _________ is computer code that is typically added to a legitimate program but lies dormant until it is triggered by a specific logical event.
logic bomb
The payload of some types of malware attempts to modify the system’s security settings so that more insidious attacks can be made.
Modify System Security
One of the most popular payloads of malware today carried by Trojans, worms, and viruses is software that will allow the infected computer to be placed under the remote control of an attacker.
Launch Attacks
