Trojan Horses
Posted in: Software,Virus / Anti-virus,Viruses | December 21st, 2010
One of the most well known stories is the Trojan War.
In the story, a giant horse was created that looked innocent to the Trojans, but was in fact hiding Greek warriors who took the city of Troy while its residents were asleep.
If we look at this in computer terms, a Trojan is designed in a similar manner. They are used to trick you into thinking you are installing a legitimate, and safe, application but you are in instead installing a piece of malware that will perform actions on your computer without your permission. So if we look at this in historical terms, the malware are the Greeks and your computer is Troy.
Detailed description:
As a more detailed description, Trojan Horses are programs that disguise themselves as harmless and beneficial programs but instead have a hidden purpose that you are unaware of. It is important to note, though, that though most of a Trojans actions are considered harmful, there are some actions that Trojans perform that actually annoying but harmless. Examples of the types of actions that a Trojan may perform are:
Delete files and data
Lock you out of your computer
Install backdoors so remote users can access your computer remotely.
Execute commands on your computer
Encrypt all of your data and then blackmail you in order to receive the key to decrypt them.
Download and install other malware
Log the keystrokes you make on the computer.
Steal passwords that you enter into certain types of sites.
Restart your computer
Turn off programs such as firewalls and anti-malware programs.
Take screen shots of what is running on your computer.
Take screen shots using attached web cams.
Apply security patches to your computer.
Make annoying sounds on your computer.
Display images on your computer
Eject your CD Tray.
Print documents on your printer.
As you can see from the above examples, not all of them are harmful, but they are all unwanted. Examples of how Trojans masquerade as beneficial programs are:
Fake Video Codecs
These Trojans masquerade as video codecs that you need to install in order to view certain, typically porn related, videos on the Internet. Once installed, these trojans will install a variety of malware including rogue anti-spyware programs.
Warez Key Generators and Cracks
Using programs on the Internet that state they provide serial numbers or cracks so that you can use protected and copyrighted software is not only illegal, but typically foolish. Most of these software are in fact Trojans that install backdoors, keyloggers, worms, and other malware. So, you may be saving a few dollars by not buying the software, but in the long run it may hurt much more when someone steals your information and performs identity theft.
Games and Game Updates
It is not uncommon for a malware writer to create a very sophisticated game that may actually be fun, but in reality is a shell to hide malware that it will install on your computer. For example, in 2001 a game was being distributed via email called Whack-a-mole that was a game where you tried to whack a mole that pops up out of the ground. What the unsuspecting player did not know is that when they played the game it installed a Trojan that allowed a hacker to get into your computer remotely and access all of your documents and files.
Screen Savers
Let’s face it, the screen savers that come with Windows are not the most awe inspiring. Due to this, it is not uncommon for people to search for screen savers on the Internet and install them on their computer. Unfortunately without the proper safeguards, this screen saver may actually be a Trojan Horse that while showing little dogs playing on your screen, is actually deleting all of your files.
Trojans are scary, and as you can see from the descriptions above, it can be very hard to determine what is a legitimate program and what is a Trojan hiding in disguise. We are not, though, saying that you should stay away from downloading interesting programs on the Internet, downloading new screen savers, installing audio or video codecs so you can view the latest formats, or just enjoying the Web to its fullest. We are saying that you should do so with caution and education. This includes, in no particular order:
Do not run programs from people you do not know.
Even if you do know the person, before using the program you should first scan it using your antivirus software or online tools such as VirusTotal or Jotti because not all of your friends are as smart as you.
Make sure you have an Anti-Virus program, an Anti-Spyware program, and a Firewall running on your computer.
Don’t look at porn on the web as the vast majority of these sites contain something you don’t want to catch. Sorry!
Dont use illegal cracks or key generators. The majority is not what you think they are.
Use sites like SiteAdvisor to determine if a site you are downloading or installing from is legitimate or a known malware distributor.
Do not open e-mail attachments that end with .exe, .bat, .pif, or .com as these are almost always bad.
Enjoy your computer and the Internet, just be safe doing so!
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Check Disk virus
Posted in: Software,Virus / Anti-virus,Viruses | November 26th, 2010
What this infection does:
Check Disk is a fake computer optimization and analysis program that displays false information so that it can scare you into thinking that there is something wrong with your computer. When installed Check Disk will be configured to start automatically when you login to Windows. Once started, it will display numerous error messages when you attempt to launch programs or delete files. It will then prompt you to scan your computer with the program, which will state that there are a variety of errors that it cannot fix until you purchase the program. If you attempt to use the so-called defragment tool it will state that it needs to run in Safe Mode and will then show a fake Safe Mode background. As this program is a scam do not be scared into purchasing the program when you see its alerts.
To further make it seem like your computer is not operating correctly, Check Disk will also make it so that certain folders on your computer display no contents. When opening these folders, such as C:\Windows\System32\, instead of seeing the normal list of files it will instead display a different folder’s contents or make it appear as if the folder is empty. They do this to make it seem like there is further corruption on your hard drive.
CheckDisk also attempts to make it so you cannot run any programs on your computer. If you attempt to launch a program it will terminate it and state that the program or hard drive is corrupted. It does this to protect itself from anti-virus programs you may attempt to run and to make your computer unusable so that you will be further tempted to purchase the rogue. The messages that you will see when you attempt run a program are:
Windows detected a hard drive problem.
A hard drive error occurred while starting the application.
Or
Windows cannot find notepad. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.
It should be noted that if you attempt to run a program enough times it will eventually work. When you perform the scan or use the fake defragmenter it will state that there are numerous problems on your computer, but that you first need to purchase it before it can fix any of them.
While CheckDisk is running it will also display fake alerts from your Windows taskbar. These alerts are designed to further scare you into thinking that your computer has an imminenthardware failure.
Just like the fake corruption messages and fake scan results, these alerts are only designed to scare you into purchasing the program.
The warnings issued by this program are all fake, and once you realize that, the alerts become more of a nuisance rather than a concern. Therefore, do not purchase Check Disk for any reason, and if you already have, please contact your credit card company and state that the program is a computer infection and a scam and that you would like to dispute the charge. To remove this infection and related malware, please call our specialists.
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Microsoft issues the biggest security patch update ever – Microsoft support
Posted in: Software,Virus / Anti-virus,Viruses | August 15th, 2010
Microsoft will offer security updates once in a while to lock down any Windows vulnerabilities to prevent viruses. Today, Microsoft issued a record 14 security updates to patch up a record-tying 34 vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Office. Without such updates, a computer user could be open to a potential PC virus infection.
This most popular or possibly most devastating vulnerability lies in Outlook 2007. If you enjoy using the preview pane in e-mails like I do, then you’re at risk without the new security update. Here’s what happens: if you preview an e-mail that has an infection, BAM… you’re infected also, all without even opening up the e-mail or an attachment. This drive-by virus is pretty nasty since you don’t even have a chance to protect yourself without a Windows security patch.
Other exploits this security patch takes care of are Windows media-related security updates. If you’re a big Windows media users, you’ll also need this update or else your next media update could be a virus. Internet Explorer is always a fun target so this update has further secured IE. You should install this Windows security patch update before it’s too late.
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The Best Anti Spyware software for Servers
Posted in: Software,Virus / Anti-virus,Viruses | August 2nd, 2010
It is very hard to find a good anti spyware program for servers. It is because your server antivirus is already killing spyware. So, most companies do not want to use a specific spyware removal software for servers.
What if your antivirus software did not work?
Here’s the best server antispyware software:
- Malwarebytes Anti-Malware – You run it when you need to, and it doesn’t run in the background.
- Spybot – Search & Destroy – This antispyware has been out for a while. It’s great due to its added protection as a firewall along with its light file install.
- Spyware Doctor – Although highly ranked, this one come in at #3 for me since it tends to bog down the background processes. If installed, make sure to disable the real-time scanner so your server is still peppy.
- GFI MailSecurity – As our only heavy-duty server software listed, this one should take notice for its strong shield against spyware and adware that may be installed on your e-mail server.
Please note that there is not a pure antispyware software made for the server except for the GFI MailSecurity software. The way that you should run them is as needed. If you don’t need them, you should uninstall or disable their auto-protection to ensure they are not slowing down the server.
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