Discuss the various types of computer intrusions.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Computer intrusions are accomplished by the use of malware, a term derived from combining malicious and software.

1. Botnets: A "herder" ("botmaster") uses malware to hijack hundreds to tens of thousands of computers and is able to remotely control them all, including the ability to update the malware and to introduce other programs such as spyware.
2. Viruses: At any one time, there may be as many as 16,000 viruses floating around. The primary purpose of a virus is to replicate as many times as possible and to cause as much mischief or damage as possible. A virus is an unauthorized software program that is surreptitiously inserted into an executable program on a single computer. When a user launches the infected program, the virus looks for other executable programs in which to place a copy of its malicious code. Thus, the typical virus requires human intervention to spread itself. Worms are considered a variant or subclass of viruses and therefore are substantially similar to them. The key difference between the two is once inserted into a computer, a worm can distribute itself across the Internet without any action by the computer user because it is self-contained and does not have to be part of another software program.
3. Time, logic, and email bombs: A time bomb is programmed to "go off" at a particular time or date, such as April Fool's Day, Halloween, or Friday the 13th. A logic bomb is "detonated" when a specific event occurs-for example, all personnel records are erased when an electronic notation is made that a particular person was fired. Email bombs are intended to overwhelm a person's email account by surreptitiously subscribing it to dozens or even hundreds of mailing lists.
4. Ransomware: Also known as a cryptovirus, ransomware holds the data on a computer or the use of the computer hostage until a payment is made.
5. Dead drop: Some cybercriminals prefer to distance themselves from incriminating files; they use another computer or server, a virtual dead drop, sometimes called an egg drop or drop zone, on which to store the data they have stolen.
6. Trojan horse: There are numerous platforms for delivering Trojan horses. One way is to offer what appears to be legitimate software program with a title that mimics a well-known package that many users may try, such as a free download of a "Web Accelerator."
7. Spyware: Spyware is a broad term that sometimes is used to mean the same thing as malware but more narrowly is thought of as a surveillance tool, such as the infostealer form of a Trojan horse.
8. Rootkits: In many computer operating systems (OSs), the "root" is a "superuser" account for system administration. A "kit" is the malware introduced into the computer. A rootkit gives an attacker "super powers" over computers-for example, the ability to steal sensitive personal information.
9. Scareware: A scareware attack often starts with a pop-up message on your screen, "Virus Activity Detected!" claiming that your computer has a virus-and for $19.95 you can download antivirus software to fix the problem. The unwary user who buys the software thinks the problem is resolved, but the software is really useless and delivers malware, and the vendor sells the user's credit card number.