Online threats pose significant threats to people’s lives, their businesses as well as their finances. While some can be detected quickly, others have become increasingly more sophisticated and challenging over the years.
Shaira Williams – Techies Pad, details how often single PC users and small to large businesses are destroyed of these threats.
Some are individualistic, with specific high-value targets that can involve location tracking or social engineering to fulfill their cryptic intentions. Others include massive bot-nets of millions of devices which all act in concert with another.
Many people have been victims and have experienced the painful process of online threats like online phishing scams or having their identities or profiles hijacked to enable unauthorized access to corporate infrastructure or information. Many times, attempts at bringing the perpetrators to justice often bear no fruit due to the World Wide Web’s anonymity.
As the latest tech evolves, the threats also become harder to identify or prevent. With no clear way of protecting ourselves, it is essential to understand the threats existing in the web to learn how to combat them.
The Threat of Crypto Mining
- Almost everyone around the world is talking about Bitcoin, block-chain technology, and crypto currencies.
- It has become a hot topic at dinner tables, boardrooms, government meetings and even casual hangout spots like pubs especially due to its fluctuating value.
- However, more recently the focus has been on how crypto-currencies have increasingly created a motivation for cyber attacks and malware.
- When the value of Bitcoins began to skyrocket, so did Bitcoin mining profitability and investments in it.
- This rising value together with increased competition and a dwindling Bitcoin supply has created a recipe for serious cyber security problems.
- With the increased mining of Bitcoins, difficulties have been increased by the system in the number of cryptographic hashes that need to be solved.
- The number of coins awarded to miners has also been reduced with the reward being halved from 25 to 12.5 in 2016, and by 2020 it is expected to drop to 6.25.
- With only a few Bitcoins left and fewer coins being awarded by mining, the only way of boosting profits has been to lower operating costs especially for the consumption of power needed to run and cool massive server banks.
- Miners of Bitcoins, therefore, attempt to offset these costs through malware which are malicious scripts installed on computers to run Bitcoin mining software that is disguised as programs that are legitimate.
- Various websites have been caught generating revenue by secretly using the CPU of unsuspecting visitors to mine crypto-currency. Hackers have also targeted hundreds of thousands of computers to install malware for Bitcoin mining.
- Even social media sites like Facebook, Messenger, and YouTube have experienced attempts of infecting users’ computers and smartphones to mine various crypto-currencies.
- Some malware for mining has been found to be so aggressive that it can melt a Smartphone and at enterprise levels, it increases CPU loads resulting in hardware failure; huge energy consumption drains, thousands of infections on single networks and entire systems becoming incapable of performing tasks that are critical.
- Malicious cyber users implement such attacks by targeting CPU cycles of computers, end user and IoT mobile devices, web browsers and network infrastructures.
- Media devices like cable boxes, smart TVs and DVRs have increasingly become a target for illicit mining power with cyber criminals exploiting known vulnerabilities to steal these devices processing power to mine crypto-currencies.
- At the least, illegal cyber mining drains organization resources, results in increased computing workload, thefts of expensive cloud computing resources and risks physical damage to OT and IT infrastructures.
The Threat of Botnets
- A botnet refers to a network of computers that have been infected which under a single master computer command work in unison to accomplish a goal.
- Even though it may sound simple and harmless, it is the powerhouse behind some of the worst attacks attempted by hackers such as breaking into people’s accounts, sending out dangerous and annoying spam, spreading fake websites, tricking people to give personal information, denying access to entire internet portions and infecting millions with malware.
- Botnets rely on two things; the first is a large network of devices which are infected, also known as ‘zombies’ to do the grunt work for the hackers schemes.
- The second is someone to command them to perform a specific task, and this is referred to as the Control or Command center or bot herder.
- Botnets are very comprehensive, and one may fall victim by either being attacked by botnet powered schemes or their devices turned to a part of a worldwide hacker network.
- Cyber criminals get devices to join botnets through the use of Trojans or questionable software that users get tricked into downloading.
- Once infected the internet security of the computer becomes compromised and the system resources and bandwidth are rented out to the highest bidder or utilized in attacking other users or legitimate businesses.
- The vast potential for cyber crime created by botnets has made security experts consider them the most dangerous threat on the internet today.
The Threat of Malvertising
- Also known as malicious advertising, malvertising is the use of malicious online advertisements to compromise systems and spread malware.
- It generally occurs through the injection of malicious or unwanted code into ads.
- Legitimate online advertising networks are then paid by malicious actors to display the ads which are infected on different websites, and this exposes every user visiting the sites to potential infection.
- The legitimate advertising networks and websites are usually not aware that the content they are serving is malicious.
- Malicious actors usually hide small pieces of code deep within advertisements that look legitimate and these codes direct the user’s machine to be compromised or malicious servers.
- When a successful connection is made between the user’s machine and the server, exploit kits hosted on the server are executed.
- Exploit kits are types of malware which can evaluate a system, determine vulnerabilities existing in the system and exploits them by allowing malicious actors to install malware.
- The attacker can then perform various actions like gaining full computer access, acquiring sensitive or financial information, locking systems or holding them ransom or even adding the system to a botnet for use in additional attacks.
Quick fixes – eScan:
eScan Total Security Suite for Home and Small Office Edition is a security solution that provides real-time protection from objectionable content and threats such as Viruses, Adware, Malware, Spyware, Crypto mining, Botnets, Malvertising, Spam, and Phishing.
The use of advance and futuristic technologies such as MicroWorld Winsock Layer Technology, Domain and IP Reputation Checker Technology, Non-Intrusive Learning Pattern Technology, eScan Security Network, and Advanced Virus Control, it secures your sensitive information and provides a safe environment when browsing the internet, shopping online, performing online transactions.
Vulnerability Scanner feature checks the vulnerability of the software and protects you from the malware or Trojan software that users get tricked into downloading and installing on your computers. This software also helps to improve your system’s performance by Disk Defragmenter feature which reduces the time taken to process the data, manages CPU performances, and also the energy consumption by the system.
File and Folder Protection feature helps you to protect you data from getting infected or corrupted from the malware and virus attacks. Identity Protection feature effectively safeguards your identity, passwords and provides virus protection against malware and web-based threats. Web Safe feature provides safe and hassle-free surfing experience without interruption of unwanted websites pop-ups and annoying spam mails.
Auto Back Up and Restore feature helps you to automatically restore all your data so that you don’t lose any critical information in case of system crash or Malware attack. eScan Antivirus is very effective and can highly secure your system. eScan Antivirus Software is updated at a regular interval so that there are no more hacks on your PC while you are surfing a website, or simply downloading a game.
To know more, visit eScan Blog
