This is an interesting article about the nuts and bolts of modern PC security threats including virus, trojan, phishing and the new threat of rootkits. Click the link below to read the full articles
Ever felt like you’re fighting a losing battle? That sums up many people’s attitude to computing in the Internet age: despite the best efforts of security vendors and software developers alike, malware not only exists, but continues to evolve and plague computer users.
Why does malware continue to thrive? The patronising answer would be that newbie users are behaving like amateurs and ignoring basic security practice. There’s a kernel of truth in that, but it isn’t only the newbie who clicks links they shouldn’t, and it isn’t only the novice who’s fooled into running nefarious executables by technical and social-engineering techniques.
The crux of the problem is that threats have changed dramatically in recent years, with the rise in malware mirroring the rise in broadband popularity. As the number of online users grow, and the technology used to connect to the net becomes simultaneously simpler at the front end yet more complex behind the scenes, so the opportunity to make money expands. And that’s where the answer to the “why?” question can be found: no longer are viruses the hobby of the über-nerd; malware has evolved into what most IT security experts quite rightly refer to as crimeware. Scatter-gun attacks are on the way out; targeted and financially motivated strikes are the new modus operandi.
But while everyone has heard terms such as worm, trojan, phishing and rootkit bandied about, how many people actually understand how they exploit security weaknesses? By understanding how malware works, you get one step closer to stopping it.
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