how to protect your pc from malware
TRANSCRIPT
How to Protect your PC from Malware What is Malware Types of Malware How to prevent Malware
Malicious Software
What is malware? Software designed to infiltrate a computer system and possibly damage it
without the user’s knowledge or consent Types of malware
Viruses Adware Spyware Trojan Horse Worms Ransomware Logic Bombs…and more…
Spyware Malicious software that is either downloaded unwittingly from a
website or is installed along with some other third-party software It monitors the user’s activity without informing the user that it is
doing so It passes on user’s information to marketers or intercepts personal
data such as credit card numbers It always provides commercial gain
How Spyware comes to your computer? Downloading free games, utilities, media players Opening spam email Visiting corrupted websites Mainstream software applications File sharing programs
How to prevent Spyware? The first line of defense is Windows defender (Windows 8) Set your Internet security setting to high Follow your instincts, don’t visit untrusted Websites Read before you click, uncheck the small boxes, and “No, I do not
accept”
Adware Displays ads and generate revenue for the creator Adware collect data on which sites the user visits Sends this data back to the company and delivers ads based on the
information It can be included within some freeware or shareware A visit to an infected website can result in installation of adware Antivirus software can detect and remove adware
Trojan Horse Trojan horses are programs that enter a system or network under the
guise of another program It may be included as an attachment or as part of an installation program Appears to perform wanted functions but is actually performing malicious
functions behind the scenes The name is derived from the story of the Greek gift to the Trojans, hidden
with soldiers
How to prevent Trojan horse Not to allow them to enter your system Any software or operating system you install, back it up If Trojan horse suspected, then reinstall the original program It will delete Trojan horse A port scan may also reveal a Trojan horse Also, any Trojan Removal software will be helpful
Trojan Horse Removal Software
Worms A worm is similar to a virus by design and is considered to be a sub-class
of a virus Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the
capability to travel without any human action A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your
system, which is what allows it to travel unaided Worm has the capability to replicate itself on your system So your computer will be sending out hundreds or thousands of copies of
itself creating a huge devastating attack effect
Who Will Get Infected by Worms?
Ransomware Ransomware is often delivered through Trojan Horse Takes control of the system and demands a third party be paid Control can be accomplished by encrypting the hard drive, by changing
user password information or any other creative ways Users are assured that by paying the money they will be given the code
needed to revert their system to normal operations
Ransomware Sign
Logic Bombs Logic bombs are programs that executes when a certain predefined event
occurs A bomb may send a note to attacker when a user is logged on to the
Internet This message informs the attacker that the user is ready for an attack That the victim has meet the needed criteria for an attack to begin Victim’s system can be used to initiate an attack, such as DDOS attack Or can grant access at the time of the attacker’s choosing
Virus A virus is a piece of software designed to infect a computer system A computer virus attaches itself to another program or replaces it by overwriting it so that it can reproduce itself without you
knowing it It can quickly use up all the available memory on your computer and
seriously slow down the system, and even stop it completely Viruses can damage data files, destroy files, make disks unreadable
How viruses get into your computer
From contaminated media, like DVD, USB, or CD-ROM Through email and social networking sites As part of another program
What viruses can do Damage data files Destroy files make disks unreadable Even cause damage they weren’t designed to
How to prevent viruses The primary method is antivirus software, like Symantec Endpoint
Protection, and Microsoft Security Essentials Symantec Endpoint Protection is provided for free to NOVA students NOVA students can download it from Blackboard using their myNOVA
username and password https://learn.vccs.edu/webapps/portal/execute/tabs/tabAction?
tab_tab_group_id=_23_1 Microsoft Security Essentials can be downloaded for free from Microsoft
Website http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5201
What is Anti-Virus software
Antivirus software is an application to protect your system and scan it for viruses, worms and Trojan horses
Most viruses have characteristics that are common to families of virus Antivirus software looks for these characteristics, or fingerprints, to
identify and naturalize viruses before they impact you More free Anti-Virus software, like Malwarebytes, Spybot, Trend Micro and
more
User Education The second method preventing viruses is user education Not to open suspicious files To scan every disk, email, and document they receive before they open
them The security settings should be on high within the application they use Update the antivirus software at all times
Symptoms of Virus Infection Programs of your system start to load more slowly Unusual files appears on your hard drive, or files disappear from your
system Many viruses delete key files in your system to make it inoperable Program size changes from installed version, because virus is attaching
itself to the program Browser, word processing application, or other software exhibit unusual
operating characteristics. System suddenly doesn’t reboot or gives unexpected error messages
during startup
Hands-on Activity Scanning your system using Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Install the free Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Start Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Choose scan this computer You will have a choice which computer to scan Choose this computer Click on start Scan View the report details when the scan concludes
Resources
CompTIA Security +, Deluxe Study Guide, Third Edition By: Emmett Dulaney