If you own a computer, you’ve probably heard of some nasty synonyms for viruses and computer security threats. With so many descriptions and monikers floating around, how are you supposed to keep them straight, let alone know your risks? Fortunately, the fine folks at Fossbytes have you covered.
Malware
Short for malicious software, malware is any software used to disrupt computer or mobile operations, gather sensitive information, gain access to private computer systems or display unwanted advertising.
Malware is often used against individuals to gain information such as personal identification numbers or details, bank or credit card numbers, and passwords. Left unguarded, personal and networked computers can be at considerable risk against these threats. (These are most frequently defended against by various types of firewall, anti-virus software, and network hardware).
Trojans
Trojans aren’t meant to damage or delete files on your system. Their sole task is to provide a backdoor gateway for malicious programs or malevolent users to enter your system and steal your valuable data without your knowledge and permission. JS.Debeski.Trojan is an example of Trojan.
They are named after the ‘Trojan Horse’ tale, in which Greeks entered the city of Troy with the help of a wooden horse which was meant to be a gift, but turned out to be a sweet poison, as depicted in the movie Troy.
Bots
Bots or Robots are automated processes that are designed to interact over the internet without the need of human interaction. They can be used for good and bad intentions. An evil minded person can create a malicious Bot that is capable of infecting the host on its own. After transmitting itself to the host device, a Bot creates a connection with central servers which act as the command centers for the infected hosts attached to that network, called Botnet.
Their skills include stealing passwords, logging keystrokes, analyzing network traffic, relay spam, launch DoS (Denial of Service) attacks and open back doors on infected hosts. These Bots can be seen as the advanced form of Worms, their infection rate and tactic is more effective than those of Worms. These malicious Bots are created after a lot of hard work done by their malignant creators.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of virus or malware that prevents or limits users from accessing their system. Once infected, the only way to get your system operational again may be to pay a fee (ransom) to the hacker. OSG has the expertise to help you avoid this situation, or once you are infected, help determine the best course of action.
Some forms of ransomware encrypt files on the system’s hard drive, which become difficult or impossible to decrypt without paying the ransom for the encryption key. Other forms lock the system and display messages intended to coax the user into paying. Ransomware typically propagates as a trojan, whose contents are camouflaged as seemingly legitimate files.
Taking charge of your server’s infrastructure is essential. Fortunately, with OSG’s experienced IT professionals, the securing process is simple. First, we’ll help you re-evaluate your IT strategy, which will include getting you the best firewall protection for your business’ needs. Then, we’ll show you the best practices to ensure your IT is secured from every angle.
