A common question asked by computer users is, ‘If I have antivirus and antispyware software installed, and I keep my Windows OS up to date, and I also use a firewall, how come I still get computer infections?‘
This question has riddled both computer users and antivirus software developers alike since the widespread use of high-speed internet first occurred. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the two main methods used by hackers to infect a home PC.
First, we’ll discuss the two main factors that contribute to this problem that security software has the greatest time dealing with: reverse engineering and social engineering.
Reverse engineering is the process of picking apart software by studying its means of detection in an effort to find a security flaw or to create a way around it. This method of bypassing antivirus security has been used by hackers for quite some time and is particularly effective against computers that are running outdated antivirus software. Therefore, the best way to protect yourself from reverse engineering tactics is to keep your antivirus software up to date.
An even easier way for hackers to bypass your antivirus security is by using social engineering, a process that exploits the human element to access the computer.
The most typical methods of social engineering are:
Fraudulent emailsEmail attachments that claim to be very importantFree offers that contain hidden programsWeb sites discretely load software onto your machine when you click on a linkOf all the different types of computers that are online, the average household computer with a high-speed internet connection is by far the most targeted for attack. Teenagers are a very high risk group, since they are known to visit just about any website without hesitating. Teenagers are also the biggest users of file sharing software such as Limewire, KaZaa, and torrent clients, where infected files are constantly being distributed.
Additionally, teenagers spend a great deal of time on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, which are notorious for being targeted by hackers. ‘Phishing’ is the method of tricking the user into revealing personal information such as usernames and passwords. One popular phishing method is to direct unsuspecting users to an imposter site designed to look like a trusted site where they may already have an account and prompting them to enter their username and password. The information is then collected and relayed to hackers who may have several malicious uses for it. This is a particularly significant threat for those who do banking online or use sites that deal with currency exchange such as PayPal.
Residential computers, in general, tend to have a higher level of virus as well as spyware infections, primarily to do the way that they are used.
If you are running up to date antivirus software and your system still manages to contract infections, it may be due to a ‘liveware’ problem, which means someone that has access to your computer is using it for high-risk activity that may be allowing viruses to bypass basic antivirus detection. Educating everyone in your household about the dangers of using the internet and explaining to them how to go about their business online safely may likely prevent any future infections from occurring.
Tags: computer virus, reverse engineering, spyware, virus, worm
This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 4:15 am and is filed under Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.