Suppose you observe that your home PC is responding very slowly to information r

Question

Suppose you observe that your home PC is responding very slowly to information requests from the net. And then you further observe that your network gateway shows high levels of network activity, even though you have closed your e-mail client, Web browser, and other programs that access the net. What types of malware could cause these symptoms? Discuss how the malware might have gained access to your system. What steps can you take to check whether this has occurred? If you do identify malware on your PC, how can you restore it to safe operation?

Explanation / Answer

Answer :

1)What types of malware could cause these symptoms?

Spyware:. Spyware is software that spies on you, tracking your internet activities in order to send advertising back to your system.

Virus: A virus is a contagious program or code that attaches itself to another piece of software, and then reproduces itself when that software is run. Most often this is spread by sharing software or files between computers.

Trojan: The most dangerous Malware. Trojans are written with the purpose of discovering your financial information, taking over your computer’s system resources, and in larger systems creating a denial-of-service attack Denial-of-service attack: an attempt to make a machine.

Rootkit: It is the hardest of all Malware to detect and therefore to remove; many experts recommend completely wiping your hard drive and reinstalling everything from scratch.

Backdoors: Backdoors are much the same as Trojans or worms, except that they open a “backdoor” onto a computer, providing a network connection for hackers or other Malware to enter or for viruses or SPAM to be sent.

Rogue security software: It pretends to be a good program to remove Malware infections, but all the while it is the Malware. Often it will turn off the real Anti-Virus software.This one deceives users. The next image shows the typical screen for this Malware program, Antivirus 2010

Ransomware: Your system is severely infected with a form of Malware called Ransomware,If you see the screen that warns you that you have been locked out of your computer until you pay for your cybercrimes.It is not a real notification from the FBI, but, rather an infection of the system itself.

Adware:. The least dangerous and most lucrative Malware. Adware displays ads on your computer.

Browser Hijacker:This dangerous Malware will redirect your normal search activity and give you the results the developers want you to see.Using this homepage and not removing the Malware lets the source developers capture your surfing interests. This is especially dangerous when banking or shopping online.

Worm: A program that replicates itself and destroys data and files on the computer. Worms work to work on system operating files and data files until the drive is empty.

2)Discuss how the malware might have gained access to your system ?

No antivirus spyware scanner

Using software, music, or movies

Not running the latest updates

Inserting an infected disk, disc, or drive

Downloading any infected software

Accepting without reading

3)What steps can you take to check whether this has occurred?

Slowdown

New Browser home page, new toolbars and/or your browser opens unwanted websites

Popup's

Crashes

Suspicious Hard drive activity

Running out of hard drive space

Unusual high network activity

Unusual messages or programs starting automatically

Your security solution is disabled

Your friends say they receive strange messages or e-mails from you

4)If you do identify malware on your PC, how can you restore it to safe operation?

Check your credit and bank accounts.Take any steps necessary to secure your cards, bank account, and identity. Change passwords at any web site you accessed from the compromised computer.Do not use the unknown computer to do any of this.

Take a backup of your data.

Re-install your applications.

Make sure your operating system and software is fully patched and up to date.

Run a complete anti-virus scan to clean the backup.

Restore the backup.

Re-install the operating system using disks shipped with the computer, purchased separately, or the recovery disk you should have created when the computer was new.

Make sure the re-install includes a complete re-format of your disk.

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