When someone says “you have malware”, what do you think of? Do you remember the “old days” when a virus was simply an annoyance, blue screening Windows machines, slowing your machine speed, or popping up false firewall advertisements? Unfortunately, those “old days” are long gone. Malware has changed drastically in recent years.
Today, attackers have learned if they leave the machine working normally, users will be less suspicious of an attack — how do you know if you’re infected if your anti-virus or firewalls don’t detect the attack? If an attacker leaves the computer running smoothly, users feel safe because they do not “see” anything happening. This instills users and organizations with a false sense of security. Meanwhile, once on the computer, the malware is morphing itself, changing its own name and attributes, and injecting itself into hundreds of files, making it difficult or impossible for anti-virus software to identify and quarantine the files.
Many do not know that a computer infected with advanced malware has value on the open market. On the Black Market, infected computers are purchased in bulk. Current rates are between $0.10 to $1.00 per infected computer. These compromised advanced malware computers are everywhere — in homes, in corporations, and in various organizations. Attackers have 2-way communications access into these computers, past a firewall and past anti-virus software. These attackers then steal personal data, documents, and sensitive information.
The goal of advanced malware is to keep computers functioning properly, while profiting from their value, and stealing private and sensitive data. There is new technology in the marketplace today to help detect traffic which is otherwise undetectable.
Consider an Advanced Malware Threat Assessment if you suspect a security incident.
The best defense is a good offense!