Storm Worm Virus

What is a computer worm? 

Several things may come to mind when you think of the word “worm." You may think of delicious soft chewie candies that are sugary and maybe a little sour. Or you may think of the cold-blooded invertebrate animals that wiggle across the Earth’s surface. And if you’re thinking in computing terms, the malware may spring to mind. Similar to real worms, you can say that computer worms don’t have much of a backbone because they often rely on trickery to infect their hosts. They may also seem a bit coldblooded because they can be remorselessly destructive. Let’s learn more about them.

Worm definition

A computer worm is a subset of the Trojan horse malware that can propagate or self-replicate from one computer to another without human activation after breaching a system. Typically, a worm spreads across a network through your Internet or LAN (Local Area Network) connection. Naturally, you must be wondering what is a trojan and how does it relate to computer worms?   To keep it brief, a Trojan uses trickery and social engineering to deceive people into running it. For example, a Trojan may pretend to be legitimate software. A worm is a type of Trojan because it normally relies on social engineering to attack systems.  

How does a computer worm spread?

Phishing: 

Fraudulent emails that look authentic can carry worms in corrupt attachments. Such emails may also invite users to click malicious links or visit websites designed to infect users with worms.

Spear-Phishing:

Targeted phishing attempts can carry dangerous malware like ransomware crypto worms.  

Networks: 

Worms can self-replicate across networks via shared access.

Security holes: 

Some worm variants can infiltrate a system by exploiting software vulnerabilities.

File sharing:

P2P file networks can carry malware like worms.

Social networks: 

Social platforms like MySpace have been affected by certain types of worms.

Instant messengers (IMs):

All types of malware, including worms, can spread through text messages and IM platforms such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC).  

External devices:

Worms can infect USB sticks and external hard drives.

What does a computer worm do?

Once a computer worm has breached your computer’s defenses it can perform several malicious actions:

Drop other malware like spyware or ransomware

Consume bandwidth

Delete files

Overload networks

Steal data

Open a backdoor

Deplete hard drive space

Computer worm vs. virus

Some people think that a computer worm and a computer virus are the same things because the two behave similarly. They may even use the terms like "worm computer virus" or "worm virus malware." The truth is that the two are comparable but different threats. The defining difference between a virus and a worm is that viruses rely on human action for activation and need a host system to replicate. In other words, a virus won’t harm your system unless you run it. For example, a virus on a flash drive connected to your computer won’t damage your system unless you activate it. And as mentioned above, a worm doesn’t need a host system or user action to spread.

Computer worm examples

• Morris Worm: Also known as the Internet worm, this was one of the first computer worms to spread via the Internet and earn notoriety in the media.
• Bagle: Also known as Beagle, Mitglieder, and Lodeight, this mass-mailing worm had many variants.
• Blaster: Also known as MSBlast, Loves, and Lovsan, this worm attacked computers running Windows XP and Windows 2000.
• Conficker: Also known as Downup, Downadup, and Kido, this worm exploited flaws in Windows to infect millions of computers in over a hundred countries.
• ILOVEYOU: The ILOVEYOU worm infected tens of millions of computers globally, resulting in billions of dollars in damage.
• Mydoom: This became the fastest-spreading email worm in 2004, sending junk email across computers.
• Ryuk: Although Ryuk wasn't always a worm, it's now worm-like ransomware.
• SQL Slammer: The SQL Slammer worm gained infamy for slowing down Internet traffic with denial-of-service attacks on some Internet hosts.
• Storm Worm: This worm utilized social engineering with fake news of a disastrous storm to drop botnets on compromised machines.
• Stuxnet: Some experts believe this sophisticated worm was developed for years to launch a cyberattack.

Symptoms of a computer worm 

Many of the symptoms of a computer worm are like that of a computer virus. For example, you may have a computer worm if your computer slows down, freezes, crashes, or throws up error messages. You may also notice that files are missing or corrupted or that your hard drive's space is rapidly depleting inexplicably. Additionally, you may see alerts from your firewall about a breach. 

MyDoom Virus

What is MyDoom?

While many people call it a virus, technically MyDoom is a worm, as it can operate and spread independently from the host.MyDoom (also known as Nova, W32.MyDoom@mm, Shimgapi, and Email. R) spreads through malicious email attachments. After the victim clicks on the attachment, the worm gets inside the operating system and sends emails to all the victim’s contacts. When people see a familiar name, they are more likely to open a suspicious file. At the time of discovery in 2004, you could also get MyDoom by using the file-sharing platform Kazaa, which is no longer operating.MyDoom adds infected computers to a botnet and then carries out distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. When the worm takes control over the victim’s OS, it then opens various ports and provides a backdoor to invite even more malware in.

Technical details

MyDoom arrives with one of the following subject lines: test, hi, hello, mail delivery system, mail transaction failed, server report, status, or error. According to cybersecurity experts, the malicious email attachments typically contain pif, scr, exe, cmd, bat, htm, txt, doc, and zip extensions. When MyDoom is executed, it copies itself to the %system% or %temp% directories. The worm also creates a registry value in one of the following keys:

1) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

2) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

This causes the worm to start whenever you launch your Windows computer. MyDoom also deploys a backdoor Trojan, allowing unauthorized access to your system, and copies itself to P2P to spread through downloads. After all of this is done, an infected device turns into a so-called zombie — a remotely controlled machine that can be used in DDoS attacks.

Variants

The first version of MyDoom was called MyDoom.A, followed by MyDoom.B, which additionally modified the host file of an infected computer to prevent the use of antimalware software. However, MyDoom.B did not spread as fast as the previous variant. When it launched a DDoS attack against Microsoft in 2004, the botnet was not big enough to take down the site.A bunch of other MyDoom variants – C, F, G/H, U, V, W, X – were spotted in the wild later, but none achieved the notoriety of the A variant.

When was MyDoom popular?

MyDoom was first spotted on January 26, 2004, when internet users around the world started to get emails with suspicious attachments. Most people in those days didn’t have a clue about phishing emails, social engineering, or hacking attacks. No wonder many of them clicked on a link and helped spread MyDoom like wildfire.The malicious email contained the message “I'm just doing my job, nothing personal, sorry.” The spread of MyDoom was so fast that slowed the global internet by ten percent on the day of its launch. One in ten email messages in the world at the time of the attack was associated with this notorious worm. On January 28, MyDoom reached its peak and then started to slowly decline. However, the virus was slowed down not by cybersecurity experts but by its developers, as variant B had bugs.

The biggest attack

On January 26, MyDoom took down Google, preventing people from using Google Search. Another popular search engine, Yahoo, was slowed down but managed to keep operating.MyDoom also blocked access to websites of over 60 security companies, so users couldn’t download antivirus software to clean their computers. Tech industry leaders like Microsoft offered a $250,000 bounty to anyone who could track down the attackers. However, the culprits were never found. Estimates say that MyDoom caused $38 billion in damages, making it one of the worst viruses ever. Security researchers believe MyDoom has infected around 50 million computers worldwide.

Is MyDoom still active?

While more than 18 years have passed since the launch of MyDoom, the worm is still active and running. However, it is contained in just over 1% of malicious emails worldwide, mostly those sent by spammers originating from China and the US.MyDoom hasn’t changed its tactics throughout the years: once the worm infects a computer, it starts searching for other email addresses through which to distribute itself.

How to tell if a device is infected with MyDoom

If you have a feeling that your computer may be infected with MyDoom or any other type of malware, pay attention to its performance. However, MyDoom is considered to be a sophisticated worm, so it can be hard to notice any difference for non-professionals. Here’s what you need to look for:

• Your computer has become slower than usual.
• Unexpected pop-ups appear.
• The computer fan is constantly running.
• The default homepage changes.
• You notice toolbars in your browser you don’t remember adding.
• Mass emails are being sent from your account.
• Your security software is disabled for no reason.

More attentive readers can also check for specific signs attributed to MyDoom:

TCP ports are opened. MyDoom.An opened ports in the range of 3127-3198. Other variants opened ports such as 80, 139, 445, 1080, 8080, and 10080. The virus needs an open port to establish a backdoor and take control over the infected computer.

A random .txt file appears. Some variants of MyDoom create a .txt file containing random data.

The host file is overwritten. MyDoom can overwrite the host file, so you can’t use your antivirus software.

ILOVEYOU Virus

What is the ILOVEYOU virus?

The ILOVEYOU virus comes in an email with "ILOVEYOU" in the subject line and contains an attachment that, when opened, results in the message being re-sent to everyone in the recipient's Microsoft Outlook address book. Perhaps more seriously, it results in the loss of every JPEG, MP3, and certain other files on all recipients' hard disks. Since Microsoft Outlook is widely installed as the default email management application in corporate networks worldwide, the ILOVEYOU virus can spread rapidly within a corporation. In fact, this is exactly what happened on May 4, 2000. In just about 10 days, ILOVEYOU reached an estimated 45 million users and caused about $10 Billion in damages.

It spread so quickly that many major enterprises like the Ford Motor Company, AT&T, and Microsoft, as well as government organizations like the Pentagon, CIA, U.S. Army, and parliaments in Denmark and the U.K., had to completely shut down their email services as they tried to bring the virus under control and mitigate its damage.ILOVEYOU is also known as the "love letter virus" and the "love bug worm." Although commonly referred to as a computer virus, ILOVEYOU is actually a worm.

While a virus is a malicious code that replicates itself following a human intervention, a worm is a type of malware that can replicate itself and spread from system to system without human interaction or intervention. It doesn't even need to attach itself to Software. ILOVEYOU works via email, specifically via a malicious email attachment. When the affected user opens the attachment, their action instantly downloads the worm into their system without their knowledge and starts spreading it across the network. The email consisted of the subject line "ILOVEYOU" and a simple message: "kindly check the attached LOVELETTER coming from me." When a recipient opened their email, the virus sent copies of itself to everyone in their address book. These recipients assumed the email was a genuine declaration of love or a funny joke, opened it out of curiosity, and inadvertently helped spread it further.

How do the ILOVEYOU virus work and spread?

The Attachment in the ILOVEYOU virus is a VBScript program that recipients at the time mistook for a simple text file because the extension .vbs was hidden from view on Windows machines. When the file is opened, it finds the recipient's Outlook address book and re-sends the note to everyone in it. It then overwrites -- and thus destroys -- all files of types:

• JPEG
• MP3
• VPOS
• JS
• JSE
• CSS
• WSH
• SCT
• HTA

ILOVEYOU could -- and did -- destroy all kinds of files including photographs, audio files, and documents. Affected users who didn't have backup copies lost them permanently. In March 1999, similar to ILOVEYOU, the Melissa Virus also replicated itself by using Outlook address books. However, it only infected about 1 million computers and wasn't as successful as ILOVEYOU at destroying user files.ILOVEYOU also resets the recipient's Internet Explorer start page in a way that may cause further trouble, changing certain Windows registries. settings and spreading itself through Internet Relay Chat.

How did affected companies react to ILOVEYOU?

To ward off ILOVEYOU, one of the first things affected companies did at the time was to screen out emails with "ILOVEYOU" in the subject line. However, this strategy was only moderately successful. Hackers quickly introduced copycat variations with subject lines including "JOKE" and "Mother's Day!" as the content but containing the same or similar VBScript code as the ILOVEYOU worm. One of the most sinister mutations was a version with the subject line containing "VIRUS ALERT!!!" This email posed as a virus fix from Symantec and started out with the greeting, "Dear Symantec Customer." The attachment, which contains the same VBS format file as ILOVEYOU, is called "protect.VBS."

How to stay safe from ILOVEYOU and similar attacks

Since ILOVEYOU, thousands of other viruses and worms have impacted organizations all over the world. The problem is not going away, so companies should take proactive steps to protect themselves. Most importantly, they should install Antivirus Software on their systems to continuously screen for ILOVEYOU and other kinds of viruses. Antivirus software can also remove these viruses from infected systems and protect systems from future viruses. To make sure the antivirus works well, it's crucial to regularly update it. Users should never open any email attachment without screening it first with antivirus software, especially if the sender or attachment type is unknown or unfamiliar. If a system is already infected, the organization should immediately run a virus scan. Starting it in Safe Mode can help handle malicious files. It's also critical to disconnect all affected systems from the internet to prevent the virus from spreading.

The long-term impact of the ILOVEYOU virus

ILOVEYOU was one of the first real-world examples of the use of Social Engineering to perpetrate a CyberCrime. In the 20+ years since ILOVEYOU was created and unleashed, social engineering has become a common attack vector, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. ILOVEYOU was also one of the first serious malware incidents to demonstrate the potentially dangerous impact of Spam Email. On a positive note, the virus created a fundamental shift in the cybersecurity landscape by shining a light on how bad actors leverage human emotions and needs (e.g., the need to be loved or a propensity to fall for flattery) to launch attacks. It also forced companies and security professionals to start thinking more seriously about enterprise security as well as user security awareness and education, especially around social engineering, spam, and phishing.

Cryptolocker Virus

Cryptolocker Virus Definition

Cryptolocker is a malware threat that gained notoriety over the last few years. It is a Trojan horse that infects your computer and then searches for files to encrypt. This includes anything on your hard drives and all connected media — for example, USB memory sticks or any shared network drives. In addition, the malware seeks out files and folders you store in the cloud. Only computers running a version of Windows are susceptible to Cryptolocker; the Trojan does not target Macs. Once your desktop or laptop is infected, files are "locked" using what's known as asymmetric encryption. This method relies on two "keys," one public and one private. Hackers encrypt your data using the public key, but it can only be decrypted using the unique private key they hold. The Cryptolocker virus will display warning screens indicating that your data will be destroyed if you do not pay a ransom to obtain the private key.

Common Infection Methods and Risks

The most common method of infection is via emails with unknown attachments. Although the attachments often appear to be standard file types such as *.doc or *.pdf, they in fact contain a double extension — a hidden executable (*.exe). Once opened, the attachment creates a window and activates a downloader, which infects your computer. Because the program is a Trojan, it cannot self-replicate, meaning it must be downloaded to infect your computer. In addition to malicious email attachments, this malware may also come from websites that prompt you to download a plug-in or video player. Typically, you will see nothing wrong with your computer until all files have been encrypted. Then, a warning will pop up indicating that you have been infected and show a countdown timer until all your data is destroyed. Many antivirus programs can remove this Trojan, but cannot decrypt your data. In some cases, users have re-installed the Trojan after removal in order to pay the ransom and unlock their data.

Protection from this Ransomware starts with safe Internet use — don't open any attachments from unknown email addresses, even if they claim to be from your bank or workplace, and don't download any files from an unfamiliar website. If you believe you may be infected, run a full system scan using a reputable antivirus program. It may be possible unlock your files if you regularly use Windows System Restore to create restore points, but in some cases, you may need to go even deeper and use a Rescue disk utility. Here, a disk image of the Rescue utility is created and copied to a DVD or USB drive. You will then have to boot your computer using this external media, which disinfects the machine. Again, there is no guarantee of full data recovery.

Cryptolocker can cause serious damage to personal and business computers. By always creating a physically separate backup of critical files, regularly running antivirus scans and avoiding unknown email attachments, you can minimize the chance of infection.

links related to the Cryptolocker Virus

What is Ransomware

Ransomware poses a threat to you and your device, but what makes this form of malware so special? The word "ransom" tells you everything you need to know about this pest. Ransomware is extortion software that can lock your computer and then demand a ransom for its release. In most cases, ransomware infection occurs as follows. The malware first gains access to the device. Depending on the type of ransomware, either the entire operating system or individual files are encrypted. A ransom is then demanded from the victim. If you want to minimize the risk of a ransomware attack, you should rely on high-quality ransomware protection software.

Ransomware: part of the malware family

Malware is a portmanteau of the words "malicious" and "software". The term malware, therefore, covers all malicious software that can be dangerous to your computer. This includes viruses and Trojans.

How to detect ransomware and protect yourself from it

When it comes to protecting against ransomware, prevention is better than cure. To achieve this, a watchful eye and the right security software are crucial. Vulnerability scans can also help you to find intruders in your system. First, it's important to make sure your computer is not an ideal target for ransomware. Device software should always be kept up to date in order to benefit from the latest security patches. In addition, careful action, especially with regard to rogue websites and email attachments, is vital. But even the best preventive measures can fail, making it all the more essential to have a contingency plan. In the case of ransomware, a contingency plan consists of having a backup of your data. To learn how to create a backup and what additional measures you can put in place to protect your device.

Fighting encryption Trojans 

The most common ransomware infection routes include visiting malicious websites, downloading a malicious attachment, or via unwanted add-ons during downloads. A single careless moment is enough to trigger a ransomware attack. Since malware is designed to remain undetected for as long as possible, it is difficult to identify an infection. A ransomware attack is most likely to be detected by security software. Obviously, changes to file extensions, increased CPU activity, and other dubious activity on your computer may indicate an infection. When removing ransomware, there are basically three options available to you. The first is to pay the ransom, which is definitely not recommended. It is, therefore, best to try to remove the ransomware from your computer. If this is not possible, only one step remains: you will need to reset your computer to factory settings.

What forms of ransomware are there and what does that mean for you?

As mentioned above, the threat posed by ransomware depends on the variant of the virus. The first thing to consider is that there are two main categories of ransomware: locker ransomware and crypto-ransomware. These can be distinguished as follows:

Locker ransomware 

basic computer functions are affected

Crypto ransomware 

individual files are encrypted

The type of malware also makes a significant difference when it comes to identifying and dealing with ransomware. Within the two main categories, distinctions are made between numerous additional types of ransomware. These include, for example, Locky, wanna cry, and Bad Rabbit.

History of ransomware

Blackmailing computer users in this way is not a 21st-century invention. As early as 1989, a primitive pioneer of ransomware was used. The first concrete cases of ransomware were reported in Russia in 2005. Since then, ransomware has spread all over the world, with new types continuing to prove successful. In 2011, a dramatic increase in ransomware attacks was observed. In the course of further attacks, manufacturers of antivirus software have increasingly focused their virus scanners on ransomware, especially since 2016. Regional differences can often be seen in the various ransomware attacks. For example:

Incorrect messages about unlicensed applications:

In some countries, Trojans notify the victim that unlicensed software is installed on their computer. The message then prompts the user to make a payment.

False claims about illegal content:

In countries where illegal software downloads are common practice, this approach is not particularly successful for cybercriminals. Instead, ransomware messages claim that they are from law enforcement agencies and that child pornography or other illegal content has been found on the victim's computer. The message also contains a demand for a penalty fee to be paid.

The largest ransomware attack

One of the largest and most serious ransomware attacks took place in the spring of 2017 and was called WannaCry. In the course of the attack, approximately 200,000 victims from roughly 150 countries were asked to pay a ransom in Bitcoin.

Malware Penetrates Computers and IT Systems

For many computer virus writers and cybercriminals, the objective is to distribute their virus, worm, or Trojan virus to as many computers or mobile phones as possible – so that they can maximize malware penetration. There are three main ways in which this can be achieved:

Via Social Engineering

Infecting a system without the user's knowledge

A combination of both of these methods

In addition, the malware creator will often take steps to prevent the infection from being detected by antivirus programs.

Discover more in the following articles:

Social engineering 

Malware Implementation Techniques

Combining Social Engineering & Malware Implementation Techniques

Why Cybercriminals Try to Combat Antivirus Software 

Trojan Horse Virus

Trojan Horse Virus is a type of malware that downloads onto a computer disguised as a legitimate program. The delivery method typically sees an attacker use social engineering to hide malicious code within legitimate software to try and gain users' system access with their software.

What Is a Trojan Virus

Trojans are deceptive programs that appear to perform one function, but in fact perform another, malicious function. They might be disguised as free software, videos or music, or seemingly legitimate advertisements. The term “trojan virus” is not technically accurate; according to most definitions, Trojans are not viruses. A virus is a program that spreads by attaching itself to other software, while a trojan spreads by pretending to be useful software or content. Many experts consider spyware programs, which track user activity and send logs or data back to the attacker, as a type of trojan. 

Trojans can act as standalone tools for attackers or can be a platform for other malicious activity. For example, trojan downloaders are used by attackers to deliver future payloads to a victim’s device. Trojan rootkits can be used to establish a persistent presence on a user’s device or a corporate network.

Trojan Infection Methods

Here are common ways trojans can infect computers in your corporate network:

A user is targeted by phishing or other types of social engineering, opens an infected email attachment, or clicks a link to a malicious website

A user visits a malicious website and experiences a drive-by download pretending to be useful software, or is prompted to download a codec to play a video or audio stream

A user visits a legitimate website infected with malicious code (for example, malvertising or cross-site scripting)

A user downloads a program whose publisher is unknown or unauthorized by organizational security policies

Attackers install a trojan by exploiting a software vulnerability, or through unauthorized access.

Daserf” Trojan created by the cyber-espionage group REDBALDKNIGHT is often installed through the use of decoy documents attached in emails.

Types of Trojans

The first trojan seen in the wild was ANIMAL, released in 1975. Since then, many millions of trojan variants have emerged, which may be classified into many types. Here are some of the most common types.

Downloader Trojan

A downloader trojan downloads and deploys other malicious code, such as rootkits, ransomware, or keyloggers. Many types of ransomware distribute themselves via a “dropper”, a downloader trojan that installs on a user’s computer and deploys other malware components. A dropper is often the first stage in a multi-phase trojan attack, followed by the installation of another type of trojan that provides attackers with a persistent foothold in an internal system. For example, a dropper can be used to inject a backdoor trojan into a sensitive server.

Backdoor Trojan

A backdoor trojan opens up a secret communication tunnel, allowing the local malware deployment to communicate with an attacker’s Command & Control center. It may allow hackers to control the device, monitor or steal data, and deploy other software.

Spyware

Spyware is software that observes user activities, collecting sensitive data like account credentials or banking details. They send this data back to the attacker. Spyware is typically disguised as useful software, so it is generally considered a type of trojan.

Rootkit Trojans

Rootkit trojans acquire root-level or administrative access to a machine, and boots together with the operating system, or even before the operating system. This makes them very difficult to detect and remove.

DDoS Attack Trojan (Botnet)

A DDoS trojan turns the victim’s device into a zombie participating in a larger Botnet. The attacker’s objective is to harvest as many machines as possible and use them for malicious purposes without the knowledge of the device owners—typically to flood servers with fake traffic as part of a Distributed Denial of Service (DoS) attack.

Trojan Horse Malware Examples

Zeus

Zeus/Zbot is a malware package operating in a client/server model, with deployed instances calling back home to the Zeus Command & Control (C&C) center. It is estimated to have infected over 3.6 million computers in the USA, including machines owned by NASA, Bank of America, and the US Department of Transportation. Zeus infects Windows computers and sends confidential data from the victim’s computer to the Zeus server. It is particularly effective at stealing credentials, banking details, and other financial information and transmitting them to the attackers. The weak point of the Zeus system is the single C&C server, which was a primary target for law enforcement agencies. Later versions of Zeus added a domain generation algorithm (GDA), which lets Zbots connect to a list of alternative domain names if the Zeus server is not available.

Zeus has many variants, including:

Zeus Gameover—a peer-to-peer version of the Zeus botnet without a centralized C&C.

SpyEye—designed to steal money from online bank accounts.

Ice IX—financial malware that can control content in a browser during a financial transaction, and extract credentials and private data from forms.

Citadel—an open-source variant of Zeus that has been worked on and improved by a community of cybercriminals, and was succeeded by Atmos.

Carberp—is one of the most widely spread financial malware in Russia. Can exploit operating system vulnerabilities to gain root access to target systems. 

Shylock—uses a domain generation algorithm (DGA), used to receive commands from a large number of malicious servers. 

ILOVEYOU

ILOVEYOU (commonly referred to as the “ILOVEYOU virus”) was a trojan released in 2000, which was used in the world’s most damaging cyberattack, which caused $8.7 billion in global losses. The trojan was distributed as a phishing email, with the text “Kindly check the attached love letter coming from me”, with an attachment named “ILOVEYOU” that appeared to be a text file. Recipients who were curious enough to open the attachment became infected, the trojan would overwrite files on the machine and then send itself to their entire contact list. This simple but effective propagation method caused the virus to spread to millions of computers.

Cryptolocker

Cryptolocker is a common form of ransomware. It distributes itself using infected email attachments; a common message contains an infected password-protected ZIP file, with the password contained in the message. When the user opens the ZIP using the password and clicks the attached PDF, the trojan is activated. It searches for files to encrypt on local drives and mapped network drives, and encrypts the files using asymmetric encryption with 1024 or 2048-bit keys. The attackers then demand a ransom to release the files. 

Stuxnet

Stuxnet was a specialized Windows Trojan designed to attack Industrial Control Systems (ICS). It was allegedly used to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. The virus caused operator monitors to show business as usual, while it changed the speed of Iranian centrifuges, causing them to spin too long and too quickly, and destroying the equipment.

Detect Trojans in Your Organization

Trojans are a major threat to organizational systems and a tool commonly used as part of Advanced Persistent Threats (APT). Security teams can use the following technologies and methods to detect and prevent trojans:

Endpoint protection platforms

Modern endpoint protection systems include device traditional antivirus, next-generation antivirus (NGAV) that can prevent zero-day and unknown trojans, and behavioral analytics that identifies anomalous activity on user devices. This combination of protective measures is effective against most trojans.

Web application firewall (WAF)

A WAF is deployed at the network edge and is able to prevent trojan infections, by preventing downloads of trojan payloads from suspicious sources. In addition, it can detect and block any unusual or suspicious network communication. WAFs can block trojans when they “phone home” to their C&C center, rendering them ineffective, and can help identify the affected systems.

Threat hunting

Threat hunting is the practice of actively searching for threats on corporate networks by skilled security analysts. Analysts use Security Information & Event Management  (SIEM) systems to collect data from hundreds of IT systems and security tools and use advanced searches and data analytics techniques to uncover traces of trojans and other threats present in the local environment.

Triaging user complaints

Often, a simple user complaint about a slow machine or strange user interface behavior could signal a trojan. Triaging IT support requests with behavioral analytics and data from other security tools can help identify hidden trojans.

The following are common symptoms of trojans that may be reported by users:

• *Popups appear, launched by the user’s browser or operating system
• *Disk space disappears, unexplained persistent disk errors
• *Poor system performance, the machine suddenly slows down with no apparent cause
• *The mouse or keyboard operates on their own
• *Computer shuts down or restarts with no user action
• *Change to desktop image or configuration
• *Change to browser homepage or start page
• *Searches redirect to an unknown domain
• *System firewall or antivirus turned off without user intervention
• *Unusual network activity when the user is not active
• *New programs, favorites, or bookmarks not added by the user

Imperva Data Protection Solutions

Imperva helps detect and prevent trojans via user rights management—it monitors data access and activities of privileged users to identify excessive, inappropriate, and unused privileges. It also offers the industry’s leading Web Application Firewall (WAF), which can detect and block trojans when they attempt to contact their Command & Control center. In addition to ransomware detection and prevention, Imperva’s Data Security solution protects your data wherever it lives—on-premises, in the cloud, and in hybrid environments. It also provides security and IT teams with full visibility into how the data is being accessed, used, and moved around the organization.

Our comprehensive approach relies on multiple layers of protection, including:

• Database Firewall—blocks SQL injection and other threats, while evaluating for known vulnerabilities.
• Data Masking and encryption—obfuscate sensitive data so it would be useless to the bad actor, even if somehow extracted.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP)—inspects data in motion, at rest on servers, in cloud storage, or on endpoint devices.
• User Behavior Analytics—establishes baselines of data access behavior, and uses machine learning to detect and alert on abnormal and potentially risky activity.
• Data Discovery & Classification—reveals the location, volume, and context of data on-premises and in the cloud.
• Data Activity Monitoring—monitors relational databases, data warehouses, big data, and mainframes to generate real-time alerts on policy violations.
• Alert prioritization—Imperva uses AI and machine learning technology to look across the stream of security events and prioritize the ones that matter most.