Malware is malicious software that changes how a computer functions, destroys data, or spies on a victim. It can spread from one device to another or remain in place, impacting only the host system.
A man-in-the-middle attack eavesdrops on conversations between two systems to collect sensitive information like passwords and banking details. Pass the hash attacks steal a password’s hashed version, not the original.
Viruses
Viruses are submicroscopic infectious agents that reproduce and spread through the transfer of genetic material. Viruses can infect all living things, including humans, plants, and animals. They can also infect computer hardware and software. A virus can do many things, such as corrupting data, destroying files, changing system settings,, or stealing information.
IPS tools use signature-based detection to scan and analyze incoming data, looking for attack patterns or attack signatures that are known to be dangerous. This technique has a high rate of false alarms, and signature databases need to be updated frequently to stay ahead of new threats.
What attacks are detected by an IPS? An IPS can detect other types of cyberattacks, such as format string attacks (when the submitted data is treated as a command by an application), buffer overflows (when more data is written to a memory location than is allocated for it),, and stack overflows (when a program writes more data to a stack than it has space for, corrupting adjacent data on the stack). It can even detect phishing attacks, in which hackers attempt to trick unsuspecting victims into handing over valuable information like passwords or credit card numbers.
Trojans
Trojans are malware programs disguised as legitimate files that do malicious activities. They are one of the most popular cyberattacks because they can hide in many different ways and go unnoticed for long periods, making them hard to spot.
Trojan attacks often take advantage of software or hardware vulnerabilities. They can also exploit flaws in the Internet of Things, like smart thermostats and security cameras,, to steal sensitive information. Another type of Trojan is ransomware, which encrypts the data on the victim’s device and demands payment in exchange.
Backdoor Trojans allow attackers to access a computer and manipulate the device’s functions remotely. They can also hide in software applications, such as web browsers or instant messaging, and gain access to your system that way. Some versions of Trojans can even make changes to your computer’s security system so that other malware or hacker programs can get in.
Worms
Malware refers to a broad category of hostile, invasive programs that aim to harm computer systems or networks. Some examples of malware include phishing, vishing, SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), Trojan horses, worms, and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
A worm is a malware that infiltrates a device and then replicates itself over time to attack more devices. You might notice a worm infecting your system if you experience slowness or other problems, such as a decrease in network bandwidth or sudden changes in hard drive usage.
Like IDS, an IPS tool sits inline, often behind a firewall, to monitor and compare incoming packets with a database of known cyber threats. It uses signature-based detection to scan incoming data, anomaly-based detection to search for unexpected network behavior and policy-based detection to look for activities that violate enterprise security policies. An IPS also prevents hackers from entering the network by blocking the delivery of malicious packets. Detecting these cyberattacks quickly can protect your company from costly financial losses and reputational damage.
Botnets
A botnet is a network of computers that hackers have infected with malware to control without the owners’ knowledge remotely. Cybercriminals use the compromised machines (known as zombies) to perform a variety of malicious activities, such as launching distributed denial-of-service attacks that swarm websites and servers, collecting sensitive credit card/financial data through spam and phishing, scanning for vulnerabilities in other networks/systems, and mining cryptocurrency.
In stage 1, attackers lure users to download the botnet malware through various methods. Some of these methods include social engineering via email; others are drive-by downloads upon visiting infected sites or even unsecured IoT devices like routers and home automation systems.
Once the malware has been downloaded, the infected devices link back to a command and control server for instructions. IPS can detect this behavior by looking for a familiar pattern of exploit attempts, payloads, and attack patterns that indicate a botnet is being utilized.
Malvertising
Malvertising (malicious advertising) is a cyberattack that embeds malware into legitimate-looking online advertisements. It then redirects a webpage visitor to corrupted pages or directly downloads malware onto their device. It’s one of the most pervasive malware attacks and has caused some of the most well-known sites online, including The New York Times, Spotify, and WordPress, to lose credibility.
Attackers use a modern form of steganography to conceal the malware in ad imagery. It allows them to target large advertising networks and make the ad virtually impossible for users and advertisers to detect until infected. The latest malvertising threats use polyglot images, more advanced steganographic techniques capable of hiding multiple payloads within infected ads.
These malware attacks are often accompanied by social engineering and spoofing techniques to trick victims into downloading malicious software, calling a fake tech support number, or handing over financial information to scammers. An IPS can prevent these attacks by monitoring a network and responding to them in real-time based on predefined formulas, such as blocking incoming traffic, killing malicious processes, and quarantining files.
