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How Spyware and Malware Are Used in Online Credit Card FraudHigh-profile hacks of enterprise-level companies have, in recent years, thrust the risks of identity theft into the public consciousness. But did you know that half of all credit card fraud is conducted online using spyware? Internet credit card fraud schemes are highly profitable for spyware villains, who steal billions of dollars every year from unsuspecting computer users and
corporations. Once you encounter spyware and other forms of malware while doing your usual activities online, spyware silently begins collecting your information and wreaks havoc on your computer. Without your knowledge, spyware runs in the background recording your Internet browsing habits and keystrokes, monitoring the programs you use and collecting your personal information. This can
lead to serious consequences such as credit card fraud and identity theft. Once spyware has sent your personal and financial data to spies, the criminals either sell your information to other criminals or fraudsters impersonate you using stolen information. Sometimes they will attempt to add themselves or an alias that they
control as an authorized user to your account so it’s easier for them to use your credit. Request new account PINs or additional cards Make purchases Obtain cash advances The extent of the damage of online identity theft varies by case. But, if there's one thing victims can be sure of, it's that their time, money, and peace of mind will all take a
hit. Most credit card fraud victims don’t realize what has happened until it’s too late. Costs that a victim may incur include: Restoring their credit records Increased interest and insurance rates due to corrupted credit, health or driving records Fixing a malfunctioning, spyware-infected computer Lost productivity Internet credit card fraud and identity theft
can be devastating. Proactively preventing spyware damage is vastly less expensive than paying to restore your credit, your identity, and your computer. If you want to know how to prevent credit card fraud, here are a few things you can do right away: Use varied and complex passwords for all your accounts Continually check the accuracy of personal accounts and resolve discrepancies immediately Only provide personal information on sites that have
"https" in the web address or have a lock icon at bottom of the browser Do not provide personal information to any unsolicited requests for information, which are often a sign of phishing Avoid questionable websites Practice safe email protocol: Don't open messages from unknown senders Immediately delete
messages you suspect to be spam Only download software from sites you trust. Carefully evaluate free software and file-sharing applications before downloading them. Use
antivirus protection and a firewall Get antispyware software protection The best internet credit card fraud protection begins by avoiding spyware infection in the first place. Products like Webroot® Internet Security Complete® guard against spyware entering your computer and prevent it
from slowing your PC through damage to your files and programs. A good anti-malware program searches every place on your computer where spyware can hide and removes every trace to boost your PC performance. While free anti-spyware downloads are available, they just can’t keep up with the continuous onslaught of new spyware strains. Previously undetected forms of spyware can often do the most damage to your PC, so it’s
critical to have up-to-the-minute, guaranteed protection. Find the right cybersecurity solution for you. 24 Mar The most common types of malware include viruses, keyloggers, worms, trojans, ransomware / crypto-malware, logic bombs, bots/botnets, adware & spyware, and rootkits. You can mitigate or prevent malware attacks by developing security policies, implementing security awareness training, using app-based multi-factor authentication, installing anti-malware & spam filters, changing default operating system policies, performing routine vulnerability assessments. It’s important to note that no system is 100% vulnerability free or “hacker-proof.” If a threat actor has enough time, resources, and manpower to launch an attack then chances are they will find a way in. Article Navigation
 What Is Malware?Malware, or malicious software, is any piece of software that was written with the intent of doing harm to data, devices or to people. Systems infected with malware will present with symptoms such as running slower, sending emails without user action, randomly rebooting, or starting unknown processes. The use of malware to exploit vulnerabilities continue to rise year over year reaching an all time high of 812.67 million infected devices in 2018. Read More: How To Develop & Implement A Network Security Plan How Does Malware Infect A Computer Or Network?There are a number of methods threat actors utilize to deploy malware into a network or system including social engineering and exploiting vulnerabilities. Social EngineeringMalware is often deployed through phishing, vishing, or smishing, which are all types of social engineering attacks. In fact, 92% of malware is delivered by email. In short, threat actors attempt to retrieve sensitive information by manipulating people into clicking links, downloading attachments, or providing access over the phone. If successful, the malicious payload is delivered and you can consider yourself breached. Exploiting VulnerabilitiesOne of the easiest ways threat actors break into a system or network is by deploying a series of exploits known to work, such as Kerberoasting. This is referred to as the “trial and error” approach, however, there is a high degree of technical skill involved in this process. What does this mean for your business? You can develop the best policies, scan the network every week, and patch systems daily, but you will never be 100% vulnerability free. Unless your system is truly stress tested there’s no way for you to determine if the security measures in place are adequate. Penetration testing is conducted to validate not only the vulnerabilities identified, but to evaluate the implementation of security controls and tools. Common Types Of MalwareMalware comes in many forms but the most common types are:
1. VirusesA virus is the most common type of malware attack. In order for a virus to infect a system it requires a user to click or copy it to media or a host. Most viruses self-replicate without the knowledge of the user. These viruses can be spread from one system to another via email, instant messaging, website downloads, removable media (USB), and network connections. Some file types are more susceptible to virus infections – .doc/docx, .exe, .html, .xls/.xlsx, .zip. Viruses typically remain dormant until it has spread on to a network or a number of devices before delivering the payload. 2. KeyloggersKeylogging, or keyboard capturing, logs a user’s keystrokes and sends data to the threat actor. Users are typically unaware that their actions are being monitored. While there are use cases for employers using keyloggers to track employee activity, they’re mostly used to steal passwords or sensitive data. Keyloggers can be a physical wire discreetly connected to a peripheral like a keyboard, or installed by a Trojan. 3. WormsSimilar to a virus, a worm can also self-replicate and spread full copies and segments of itself via network connections, email attachments, and instant messages. Unlike viruses, however, a worm does not require a host program in order to run, self-replicate, and propagate. Worms are commonly used against email servers, web servers, and database servers. Once infected, worms spread quickly over the internet and computer networks. 4. Trojan HorsesTrojan horse programs are malware that is disguised as legitimate software. A Trojan horse program will hide on your computer until it’s called upon. When activated, Trojans can allow threat actors to spy on you, steal your sensitive data, and gain backdoor access to your system. Trojans are commonly downloaded through email attachments, website downloads, and instant messages. Social engineering tactics are typically deployed to trick users into loading and executing Trojans on their systems. Unlike computer viruses and worms, Trojans are not able to self-replicate. 5. Ransomware / Crypto-MalwareRansomware is a type of malware designed to lock users out of their system or deny access to data until a ransom is paid. Crypto-Malware is a type of ransomware that encrypts user files and requires payment within a time frame and often through a digital currency like Bitcoin. 6. Logic BombsLogic bombs are a type of malware that will only activate when triggered, such as on a specific date/time or on the 25th logon to an account. Viruses and worms often contain logic bombs to deliver its payload (malicious code) at a pre-defined time or when another condition is met. The damage caused by logic bombs vary from changing bytes of data to making hard drives unreadable. Antivirus software can detect the most common types of logic bombs when they’re executed. However, until they do, logic bombs can lie dormant on a system for weeks, months, or years. 7. Bots/BotnetsBotnet, short for roBOT NETwork, is a group of bots, which are any type of computer system attached to a network whose security has been compromised. They are typically controlled remotely. The Mirai botnet was able to gain control of internet of things (IoT) connected devices like your DVR, home printer as well as smart appliances by entering the default username and password that the devices shipped with. The threat actors deployed a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack by sending large amounts of data at a website hosting company, causing many popular websites to be taken offline. 8. Adware & SpywareAdware and Spyware are both unwanted software. Adware is designed to serve advertisements on screens within a web browser. It’s usually quietly installed in the background when downloading a program without your knowledge or permission. While harmless, adware can be annoying for the user. Spyware, on the other hand, is a type of malware designed to gain access and damage your computer. Spyware, on the other hand, collects user’s information such as habits, browsing history, and personal identification information. Attackers then sell your data to advertisers or data firms, capture your bank account information, or steal your personal identity. Spyware is often downloaded in a software bundle or from file-sharing-sites. 9. RootkitsRootkits are a back door program that allows a threat actor to maintain command and control over a computer without the user knowing. This access can potentially result in full control over the targeted system. The controller can then log files, spy on the owner’s usage, execute files and change system configurations remotely. While traditionally deployed using Trojan horse attacks, it’s becoming more common in trusted applications. Some antivirus software can detect rootkits, however, they are difficult to clean from a system. In most cases, it’s best to remove the rootkit and rebuild the compromised system. How To Prevent Malware AttacksWhile it’s not possible to be completely protected from cybercriminals, there are a number of measures companies can take to mitigate or prevent malware attacks including:
Developing Security PoliciesSecurity policies provide a road map to employees of what to do and when to do it, and who gets access to systems or information. Policies are also required for compliance, regulations, or laws. Examples of security policies that may help to prevent malware attacks include:
Implementing Security Awareness TrainingSecurity awareness training is an investment into the overall security of your organization. This training can save a substantial amount of money that has the potential of getting lost to cyber attacks. In addition, many compliance frameworks and audits (ISO 27001, SOC 2, CMMC, HIPAA, HITRUST, etc) require periodic security awareness training for employees. Awareness training involves developing a baseline, training users, setting up phishing campaigns, and reporting results.
The ideal way to perform security awareness is to include it in the new-hire orientation security training module and make it a mandatory requirement before granting access to critical systems. The training should be completed at least on an annual basis and train employees not only on identifying attacks, but also to respond appropriately and report to the incident response team for proactive action. It is all about training employees to have a sense of what is considered unsafe behavior and know when to take action to protect themselves and the organization. Using App-Based Multi-Factor AuthenticationAccording to Microsoft, 99.9% of automated malware attacks can be prevented against windows systems just by using multi-factor authentication (MFA). Three 9s of prevention is an impressive figure, however, the keyword here is “automated.” As with all things in security, MFA is simply a single layer of defense. Sophisticated threat actors deploy a number of methods outside of automated attacks to compromise a network. It’s also worth mentioning that SMS based MFA can easily be bypassed as the technology sends passcodes in plain text. This allows threat actors to capture the passcode, access your account, and then pass the code off to your phone without you noticing. Instead, it’s recommended that you use an app-based MFA or hardware MFA such as a YubiKey. Installing Anti-Malware & Spam FiltersEmails are the primary method for delivering malware and socially engineered attacks. While employees do have anti-virus and anti-malware software installed on their workstations, adding them to your mail servers is recommended as part of a defense in depth approach. Setting up a spam filter is a balancing act. On one hand, the network administrator wants to block all malicious traffic. On the other hand, if the filters are too aggressive then legitimate traffic gets blocked and end-users start to complain. After 2-3 weeks of use, a baseline for the network can be established and further adjustments are made. Software tools like Mimecast provide spam filtering and anti-malware capabilities. Users are given a “digest” of emails that have been sent to their account. Users can then choose to block, confirm, or always allow an individual email or an entire domain. Changing Default Operating System PoliciesWhile the default settings are good security precautions to take they can be greatly improved upon. In this example, Microsoft recommends changing the password history from 10 to 24 passwords and reducing the maximum password age from 90 days to 42 days. It’s ultimately the responsibility of the network administrator to ensure that the domain, workstations, and devices are set up to adhere to security policies within the organization. Perform Routine Vulnerability AssessmentsPerforming routine network vulnerability scans help to identify known vulnerabilities, lack of security controls, and common misconfigurations. Scanners like Nessus are used to scan ports, analyze protocols, and map a network. This provides network administrators with detailed information about which hosts on a network are running what services. Most scanners will display the information collected in a dashboard listing each vulnerability found and it’s severity. In addition to providing the raw scan results, most vulnerability scanning services include an assessment report consisting of a remediation plan to resolve at risk systems. Organizations may also wish to implement a patch management program. The main purpose of patch management is to continuously identify, prioritize, remediate, and report on security vulnerabilities in systems. Related Articles
Which computer malware Analyses your data and browsing habits?Installed on your computer without your knowledge, spyware is designed to track your browsing habits and internet activity. Spying capabilities can include activity monitoring, collecting keystrokes, and harvesting of account information, logins, financial data, and more.
Is a Trojan a virus or malware?A Trojan Horse Virus is a type of malware that downloads onto a computer disguised as a legitimate program.
What are the 4 main types of malware?The most common types of malware include viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, bots or botnets, adware, spyware, rootkits, fileless malware, and malvertising.
Is spyware A malware?Spyware is malicious software that enters a user's computer, gathers data from the device and user, and sends it to third parties without their consent. A commonly accepted spyware definition is a strand of malware designed to access and damage a device without the user's consent.
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What kind of malware is used to find out user browsing habits keystrokes or passwords for the purposes of identity theft?
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