Malicious Computer Worms and Viruses: a Survey
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Botnets, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress
Order Code RL32114 Botnets, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress Updated January 29, 2008 Clay Wilson Specialist in Technology and National Security Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Botnets, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress Summary Cybercrime is becoming more organized and established as a transnational business. High technology online skills are now available for rent to a variety of customers, possibly including nation states, or individuals and groups that could secretly represent terrorist groups. The increased use of automated attack tools by cybercriminals has overwhelmed some current methodologies used for tracking Internet cyberattacks, and vulnerabilities of the U.S. critical infrastructure, which are acknowledged openly in publications, could possibly attract cyberattacks to extort money, or damage the U.S. economy to affect national security. In April and May 2007, NATO and the United States sent computer security experts to Estonia to help that nation recover from cyberattacks directed against government computer systems, and to analyze the methods used and determine the source of the attacks.1 Some security experts suspect that political protestors may have rented the services of cybercriminals, possibly a large network of infected PCs, called a “botnet,” to help disrupt the computer systems of the Estonian government. DOD officials have also indicated that similar cyberattacks from individuals and countries targeting economic, -
A the Hacker
A The Hacker Madame Curie once said “En science, nous devons nous int´eresser aux choses, non aux personnes [In science, we should be interested in things, not in people].” Things, however, have since changed, and today we have to be interested not just in the facts of computer security and crime, but in the people who perpetrate these acts. Hence this discussion of hackers. Over the centuries, the term “hacker” has referred to various activities. We are familiar with usages such as “a carpenter hacking wood with an ax” and “a butcher hacking meat with a cleaver,” but it seems that the modern, computer-related form of this term originated in the many pranks and practi- cal jokes perpetrated by students at MIT in the 1960s. As an example of the many meanings assigned to this term, see [Schneier 04] which, among much other information, explains why Galileo was a hacker but Aristotle wasn’t. A hack is a person lacking talent or ability, as in a “hack writer.” Hack as a verb is used in contexts such as “hack the media,” “hack your brain,” and “hack your reputation.” Recently, it has also come to mean either a kludge, or the opposite of a kludge, as in a clever or elegant solution to a difficult problem. A hack also means a simple but often inelegant solution or technique. The following tentative definitions are quoted from the jargon file ([jargon 04], edited by Eric S. Raymond): 1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. -
Post-Mortem of a Zombie: Conficker Cleanup After Six Years Hadi Asghari, Michael Ciere, and Michel J.G
Post-Mortem of a Zombie: Conficker Cleanup After Six Years Hadi Asghari, Michael Ciere, and Michel J.G. van Eeten, Delft University of Technology https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity15/technical-sessions/presentation/asghari This paper is included in the Proceedings of the 24th USENIX Security Symposium August 12–14, 2015 • Washington, D.C. ISBN 978-1-939133-11-3 Open access to the Proceedings of the 24th USENIX Security Symposium is sponsored by USENIX Post-Mortem of a Zombie: Conficker Cleanup After Six Years Hadi Asghari, Michael Ciere and Michel J.G. van Eeten Delft University of Technology Abstract more sophisticated C&C mechanisms that are increas- ingly resilient against takeover attempts [30]. Research on botnet mitigation has focused predomi- In pale contrast to this wealth of work stands the lim- nantly on methods to technically disrupt the command- ited research into the other side of botnet mitigation: and-control infrastructure. Much less is known about the cleanup of the infected machines of end users. Af- effectiveness of large-scale efforts to clean up infected ter a botnet is successfully sinkholed, the bots or zom- machines. We analyze longitudinal data from the sink- bies basically remain waiting for the attackers to find hole of Conficker, one the largest botnets ever seen, to as- a way to reconnect to them, update their binaries and sess the impact of what has been emerging as a best prac- move the machines out of the sinkhole. This happens tice: national anti-botnet initiatives that support large- with some regularity. The recent sinkholing attempt of scale cleanup of end user machines. -
A Taxonomy of Computer Worms ∗
A Taxonomy of Computer Worms ∗ † ‡ § ¶ Nicholas Vern Stuart Robert Weaver Paxson Staniford Cunningham UC Berkeley ICSI Silicon Defense MIT Lincoln Laboratory ABSTRACT 1. INTRODUCTION To understand the threat posed by computer worms, it is A computer worm is a program that self-propagates across necessary to understand the classes of worms, the attackers a network exploiting security or policy flaws in widely-used who may employ them, and the potential payloads. This pa- services. They are not a new phenomenon, having first per describes a preliminary taxonomy based on worm target gained widespread notice in 1988 [16]. discovery and selection strategies, worm carrier mechanisms, We distinguish between worms and viruses in that the worm activation, possible payloads, and plausible attackers latter infect otherwise non-mobile files and therefore require who would employ a worm. some sort of user action to abet their propagation. As such, viruses tend to propagate more slowly. They also have more Categories and Subject Descriptors mature defenses due to the presence of a large anti-virus industry that actively seeks to identify and control their D.4.6 [Operating Systems]: Security and Protection—In- spread. vasive Software We note, however, that the line between worms and viruses is not all that sharp. In particular, the contagion worms General Terms discussed in Staniford et al [47] might be considered viruses Security by the definition we use here, though not of the traditional form, in that they do not need the user to activate them, but Keywords instead they hide their spread in otherwise unconnected user activity. Thus, for ease of exposition, and for scoping our computer worms, mobile malicious code, taxonomy, attack- analysis, we will loosen our definition somewhat and term ers, motivation malicious code such as contagion, for which user action is not central to activation, as a type of worm. -
Undergraduate Report
UNDERGRADUATE REPORT Attack Evolution: Identifying Attack Evolution Characteristics to Predict Future Attacks by MaryTheresa Monahan-Pendergast Advisor: UG 2006-6 IINSTITUTE FOR SYSTEMSR RESEARCH ISR develops, applies and teaches advanced methodologies of design and analysis to solve complex, hierarchical, heterogeneous and dynamic problems of engineering technology and systems for industry and government. ISR is a permanent institute of the University of Maryland, within the Glenn L. Martin Institute of Technol- ogy/A. James Clark School of Engineering. It is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. Web site http://www.isr.umd.edu Attack Evolution 1 Attack Evolution: Identifying Attack Evolution Characteristics To Predict Future Attacks MaryTheresa Monahan-Pendergast Dr. Michel Cukier Dr. Linda C. Schmidt Dr. Paige Smith Institute of Systems Research University of Maryland Attack Evolution 2 ABSTRACT Several approaches can be considered to predict the evolution of computer security attacks, such as statistical approaches and “Red Teams.” This research proposes a third and completely novel approach for predicting the evolution of an attack threat. Our goal is to move from the destructive nature and malicious intent associated with an attack to the root of what an attack creation is: having successfully solved a complex problem. By approaching attacks from the perspective of the creator, we will chart the way in which attacks are developed over time and attempt to extract evolutionary patterns. These patterns will eventually -
Metahunt: Towards Taming Malware Mutation Via Studying the Evolution of Metamorphic Virus
MetaHunt: Towards Taming Malware Mutation via Studying the Evolution of Metamorphic Virus Li Wang Dongpeng Xu Jiang Ming [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] The Pennsylvania State University University of New Hampshire University of Texas at Arlington University Park, PA 16802, USA Durham, NH 03824, USA Arlington, TX 76019, USA Yu Fu Dinghao Wu [email protected] [email protected] The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802, USA University Park, PA 16802, USA ABSTRACT KEYWORDS As the underground industry of malware prospers, malware de- Malware detection, metamorphic virus, binary diffing, binary code velopers consistently attempt to camouflage malicious code and semantics analysis undermine malware detection with various obfuscation schemes. ACM Reference Format: Among them, metamorphism is known to have the potential to Li Wang, Dongpeng Xu, Jiang Ming, Yu Fu, and Dinghao Wu. 2019. Meta- defeat the popular signature-based malware detection. A meta- Hunt: Towards Taming Malware Mutation via Studying the Evolution of morphic malware sample mutates its code during propagations so Metamorphic Virus. In 3rd Software Protection Workshop (SPRO’19), Novem- that each instance of the same family exhibits little resemblance to ber 15, 2019, London, United Kingdom. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 12 pages. another variant. Especially with the development of compiler and https://doi.org/10.1145/3338503.3357720 binary rewriting techniques, metamorphic malware will become much easier to develop and outbreak eventually. To fully under- stand the metamorphic engine, the core part of the metamorphic 1 INTRODUCTION malware, we attempt to systematically study the evolution of me- The malicious software (malware) underground market has evolved tamorphic malware over time. -
Towards Next-Generation Intrusion Detection
rd 2011 3 International Conference on Cyber Conflict Permission to make digital or hard copies of this publication for internal use within C. Czosseck, E. Tyugu, T. Wingfield (Eds.) NATO, and for personal or educational use done for non-profit or non-commercial purpose is granted providing that copies bear this notice and a full citation on the first Tallinn, Estonia, 2011 © CCD COE Publications page. Any other reproduction or transmission requires prior written permission. Towards Next-Generation Intrusion Detection Robert Koch Institut für Technische Informatik (ITI) Universität der Bundeswehr Munich, Germany [email protected] Abstract- Today, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are integral components of larger networks. Even so, security incidents are on a day-to-day basis: Numerous data leakage scandals arouse public interest in the recent past and also other attacks like Stuxnet are discussed in the general public. On the one side, the commercial success of the Internet and the possibilities to carry out attacks from a relatively safe distance attracts criminals and made e-Crime to a multi-billion dollar market over the past years. On the other side, more and more services and systems migrate to the Internet, for example Voice over IP (VoIP) or Video on Demand (VoD). This enables new and potential attack vectors. With the steadily increasing use of encryption technology, State-of-the-Art Intrusion- as well as Extrusion Detection technologies can hardly safeguard current networks to the full extend. Furthermore, they are not able to cope with the arising challenges of the fast growing network environments. The paper gives an overview of up-to-date security systems and investigates their shortcomings. -
The Botnet Chronicles a Journey to Infamy
The Botnet Chronicles A Journey to Infamy Trend Micro, Incorporated Rik Ferguson Senior Security Advisor A Trend Micro White Paper I November 2010 The Botnet Chronicles A Journey to Infamy CONTENTS A Prelude to Evolution ....................................................................................................................4 The Botnet Saga Begins .................................................................................................................5 The Birth of Organized Crime .........................................................................................................7 The Security War Rages On ........................................................................................................... 8 Lost in the White Noise................................................................................................................. 10 Where Do We Go from Here? .......................................................................................................... 11 References ...................................................................................................................................... 12 2 WHITE PAPER I THE BOTNET CHRONICLES: A JOURNEY TO INFAMY The Botnet Chronicles A Journey to Infamy The botnet time line below shows a rundown of the botnets discussed in this white paper. Clicking each botnet’s name in blue will bring you to the page where it is described in more detail. To go back to the time line below from each page, click the ~ at the end of the section. 3 WHITE -
Lexisnexis® Congressional Copyright 2003 Fdchemedia, Inc. All Rights
LexisNexis® Congressional Copyright 2003 FDCHeMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony September 10, 2003 Wednesday SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY LENGTH: 4090 words COMMITTEE: HOUSE GOVERNMENT REFORM SUBCOMMITTEE: TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION POLICY, INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS, AND CENSUS HEADLINE: COMPUTER VIRUS PROTECTION TESTIMONY-BY: RICHARD PETHIA, DIRECTOR AFFILIATION: CERT COORDINATION CENTER BODY: Statement of Richard Pethia Director, CERT Coordination Center Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census Committee on House Government Reform September 10, 2003 Introduction Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Rich Pethia. I am the director of the CERTO Coordination Center (CERT/CC). Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the important issue of cyber security. Today I will discuss viruses and worms and the steps we must take to protect our systems from them. The CERT/CC was formed in 1988 as a direct result of the first Internet worm. It was the first computer security incident to make headline news, serving as a wake-up call for network security. In response, the CERT/CC was established by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency at Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute, in Pittsburgh. Our mission is to serve as a focal point to help resolve computer security incidents and vulnerabilities, to help others establish incident response capabilities, and to raise awareness of computer security issues and help people understand the steps they need to take to better protect their systems. We activated the center in just two weeks, and we have worked hard to maintain our ability to react quickly. -
MODELING the PROPAGATION of WORMS in NETWORKS: a SURVEY 943 in Section 2, Which Set the Stage for Later Sections
942 IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SURVEYS & TUTORIALS, VOL. 16, NO. 2, SECOND QUARTER 2014 Modeling the Propagation of Worms in Networks: ASurvey Yini Wang, Sheng Wen, Yang Xiang, Senior Member, IEEE, and Wanlei Zhou, Senior Member, IEEE, Abstract—There are the two common means for propagating attacks account for 1/4 of the total threats in 2009 and nearly worms: scanning vulnerable computers in the network and 1/5 of the total threats in 2010. In order to prevent worms from spreading through topological neighbors. Modeling the propa- spreading into a large scale, researchers focus on modeling gation of worms can help us understand how worms spread and devise effective defense strategies. However, most previous their propagation and then, on the basis of it, investigate the researches either focus on their proposed work or pay attention optimized countermeasures. Similar to the research of some to exploring detection and defense system. Few of them gives a nature disasters, like earthquake and tsunami, the modeling comprehensive analysis in modeling the propagation of worms can help us understand and characterize the key properties of which is helpful for developing defense mechanism against their spreading. In this field, it is mandatory to guarantee the worms’ spreading. This paper presents a survey and comparison of worms’ propagation models according to two different spread- accuracy of the modeling before the derived countermeasures ing methods of worms. We first identify worms characteristics can be considered credible. In recent years, although a variety through their spreading behavior, and then classify various of models and algorithms have been proposed for modeling target discover techniques employed by them. -
Strategies of Computer Worms
304543_ch09.qxd 1/7/05 9:05 AM Page 313 CHAPTER 9 Strategies of Computer Worms “Worm: n., A self-replicating program able to propagate itself across network, typically having a detrimental effect.” —Concise Oxford English Dictionary, Revised Tenth Edition 313 304543_ch09.qxd 1/7/05 9:05 AM Page 314 Chapter 9—Strategies of Computer Worms 9.1 Introduction This chapter discusses the generic (or at least “typical”) structure of advanced computer worms and the common strategies that computer worms use to invade new target systems. Computer worms primarily replicate on networks, but they represent a subclass of computer viruses. Interestingly enough, even in security research communities, many people imply that computer worms are dramatically different from computer viruses. In fact, even within CARO (Computer Antivirus Researchers Organization), researchers do not share a common view about what exactly can be classified as a “worm.” We wish to share a common view, but well, at least a few of us agree that all computer worms are ultimately viruses1. Let me explain. The network-oriented infection strategy is indeed a primary difference between viruses and computer worms. Moreover, worms usually do not need to infect files but propagate as standalone programs. Additionally, several worms can take con- trol of remote systems without any help from the users, usually exploiting a vul- nerability or set of vulnerabilities. These usual characteristics of computer worms, however, do not always hold. Table 9.1 shows several well-known threats. Table -
Common Threats to Cyber Security Part 1 of 2
Common Threats to Cyber Security Part 1 of 2 Table of Contents Malware .......................................................................................................................................... 2 Viruses ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Worms ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Downloaders ................................................................................................................................... 6 Attack Scripts .................................................................................................................................. 8 Botnet ........................................................................................................................................... 10 IRCBotnet Example ....................................................................................................................... 12 Trojans (Backdoor) ........................................................................................................................ 14 Denial of Service ........................................................................................................................... 18 Rootkits ......................................................................................................................................... 20 Notices .........................................................................................................................................