Guide to Malware Incident Prevention and Handling

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Guide to Malware Incident Prevention and Handling Special Publication 800-83 Sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security Guide to Malware Incident Prevention and Handling Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Peter Mell Karen Kent Joseph Nusbaum NIST Special Publication 800-83 Guide to Malware Incident Prevention and Handling Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Peter Mell Karen Kent Joseph Nusbaum C O M P U T E R S E C U R I T Y Computer Security Division Information Technology Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930 November 2005 U.S. Department of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary Technology Administration Michelle O'Neill, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology William A. Jeffrey, Director GUIDE TO MALWARE INCIDENT PREVENTION AND HANDLING Reports on Computer Systems Technology The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analysis to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL’s responsibilities include the development of technical, physical, administrative, and management standards and guidelines for the cost-effective security and privacy of sensitive unclassified information in Federal computer systems. This Special Publication 800-series reports on ITL’s research, guidance, and outreach efforts in computer security and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations. National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-83 Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ . 800-83, 101 pages (November 2005) Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experim ental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Techn ology, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are neces sarily the best available for the purpose. ii GUIDE TO MALWARE INCIDENT PREVENTION AND HANDLING Acknowledgments The authors, Peter Mell of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Karen Kent and Joseph Nusbaum of Booz Allen Hamilton, wish to thank their colleagues who reviewed drafts of this document and contributed to its technical content. The authors would particularly like to acknowledge Tim Grance and Murugiah Souppaya of NIST and Lucinda Gagliano, Thomas Goff, and Pius Uzamere of Booz Allen Hamilton for their keen and insightful assistance throughout the development of the document. The authors would also like to express their thanks to security experts Mike Danseglio (Microsoft), Kurt Dillard (Microsoft), Michael Gerdes (Getronics RedSiren Security Solutions), Peter Szor (Symantec), Miles Tracy (U.S. Federal Reserve System), and Lenny Zeltser (Gemini Systems LLC), as well as representatives from the General Accounting Office, and for their particularly valuable comments and suggestions. The National Institute of Standards and Technology would also like to express its appreciation and thanks to the Department of Homeland Security for its sponsorship and support of NIST Special Publication 800- 83. Trademark Information All product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. ii i GUIDE TO MALWARE INCIDENT PREVENTION AND HANDLING Table of Contents Executive Summary............................................................................................................ES-1 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Authority................................................................................................................ 1-1 1.2 Purpose and Scope............................................................................................... 1-1 1.3 Audience ............................................................................................................... 1-1 1.4 Document Structure .............................................................................................. 1-1 2. Malware Categories....................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Viruses.................................................................................................................. 2-1 2.1.1 Compiled Viruses....................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Interpreted Viruses..................................................................................... 2-2 2.1.3 Virus Obfuscation Techniques.................................................................... 2-3 2.2 Worms................................................................................................................... 2-3 2.3 Trojan Horses........................................................................................................ 2-4 2.4 Malicious Mobile Code .......................................................................................... 2-5 2.5 Blended Attacks .................................................................................................... 2-5 2.6 Tracking Cookies................................................................................................... 2-6 2.7 Attacker Tools ....................................................................................................... 2-6 2.7.1 Backdoors.................................................................................................. 2-7 2.7.2 Keystroke Loggers ..................................................................................... 2-7 2.7.3 Rootkits...................................................................................................... 2-7 2.7.4 Web Browser Plug-Ins................................................................................ 2-8 2.7.5 E-Mail Generators...................................................................................... 2-8 2.7.6 Attacker Toolkits......................................................................................... 2-8 2.8 Non-Malware Threats............................................................................................ 2-9 2.8.1 Phishing ..................................................................................................... 2-9 2.8.2 Virus Hoaxes.............................................................................................. 2-9 2.9 History of Malware............................................................................................... 2-10 2.10 Summary............................................................................................................. 2-11 3. Malware Incident Prevention ........................................................................................ 3-1 3.1 Policy .................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Awareness ............................................................................................................ 3-2 3.3 Vulnerability Mitigation........................................................................................... 3-4 3.3.1 Patch Management .................................................................................... 3-5 3.3.2 Least Privilege ........................................................................................... 3-5 3.3.3 Other Host Hardening Measures................................................................ 3-5 3.4 Threat Mitigation.................................................................................................... 3-6 3.4.1 Antivirus Software ...................................................................................... 3-6 3.4.2 Spyware Detection and Removal Utilities................................................... 3-9 3.4.3 Intrusion Prevention Systems................................................................... 3-11 3.4.4 Firewalls and Routers............................................................................... 3-12 3.4.5 Application Settings.................................................................................. 3-14 3.5 Summary............................................................................................................. 3-17 4. Malware Incident Response.......................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Preparation............................................................................................................ 4-1 iv GUIDE TO MALWARE INCIDENT PREVENTION AND HANDLING 4.1.1 Building and Maintaining Malware-Related Skills ....................................... 4-2 4.1.2 Facilitating Communication and Coordination ............................................ 4-3 4.1.3 Acquiring Tools and Resources.................................................................. 4-3 4.2 Detection............................................................................................................... 4-5 4.2.1 Understanding Signs of Malware Incidents................................................
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