|
Most Popular Viruses,
and Hacking Tools
Douglas Chick
 Viruses,
Trojan horses, Worms, Adware, Spyware, and Remote Control programs have overrun computers in 2003 and the forecast
for these digital parasites is worse for 2004. Hackers and
spammers use all the latest software security holes, worms and trojans to
attack many businesses and trick Internet users into revealing their
personal and financial information. These constant attacks on private and
public systems have become more than just a nuisance, they’ve
become an overwhelming financial burden, 10 billion dollars. Listed below
are the most commonly used programs
Hacker tools, Key Loggers, RAT: (Remote Administration Tool), Spyware,
Spyware cookies, Trojans, and Worms from the year 2003.
Hackers Tools of 2003
Hacker
tools are programs written to access a computer system using known software
vulnerability. Most of these programs have been written and are freely distributed from “Hacker” websites. Some of these
programs were written for legitimate uses and are abused as a hacking tool.
Key Loggers of 2003
Key
Loggers, like the name suggests, are programs that record keystrokes from the
computer keyboard and either logs it to the computer or sends it to its
maker through a built in e-mail engine. Key logging allows a prospective
hacker to gain access to the user name, passwords, and even id numbers
entered into
sensitive online bank accounts or passwords to remote control programs. Listed
below are the top 9 key loggers reported.
WebMail
Spy
WinWhatWhere
W32.Bugbear.B
KeyLogger
Free
Scratch and Win
Generic_KeyLoggerMB
ShellSpy
Tofger-A
SafeSurfing
Black
Box
Iopus
Starr Pro Key Logger
RAT (Remote Administration Tool) of 2003
RATs are remote administration programs that have been embedded into
an unsuspecting victim's computer. This is the most dangerous of all hacking
tools as it allows complete and total control of the infected computer.
Top 10’s Spyware of 2003
Spyware as the name suggests is software that is embedded on a computer
and records passwords, Internet visits, cookies and can sometimes control
computers services and remotely execute commands. Spyware is becoming more
popular as husbands and wife’s become more concerned with their spouses
Internet activity. There are many computer programs offered on the Internet
for free that have hidden Trojans with spyware embedded in them. Remember,
nothing is really as free as it may seem, there is always a hidden price. Listed below are 10 of the most common Spyware programs:
TopText
SearchSeekFind
Surfairy
Netword
Agent
AceNotes
Free
Infotel
srl
ShopAtHomeSelect
P3
DownloadReceiver
Outwar
Top 10’s Spyware Cookies of
2003
Cookies store information about
websites that a person has visited, sometimes with a username and password.
Most sophisticated computer users have their Internet browser configured not
to allow cookies on their computer, but some software demands it and they
will give up security for convenience. List below are ten Cookie Spyware
programs.
Traffic.Yah.com
TeleChargement
Before-You-Go.com
Ehg-TMGolf.Hitbox
Incredimail.com
Affiliate
Cookie
Enliven.com
NGadCenter.com
RealHardCore
Anti-Leech.com
Trojans Eliminated
All Trojans are hidden programs
that are disguised within another program. This is the largest example of
“Freeware” software that has another agenda. It should be stated that
most “Freeware” is perfectly legitimate and is contributed freely by the
author with good intentions. However, there are still other “Freeware”
in the mix that is distributed intentionally and unintentionally for the sole
purpose of gaining access to your computer system. Sadly, paranoia is the
safest bet if you want to keep out unwanted intruders. Unfortunately, this
isn’t always effective when there are programs that enter on their own.
Below are 10 of the most common Trojan programs of 2003
Adult_Chat
dialer
Express
2.01 III
Global
Killer 1.0
Artic
0.6b
Beast
2.00
Unknown
Trojan
FactoryNetwork
Dialer
Kikbak
0.9
ePlugin
WebMail
Spy
Worms
Many worms use
Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express to propagate. These types of e-mail
"Worms" have an attached file that has to be clicked open to be
installed. These types of worms typically have a file with a double extension,
such as (NAME.BMP.EXE or NAME.TXT.VBS). These extensions
are Windows executable files that install a program on your computer. These
programs can be Remote control programs, Spyware, Keyloggers or any software
used maliciously by a dark hacker. Additional extensions are VBS, SHS, BAT,
EXE, CMD and PIF.
Other "Worms" take advantage of buffer
overflows and other program vulnerabilities.
Buffer Overflow Explained
Buffer Overflows happen when more data is put into a buffer or holding
area, then the buffer can handle. This is due to a mismatch in processing
rates between the producing and consuming processes. This can result in
system crashes or the creation of a back door leading to system access.
Below are 20 of the most common "Worms" found
in 2003. To show the success of these programs, I gave a list of all the
Worms discovered in the month of January 2004.
VirtualBouncer
2.0
W32.Blaster.worm
W32/Lovsan.worm.a
I-Worm.Swen
I-Worm.Mimail.a
I-Worm.Tanatos.b
I-Worm.Sober.c
I-Worm.Klez.h
I-Worm.Lentin.m
I-Worm.Sobig.f
I-Worm.Dumaru.a
I-Worm.Mimail.j
Macro.Word97.Saver
I-Worm.Lentin.j
I-Worm.Lentin.o
Win32.FunLove.4070
Backdoor.Agobot.3
I-Worm.Sobig.a
Worm.Win32.Lovesan
VBS.Redlof
January
2004
|
|
E-mail
your comments to dougchick@thenetworkadministrator.com