Securing the Network

Running head: MALWARE 1

MALWARE 5

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Malware-Trojan horse virus

Malware can be defined as any file or program that is introduced to a computer with the intention of harming the user. The harm to the user can be through interfering with his use of the compute, unauthorized access to his data, locking the user out of his computer and also spying on the user’s activity. There are several types of malware and they include ransom ware, Trojan horses, computer viruses, worms and spyware (White, Fisch & Pooch, 2017). For this particular assignment, I will focus on Trojan horse virus. The name Trojan horse comes from the famous Greek story, where Greek soldiers were able to take down the city of Troy after they sneaked into the city inside a wooden horse that was guised as a gift to the people of Troy. Just like the story the Trojan horse virus disguises itself as a legitimate program however the program provides unauthorized access into the system most of the time to hackers.

Most of the time, Trojan horses gain access to a secured system through social engineering. Most of the time, Trojan horse viruses are introduced into a system by duping a user into executing an attachment on an email guised to be unsuspicious. They can also be introduced via social media where users are tricked into clicking on fake advertisements or advertisements that offer fake rewards. Once the links or attachments are clicked on, a Trojan horse virus is introduced. Trojan horse viruses can allow an attacker to have access to a user’s personal information and other forms of data. Trojan horse viruses can affect other devices on the network through infection caused by the introduction of the first Trojan horse; most ransom ware is introduced through Trojan horse viruses (Wang, Lorch & Parno, 2016). In addition, through the use of Trojan horse viruses, attackers can modify data, copy data, block data, delete data and generally disrupt or distort the performance and operations of targeted computers or devices in a network.

Steps of mitigating a Trojan horse virus attack

The first step in mitigating a Trojan horse virus attack is the installation of effective anti-malware software or what is commonly referred to as an anti-virus. The anti-malware will detect as well as prevent any Trojan horse virus attack on a computer or a network. The second step in mitigating Trojan horse virus attacks is the installation of the latest available patches of the operating system in use. The third step is proper scanning of all external devices that are introduced to a computer or a network (Rader & Rahman, 2015). The fourth step is through the cautioning on the execution of any program that is not from a trusted source. The fifth step is the cautioning on the opening of email attachments from unknown senders especially attachments that have the extensions .vbs and .exe. The final step or caution is to be alert on social media adverts especially those that offer rewards through clicking on links.

List of information and data employees are not to place online

To avoid being victims of cybercrime, there ae certain kinds of information that should not be copied anywhere online. Vital information such as Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) and passwords should never be given to any source online regardless of the reason for the claim (Burden & Palmer 2003). These two are pieces of information that are supposed to be private and should only be entered into the systems where they act as the authentication credentials. Another kind of information that should never be placed online is financial cards information such as debit cards and credit cards. These two are common targets by cyber criminals for personal information that can be used to access people’s private accounts and for identity theft.

Guidelines for interacting online

One of the most common tricks for cyberattacks is tricking users into downloading malware such as the Trojan horse. Therefore, one useful guideline when interacting online is avoiding making downloads from untrusted websites and pop-up advertisements. It is also important to keep privacy settings on to make it easier to control the people who can see a person’s online activity. Hackers track their target’s online activity and social media use. Having privacy settings helps to protect private information from such people. It is also advisable to ensure that internet connection is secure. For instance, when using Wi-Fi in public places, it is important to remember that one has no control over its security. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid such networks.

Guidelines for secure use of email