Operating Systems

10 Types of Computer Security Threats and Risks

1. Trojans. Trojans are one of the most complicated system and security threats of all. Most of the public banking threats come from the Trojan family such as Zeus and SpyEye. It can hide from antivirus detection and steal essential banking data and compromise bank accounts. If the Trojan is effective, it can take over an entire security and operating system as well.

2. SQL Injection. SQL injection does not infect the end users directly. It is more directed towards infecting a website which is vulnerable to this attack. What it does is it will gain unauthorized access to a database, and the attacker can retrieve valuable information stored in the database.

3. Worms. One of the most harmless threats where it is a program designed only to spread. It does not alter a system, but it can spread from one computer to another computer within a network and even the Internet. The computer security risk here is, it will use up hard disk space due to the replication and take up considerable amounts of bandwidth due to the spread.

4. Spyware. Spyware is a malware designed to spy on a computing device. Mostly, the use of this spyware is to record one's daily activity so that the attacker can use the information.

5. Scareware. Scareware is something that embeds into a system and immediately informs one that they have hundreds of infections which they do not have. The idea is to trick someone into purchasing bogus anti-malware where it claims to remove those threats.

6. Keylogger. Something that keeps a record of every keystroke made on a keyboard. Keylogger is a very powerful threat to steal people’s login credential such as username and password. It is also usually a sub-function of a powerful Trojan.

7. Adware. Adware is a threat where a computer will begin displaying numerous advertisements. It is not really a serious threat but can be annoying.

8. Backdoor. Backdoor is not really malware, but once a system is vulnerable, an attacker will be able to bypass the regular authentication service. It is usually installed before any virus or Trojan infection because having a backdoor installed will ease the transfer effort of those threats.

9. DDoS. A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is an attempt to make an online service unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic from multiple sources. They target a wide variety of important resources, from banks to news websites, and present a major challenge to making sure people can publish and access important information.

10. Exploits. Exploits are a form of software which is programmed specifically to attack a vulnerability. For example, if a web browser is exposed because of an outdated flash plugin, malware can compromise the system. Keeping systems patched and updated is key (IObit, 2018).

Three Risks for Each Operating System

Network OS: 1) Business Disruptions. Devices connected to a network could be more integral to the business than realized—which means that a virus on such a device could cause a major business disruption. The potential for this may be largely based on industry. For instance, if you are in the healthcare sector, updating a device’s operating system could break the system.

2) Third Party Risk. For example, if one of your vendors manages critical data for your business and accesses your network using an outdated browser, that vendor could be inadvertently exposing your (or your customers’) data to risk.

3) Internet of Things (IoT) Risk. As more IoT devices are created and connected online, monitoring the version of their operating systems will become increasingly important. Outdated software and systems are vulnerable to Internet-embedded objects (BitSight, 2018).

Standalone OS: 1) Lack of Encryption. If organizations do not enable BitLocker or other full-disk encryption drives or partitions, then users' personally identifiable information (PII) is vulnerable to theft and loss.

2) Bad Backups. Users might have copies of critical files such as customer records, source codes or company financial forecasts on Windows 10 laptops and desktops that they have not backed up. The only good fix for this is for desktop admins to perform workstation backups. It is time and resource intensive to say the least. Even if admins turn to the cloud to simplify the backup process, they still must worry about shadow IT and BYOD, which can allow users to circumvent their backup controls.

3) Users. If users share their drives on the network or click links and open email attachments they should avoid, there's going to be trouble. In fact, admins can fix all other security vulnerabilities and still have a ton of risks associated with email phishing alone -- including targeted spear phishing. The risk of these targeted attacks dwarfs most other vulnerabilities. It is virtually impossible to completely prevent users from causing problems, but admins should at least educate their users on security best practices (Beaver, 2017).

Mobile Devices OS: 1) Enterprise-class Spyware. Employees use their mobile devices in nearly every aspect of their lives with mobile devices never more than arm’s-length away. With such close proximity to corporate network access, voice activation and GPS tracking, state actors are looking at ways to infect mobile devices with spyware. The tactic has proven successful on both iOS and Android devices.

2) Mobile Botnets. New malware can quickly turn legions of mobile devices into a botnet that is controlled by hackers without the knowledge of their owners. The first mobile botnet targeting Android devices, dubbed Viking Horde, was revealed just over a year ago. Viking Horde created a botnet on any rooted or non-rooted device that uses proxied IP addresses to disguise ad clicks, generating revenue for the attacker.

3) Dead Apps. Employees need to check the status of their mobile apps regularly, and then update or delete them if they are no longer supported in Google or Apple stores. Dead apps can leak sensitive data to a third party (Collett, 2017).

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