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The Criminality of Malware You Should Know

The Criminality of Malware You Should Know

Criminal and cybercrime laws regarding malware and a malware virus can be a little tricky, and unfortunately there are many loopholes that can make it difficult to prosecute an offender using malware or a malware virus. 
 
 
For example, many malware virus victims are located within the United States and are actually victimized by a third party using malware from outside of the country. Because the offender is outside of the country, that means that he or she is outside of legal jurisdiction and cybercrime laws, which then can make the chance of prosecuting a cybercrime perpetrator slim to none.
 
 
Additionally, because the number of infections tend to be so massive, it may be hard to track down just how many people were infected and where the exact source of the virus or worm came from. This also makes the chance of catching anyone trying to spread a malware virus very slim.
 
 
Although it is hard to prosecute, it is still against criminal laws and cybercrime laws to use a malware virus. According to United State law and cybercrime laws, it is a Federal crime to use a malware virus with the intention of harming a computer without authorization. Although a malware virus can be harmful and it is illegal to use malware, there is still debate over whether or not it should be illegal to possess malware.
 
 
Just a few years ago, Europe actually passed a law that makes it illegal both within the country and with their cybercrime laws to possess malware, and now other countries are starting to consider if the same law should apply to them. However, the U.S. chose not to enforce these cybercrime laws against possessing malware. 
 
 
Many argue that perhaps it is because malware is simply a "tool" and is not necessarily a crime to own it. Others feel that perhaps it has to deal with the issue of free speech and that certain kinds of malware can be used as a harmless way of communicating

The Truth About Malware

The Truth About Malware

Malware is an unfortunate problem that many people occasionally run into with their computers (better known as a computer virus or a computer worm). Examples of cybercrimes which includes the usage of malware is the spreading of harmful contraband (i.e. child pornography), a plight to exploit personal information, to intentionally destroy or harm one’s computer system, or to steal someone's personal information. This aggressive behavior has caused many computers to experience data loss and other forms of severe computer damage which is now considered one of the cybercrimes.
 
 
Malware contains many kinds of "bugs". These bugs include: worms, spyware, viruses, Trojan horses, and any other unwanted software and/or kits. Many times malware makes its way into a computer through the internet and many times it is even in the form of an unwanted pop-up ad.
 
 
There are ways to remove malware or to help prevent malware from infecting your computer. Anti-malware programs have been created in order to prevent or remove malware from a computer. There are usually two ways in which these programs work. 
 
 
One way is an anti-malware prevention program that works in real time. This program works to actively preview all information entering into the computer to detect any harmful codes. Usually if the program detects something unknown or potentially harmful, it will work from blocking it to prevent the code from entering into the computers' system.
 
 
Another is a program designed to actually help the computer's owner to remove malware by scanning existing folders and/or documents and listing which ones may be contaminated which allows the owner to decide which files he may want to discard. Installing one of these programs may help prevent you from getting involved in many forms of cybercrimes and will help remove malware.

How Does Malware Hurt You?

How Does Malware Hurt You?

Malware Background
 
 
Malware is software created with malicious intent to the user of a computer. Malware started out as a mere experiment that stemmed out of a curious idea. The creators probably wanted to witness how far the virus could spread, not realizing the serious consequences that would occur as the direct result of malware. Since then, malware has turned into a growing problem and is referred to in many different ways according to the type of malware and its function.
 
 
The harmful functions and intentions of malware have resulted in true cybercrimes. The two main categories of malware include: viruses and worms. Viruses enter and infect a computer which can cause serious damage to the computer and information loss. Worms usually infect a computer but are then distributed to outside computers in other networks.
 
 
Malware Usage
 
 
The unfortunate use of malware is usually to steal personal information, extortion, personal gain, or to flat out annoy the recipient of the virus. There are several kinds of viruses and/or worms which include: Trojan horses, spyware, dialers, rootkits, backdoors, keystroke loggers, and botnets. Trojan horses, backdoors, and rootkits have certain similar characteristics which make them hard to spot right away. Spyware, keystroke loggers, dialers, and botnets are usually in the form of pop-up ads or an animated browser that distracts the user and tries to get their personal information for the benefit of the malware installer. This personal information is usually stolen and used for personal or financial gain.
 
 
Malware Criminality
 
 
Although it is illegal and a cybercrime in the United States to use malware with the intention of harming someone else's property, it is actually not illegal or a cybercrime to own malware. Debates wage on as other countries (most recently Europe) have begun to make possessing malware illegal. Some argue that malware can be used as a harmless tool where others feel that it conflicts with freedom of speech to be told that they are not allowed to use it. However, many feel that malware, in any form, is harmful and that it should be considered a cybercrime. Most likely, there will continue to be conflicting arguments over the ownership of malware.
 

A Guide to the Hacker’s Denial of Service Attacks

A Guide to the Hacker's Denial of Service Attacks

Denial of Service Background
 
 
A denial of service attack (more commonly known as a "DoS Attack") is commonly referred to as a cyberterrorist nuke in which an attacker will actually sabotage a computer system. This may cause a computer or network of computers to slow down, shut down, or it may interfere with an internet connection. In many cases, victims of this attack will not be able to access certain sites that they would normally be able to or utilize certain services that the computer would normally provide.
 
 
There are many different forms of denial of services attacks but the most common involves flooding a network with too much information which will then cause the connection to time out, slow down, or shut down completely. This sort of attack is commonly referred to as a "flood attack". Another common DoS attack involves using malware (malicious software) which will cause a virus or worm to infiltrate a computer or network of computers in order to slow down or harm a computer.
 
 
Denial of Service Usage
 
 
Many times, a denial of service attack is used against large businesses, small businesses, and even particular individuals. There are many different types of DoS attacks on a network or computers/place of business, but when an attacker chooses to perform a DoS attack on an individual, this is what is commonly referred to as a person-to-person attack. Many times, all of these kinds of attacks are committed out of personal aggression against a place of business or individual. It may also be meant to serve as a mere prank or to simply cause inconvenience.
 
 
Denial of Service Criminality
 
 
Although a DoS attack is considered to be somewhat of a common problem, it is still considered a Federal offense and can be punishable by charging hefty fines or even jail time. The United State Department of Justice considered a DoS attack to be a Federal offense, and as such, a law was passed under the legal Act, "The National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996", under the category of "Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section".
 
 
It is also a Federal offense to use malware to commit a DoS attack, however, it is not illegal (within the United States) to possess malware. One way to prevent a DoS attack is to install anti-virus or anti-malware programs, install a firewall, or to avoid giving out your e-mail information too often to avoid spam mail which can carry harmful malware. This malware may be used to try to steal personal information or to slow down or harm a computer's system

A Quick Background on Computer Viruses

A Quick Background on Computer Viruses

Computer Viruses Background
Computer viruses are a common problem and can strike anyone who owns or operates a computer. A computer virus is harmful coding that usually stems from a particular kind of software that carries the virus. One of the most popular kinds of software prone to carry a computer virus is known as “malware” (meaning malicious software). The virus enters into a computers system and can cause harm or limit the computer’s functions.
Many times, a virus can be used to retrieve personal information, steal data, cause interference with the Internet, slow down the Internet or computer, or cause serious damage to its network. Oftentimes, people mistake a computer virus for a computer worm. A virus often spreads from one computer to another, whereas a worm starts on one computer, but can infect many computers over a network at one time.
Computer Viruses Usage
The birth of the computer virus was estimated to be around the early ‘70s when one of the first forms of the Internet was created. This particular virus was known as the “creeper virus”. Many suspect that the creation of the virus was actually just an experiment with young computer experts to see how far the virus could travel. They did not realize the serious consequences that would occur following the release of the virus. Since then, viruses started to become more predominant, especially in the 1980s when pirated software began to surface that contained viruses.
Computer Viruses Criminality
As computer crime cases have increased, Federal laws have been put into effect to try to help prevent the spread of computer viruses. In the United States, it is considered a Federal crime to knowingly release a virus to a third party without their consent. The result of committing such a crime can lead to serious jail time along with heavy fines. This is demonstrated in several famous court cases involving computer crime.
One of the most famous computer case crimes involving a virus was due to the spread of the “Melissa Virus”. The creator of the virus was sentenced to twenty months in prison and was ordered to pay a fine in the amount of five thousand dollars. In cases involving the use of malware, it is illegal to use malware in order to spread a virus. However, it is not illegal to actually possess malware.

Seriousness of Computer Viruses

Seriousness of Computer Viruses

According to computer crime laws derived from computer crime cases, it can be considered a Federal offense for anyone to install or send out types of computer viruses that can cause harm to someone’s property without their permission. There are many computer crime cases tried in the United States every year. One case that exemplifies how charges can be brought against someone who sends out a virus is the case involving the “Melissa Virus”.
The “Melissa Virus” case was considered to be one of the most famous computer crime cases in the history of the United States. The virus was first discovered in March of 1999. The virus quickly spread from the United States all the way to Europe and was triggered when individuals used a particular word processing program. One of the main purposes of the virus was to help unknowingly spread pornographic content to third parties.
The virus caused international destruction to computers and over eighty million dollars worth of damage was reported. The owner of the virus, David Smith, plead guilty and was sentenced to twenty months in prison and was ordered to pay a five thousand dollar fine. Since then, numerous other types of computer viruses have arisen, each of which exhibits a similar level of damaging effect and injurious quality.
Due to the rise of computer crime cases in the U.S., many lawmakers started looking for ways to combat cybercrime and those who try to use all types of computer viruses. On March 15, 1999 law enforcement and technology experts teamed up to form a new alliance. The alliance was known as the CyberCitizen Partnership.
The Cybercitizen Partnership consists of three main branches: “Good Cybercitizenship” a public awareness campaign, a directory that is considered to be a user-friendly computer network that will help people find secure resources, and an Information Security Professional Fellowship created to help people within the Government and within the industry to gain perspective with participants on every level.
Although computer crime cases have increased and there are many types of computer viruses, there are steps that can be taken to help prevent a computer virus from attacking you. To limit the chance of making yourself vulnerable to a virus, you can install an anti-virus or anti-malware program that can either prevent or block harmful code from entering your computer. Also, avoid giving out your e-mail address too often as this can increase the chance of receiving spam mail which can contain types of computer viruses.