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Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - Printable Version

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Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - Danus - 03-07-2014

Introduction
This tutorial will cover in detail the difference between different types of malware, since most people call everything they see a virus, There are 3 "main" types of malware, a Virus, A Worm and a Trojan, each of those malware break into other sub sections like, A backdoor caused by a trojan (Trojan.backdoor), Email worm(Worm.Email) and so on. ill try to cover in detail each type.

Malware
Short for Malicious Software, a program that is created to potentially harm your computer in anyway. such as stealing data, corrupting data, stealing money and using your own computer against you or other people. Malware is a Trojan, a virus or a worm.

Payload
A payload is the "cargo" that the malware unloads on exectuion or a spesific date, it could be anything. most payloads corrupt data, connect the user to a botnet or just make the computer unusable. examples: Worm.Email.Gruel, Virus.CIH, Trojan.backdoor.darkcomet

Virus
Much like a biological virus, a computer virus attempts to infect hosts by injecting its code to other files, in this way the virus replicates itself thus executing each time the user runs an infected file, unlike other malware the virus needs human existence to work, first a user must activate the infecting file and then launch other programs each to for the virus to infect, if the user doesn't press anything the virus wont run unless the files the virus infected are already running, each virus has a payload that executes on a specific date or instantly. Although viruses need humans to live it is a very very dangerous malware, when game companies released disks infected with the CIH for example(Yeah it happened) a lot of users lost their data because of the malicious payload the virus had. Over writing the Master Boot record with zeros.
Marco viruses who used Microsoft Office exploits email themselves and destroy computers, Like the Mellisa macro virus who was email and believed to have porn passwords. on execution the virus would corrupt data making the computer un-booteble. A virus payload could also open random files and folders and open porn websites just too annoy the user.

Worm
A computer worm also is a self replicating program that attempts to spread itself using that replication, unlike a virus worms do not modify files and destroy them, worms do not need human existence to work, once a worm has run it can function alone. Worms consume a lot of bandwith because they attempt to spread using the network, worms often install backdoors in the computer to connect the computer to a botnet or a RAT. worms often delete files in the system to remain undetected or destroy the computer.The Gruel worm for example arrived in an email with a very malicious payload, once activated it would mass email itself and then remove files from System32, opening random files, websites, constantly opening message boxes, creating a lot of errors that cause Blue Screens of death, restoring the computer to a normal state after the infection of the Gruel worm is almost impossible.
Another example of a worm is the MyDoom worm, on execution the payload would mass email itself to other computers, open a backdoor and then launch a DDOS attack on www.sco.com. the email form would look like this:"andy; I'm just doing my job, nothing personal, sorry".
Later the DoomJuice worm exploited backdoors that were opened in computers by MyDoom to connect the computer to a botnet.

Trojan
Before we talk about the Trojan i want to tell you guys a little story, Long time ago two countries had a war, The Greeks had decided to give a small present to the City of Troy to end the war, so they brought a big wooden horse as a present to the people of Troy, once the present entered the big city, who was heavily protected with men and huge walls, they opened the horse and a huge amount of Greek soldiers raided the city, destroying and burning it to the ground.
A trojan arrives as a legitimate program, it would appear like a regular program, an Anti-Virus, A windows update or even a hacking tool, on execution it would drop a very malicious payload, it could be anything, from annoying the user and connecting him to a botnet without hes acknowledgement or encrypting the users files and asking for a ransom for decrpyting(CryptoLocker,CryptoBit). A trojan is a Keylogger, A trojan is a backdoor.
The difference between other malware and a trojan is that a Trojan doesnt replicate itself or attempt to spread itself or need human action to exist.
A very dangerous trojan was the CryptoLocker, who encrypted files on execution and demanded a 300 dollar ransom to decrypt the files.

Pictures and shit
[Image: w32gruel_450.ashx?w=450&h=176&as=1] - Gruel worm

[Image: Cryptolocker.png]-CrpytoLocker

[Image: iloveyou.gif] - ILOVEYOUWORM arriving in an email, on execution it would mass email itself and then overwrite un-critical files on the computer, due to its easy modified nature, new variants of the worm over written critical system files.

- LOVEYOU trojan who deleted critical system files as a payload after it stressed the user.

RE: [TUT] Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - unohex - 03-07-2014

Well written, thank you for sharing : )

RE: [TUT] Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - Danus - 03-07-2014

Thanks! Biggrin

RE: [TUT] Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - untevivan - 03-08-2014

Super,very interesting article, will be especially useful it to beginners

RE: [TUT] Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - Danus - 03-08-2014

Its important to understand and not label everything as a virus

RE: Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - Jony Som - 03-24-2014

Thanks, well explained and I liked how examples and screenshots were given.

RE: Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - Danus - 03-31-2014

Any time Smile

RE: Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - Agoff - 04-02-2014

Very nice tutorial, for beginners.

RE: Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - prumzy - 04-02-2014

WOW! i've been so ignorant all dis while..Now i know there differences..TANX for d idea!

RE: Understanding the difference between different types of malware. - Tuxified - 04-12-2014

Thank you for sharing this! I honestly messed around with all of them but never knew the real details.