The Changing World of Internet Security

Internet security issues cost businesses in excess of $55 billion dollars last year. As many as 1 in 12 emails contain malicious software. Estimates indicate that one in every 20 computers is host to some form of malware. In spite of these staggering facts, 20% of all internet using computers still have no effective internet security system.

What are the Most Recent Threats?

PWSteal.Wowcraft.B
Symantec discovered this threat on Oct. 22, 2005. The purpose of this Trojan horse is to steal passwords for the World of Warcraft game. If this Trojan horse slips past your internet security system it waits for you to access a World of Warcraft log on screen. If you do, it logs your keystrokes and emails them to a remote attacker.

Backdoor.Darkmoon.B
This Trojan horse opens a backdoor to the infected system. Once past the internet security system on your computer, this Trojan hatches itself in svchost.exe where it loads %System%\Yndbybmh.d1l. That is the base kernel for the horse. It also alters your registry keys so that it runs every time the system is booted. The frightening thing about this threat is that it not only logs keystrokes but gives the remote attacker full unauthorized use of your system.

Trojan.Gamqowi
Discovered on Oct. 22, 2005, this Trojan horse attacks your internet security system itself. It targets internet security programs and attempts to lower the levels of security on your system. The ultimate goal is to disable your internet security system altogether.

What Can You Do to Protect Your System?

Make sure that your computer is protected by an internet security system.
Ensure that your internet security system is effective by running frequent updates.
Turn off or disconnect unused services such as FTP servers.
Disable internet connections when not in use.
Use complex and varied passwords, changing them frequently.
Set your email server to block or remove files which commonly contain threats including .vbs, .bat, .exe, .pif and .scr files.
Never open up attachments that are not expected, even from people you know.
Employ a pop up blocker as part of your internet security system.

A large part of keeping your computer safe is being smart and helping your internet security system to remain effective. Technical schools are busy preparing armies of people to help you stay safe but you have to do your part too. If you find internet security fascinating perhaps you could become part of the army by attending a technical school near you.

Sources
Sophos
Symantec