Are viruses, malware winning the security battle?

IANS,
January 16, 2007

Virus programmers seem to know no limits when it comes to creative ways of making the Internet unsafe. Rootkits, originally programmes designed to help computer administrators, are the current bugbear for security firms trying to prevent them from sneaking worms, trojans, and viruses past anti-virus programs.

There is no stock recipe for detecting malware. Virus authors work hard to stay ahead of their pursuers. To close that gap, most anti-virus programmes perform what are known as heuristic scans to look for general virus behaviour patterns.

Firewall software is recommended as an additional security measure. This allows the computer user to at least partially control what is being sent and received by his/her computer. At minimum, the Windows firewall function should be activated.

"One in three computers is insufficiently protected," says Christoph Fischer, general manager at VFK EDV-Consulting, a Karlsruhe-based IT security firm.

Many users fail to perform regular software and system updates. Other users neglect to install firewall and anti-virus software. That in turn makes it easier for hackers to eavesdrop on sensitive Internet information and perform identity theft.

There has been an increasing trend of late towards spy programmes. These attempt to sneak themselves unnoticed onto computers, reading passwords stored in browsers and logging everything typed using the keyboard.

"Organised crime gangs are increasingly using malicious software," confirms Oliver Auerbach, a virus analyst at the anti-virus software maker Avira.

The criminals hope to gain control of other users' computers to then send out spam, distribute more malware over the Internet or to spy on data from the infected computer.

"Computer security is not a personal issue," says Guenter Ennen, director of the Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT-Bund), which is responsible for IT security for the German Federal Government.

Hacker gangs plant malware on unprotected computers to build up Bot-nets (an abbreviation of robot networks). These bots are then remote controlled by the malware to do illegal things like send out spam mail.

Many users do not realise that their own computer is part of a Bot-net. Bot-nets are often used as part of blackmail attempts on Website operators. Taking the time to protect one's own computer against becoming a bot is a step toward protecting others as well.