In the world of technology there are many dangers related to malicious software , called malware. These programs are developed for different reasons, but most often they do so to steal information and obtain financial benefits.
There are different types of programs that can destroy our computer. On this occasion, we will talk about computer worms , which are nothing but files that penetrate our devices and perform very destructive actions . But this is not in us, but they spread to all our contacts without us noticing, so the infection rate is very high.
We will show you in this article what a Worm is, what damage it can produce and how you should share it. Take a look!
Index:
What is a computer worm and how dangerous can it be?
A computer worm is a malware that belongs to the virus set. Although it is not a virus itself, but it is classified as a subtype of this kind of malicious software . Unlike viruses, these are hosted anywhere on the computer and have the ability to make copies of themselves , their mission is not to infect program files.
In addition, they use social media to spread, so their goal is to infect as many devices as possible. For this, they use emails or messages that users exchange with files with attractive names, such as current affairs, piracy and sex.
It is commonly known as “IWorm” (Internet Worm) or simply “Worm” . Having the ability to make a copy of itself, a computer can send thousands of this malware to the network to which it belongs or to different users, being able to create dire results regarding computer programming in a matter of hours.
Because of this, it is necessary to recommend not opening any files from unknown people or from unreliable email addresses.
«Morris» the first computer worm When was it created and how it was corrected ?
The “Morris worm” was the first Worm that created copies of itself and was released to the Internet in 1988 by Robert Tappan Morris . It is estimated that it affected 10% of the total number of computers that existed in the United States at that time. This action had a devastating result, as it multiplied rapidly and included infections to national government computers.
The day after the attack, it was discovered that could only reach computers that used the Unix system . So people belonging to the University of Berkeley worked to capture a copy of the source code and create a patch to be able to close all the security circuits that took advantage of the malware, especially the mail transport Sendmail .
The author was sentenced to three years in prison in suspense and more than 400 hours of social work. It was considered that the creator of this Worm did not intend to harm, but because of an error in the same worm system or “code bug” , the effects that caused losses were triggered of almost 100 million dollars of the time.
How do computer worms spread on the Internet?
In addition to not attacking the files and generating copies of themselves, the worms have the characteristic of spreading rapidly between devices, managing not to be detected within the operating system . In order to perform this mission and be invisible, you need to spread using different tools so that people do not suspect the Worm. That is, they require a “social engineering” to be able to infect.
One of the best known methods, is to use the SMTP protocol, through which you will travel through email attachments . In this case, they use themes that are of great interest by users. Which, without knowing, send the “information disguised as useful” to your contacts or known people. .
Once the recipient clicks on the file, without knowing it, the worm enters its operating system. And so the broadcast chain continues, as many Worms regenerate even before opening the email.
Another way to spread is through a link or link that is available on a website or FTP server. This is very common and usually happens when the Internet pages are not trusted and cover especially piracy and sexual issues.
There are worms that can be propagated using ICQ or IRC messages . Within the online chat, different camouflaged link Worms or documents of interest are sent.
Something that happens especially in companies, is when files are transmitted between two computers connected to a point-to-point network (P2P ) . In this way, it is very easy for the worm to enter the other end or recipient of the data packets, being able to install directly in the computer memory.
What are the main types of iWorms known to date?
If computer worms come they have the same functionality and share the goal of infecting as many computers as possible, not all are the same .
These are classified according to the medium they use for their propagation. Therefore, we will see below the main types of iWorms that are currently known and that are in force.
Email-Worm
This kind of worms are popularized through emails . They send a copy of itself through an attachment, which is installed when it is opened, or the worm sends a link that will allow you to regenerate a copy of these malicious programs when you click on the link.
In order to find the email addresses to which you should send, the worm uses different tools. Some that we can mention are the Outlook address book, the WAB address book, files in txt format , or check the inbox and find the necessary information.
IM-Worm
These Worms use, as a means of propagation, instant messaging, such as AOL Instant Messenger, Skype and ICQ among others . The procedure used is to send a URL to the contacts so that they click on them.
Its method is very simple and builds trust among infected users, since the message is sent by known people. To be able to detect them, a lot of attention must be paid, since the messages, being automatic, do not represent the normal behavior of a human being.
IRC-Worm
To infect as many computers or electronic devices as these worms use Internet Relay Chat (IRC) . As with email, a Worm uses this kind of instant messaging to send an attachment or a link so that the attacked person must click on one of them.
Net-Worm
These worms use computer networks to spread indefinitely and create a copy of their malicious code. To do this, the creators of these worms look for computer vulnerabilities in the different software that run the network nodes.
To infect a device, Worms send a packet called “exploit ” . This is specially designed to penetrate the victim’s system and be able to download a part of the code, then the file containing the main section of the malware is executed.
It is very common to find worms that send a large amount of exploits. They do this to be able to infect a greater number of computers belonging to the network.
P2P-Worm
P2P are types of networks that work from point to point, where file exchanges occur. This is an ideal field for the propagation of worms, since they work when it can be copied to a file directory, which will be shared in the future.
The worm seeks to access the network by infecting a computer belonging to it . Once you have entered the malware codes and a network client needs to find a specific file, the worm informs the other nodes of its existence. In this way, when the requested information is downloaded, it also silently enters the Worm .
In some situations, worms copy up to the network protocol and respond correctly to search queries, so detection is much more difficult in these cases.
Virus
Unlike worms, viruses create a copy of themselves and keep themselves updated, but only to infect a local computer . Therefore, they do not use network services to propagate or infiltrate, since they are successful if there is any type of connection or transmission explicitly by the user .
This usually occurs when an operator sends an attachment in an email, which contains the virus. Or, when copying it to a removable storage memory such as a Pen Drive .
Tips to protect yourself against attacks of computer viruses of type worms
After everything we’ve talked about, it’s necessary to keep in mind that worms are one of the most important and devastating malware that exist of computer systems. That is why we need to take extreme caution to protect our teams from their attacks.
We will see below, different tips that will help you to shield your computer so that you do not have headaches in the future. Let’s see!
Avoid opening unknown files
It is one of the main tips you should keep in mind . This is because one of the most common means for the propagation of a worm is through email messages or online chats. This works when people you don’t trust or don’t know are sending files to you so that, through cheating, you open them.
Once you click on these files or links the Worm enters your computer.
Try to get everything updated
At this point we refer not only to a web browser, but also to the operating system. Thanks to quick patches or hotfix, engineers are updating the OS and any other software, according to the appearance of new malware.
Therefore, it is very important that every time a computer program asks for your update you should do it in the shortest possible time.
It has an efficient antivirus
We mean, you should not only install an antivirus, but you will also have to update it as you have to do with the operating system. Having an efficient antivirus means having it updated, but it also means paying attention to all the calls the software makes when you interact with your computer.
Many times the intervention of the user is necessary to be able to correct some weaknesses that the computer has.
Install a firewall
Although a firewall does not stop a worm, but is necessary to be able to filter different security protocols and thus control the sending of files between two computers that are connected in a network.
In this way, using a firewall can prevent worms from entering the network and traveling through attachments, since they cannot go through security protocols of the firewall.
Browse secure pages
Other important recommendations we have to make is that you enter all the websites where you will really find the information you are looking for. That is, discards those sites where the first thing they ask is that you click to allow notifications or have to perform other actions .
You should keep in mind that this kind of malicious software is disguised with tempting images and encouraging texts, so you must analyze the veracity of what those sites propose to you.
Try to always navigate on pages “https ” .