A Layman's Glossary of Malware Terms

Baffled by bots? Vexed by variants? Some working definitions for the non-technical.

Mon, October 08, 2007CSO 76service – A group that orchestrated attacks using the Gozi Trojan and pioneered a service used to provide clients with subscriptions to stolen data feeds provided by those attacks.

Blind Drop – A drop that is well hidden and is designed to run while unattended, until an attacker comes to collect the data. In the case of remote access Trojans, can also refer to file hidden locally.

Bot – A computer infected with software that allows it to be controlled by a remote attacker. Also used to refer to the malware itself which allows that control.

Carder – Someone who trades in stolen credit card and cardholder data.

Downloader – A small piece of code, usually a single instruction, used in the payload of an exploit to silently fetch a malicious EXE file from the attacker's server.

Drop – A clandestine computer or service [such as e-mail account] that collects data stolen by a Trojan.

Dump – As a noun, used interchangeably with “drop.” As a verb it means to transfer data onto a machine for analysis, or to discard an exe after reverse engineering.

exe – A Windows executable program. In a malware attack, the "exe" refers to the malicious progam which infects the victim's PC.

Exploit – Code used to take advantage vulnerabilities in software code and configuration, usually to install malware.

Form-grabber – A program that steals information submitted by a user to a web site. (Originally forms were the only way to submit user input to a web server, but now the meaning has changed to encompass any HTTP communication using a POST request.)

Gozi – One of a family of Trojans written by Russian RATs known as the HangUp Team, used in a string of attacks orchestrated by a group known as 76service.

iFrame – A special tag used to load one web page into a part of another webpage. Used by iFramers to load malicious code, often JavaScript, onto an otherwise trusted page.

iFramer – A person who places a malicious IFRAME (in-line frame) tag into web pages, usually on compromised web sites, and then charges malware developers for access to those iFrames as a distribution method for Trojans.

Keylogger – A program that logs user input from the keyboard, usually without the user's knowledge or permission.

Loading...
Security MarketSpace
White Papers
5 Tips for Data Loss Prevention Solutions
RSA® The Security Division of EMC has identified 5 key considerations to help organizations simplify the evaluation process for selecting a DLP solution that is right for their business. Learn more »
Secure Training Videos to Prevent Theft
Learn how Dream Force extended their marketing reach without being constricted. Learn more »
Prevent Intellectual Property Theft
Learn what the key components were in Hock International's purchasing decision. Learn more »
Webcasts
Maximizing the Business Value of the PC Infrastructure
Reduced IT budgets have CIOs hunting for ways to maximize their PC infrastructure, while saving money and IT staff time. Diane Bryant, CIO of Intel Corp., talks with CIO magazine's Gary Beach about how her organization is addressing these challenges. Learn more »
 
SPONSORED LINKS
 

Data Loss Prevention: A Better Way to Approach Security

Software Executives: Take Control of Your Organization's Code Quality

Delivering Secure and Reliable Data through Spreadsheet Automation

Taking the Service Desk to the Next Level

Why Data Loss is Increasing--and What You Can Do About It

Communications and Collaboration Needs at Business Organizations

Using Open Source to Deploy Web Applications

Mid-Sized Company CIO Community: infoBOOM!

Enterprise PBX Comparison Guide

Getting Value from Outdated Networking Equipment

Accenture IT Consulting: Logical meets technological. More . . .

White Paper: 8 Key Ingredients to Building an Internal Cloud

Read about virtualization and consolidation effort best practices

Building the Virtualized Enterprise with VMware Infrastructure

Top 10 Business and IT Drivers for the Wealth Management Sector

Bottom-Line Benefits of Virtualization

White Paper: The Building Blocks for Cloud Computing

Oracle's Application Grid Technical Demo

Next-Generation Application Servers and Infrastructure

Application Infrastructure at Enterprise Organizations

Achieving Business Agility with Application Grid

Learn about The Information Technology Infrastructure Library.

Achieving Pervasive Performance Management

Gartner Shares Predictions for 2009

64-page prescriptive guide to security, compliance, and IT operations.

Stop Application Fraud at the Source with Device Reputation

Ready to Act: 3 Recommendations for Agile Processes

Automating the Generation and Secure Distribution of Excel Reports

Seven Ways ITIL Can Help You in an Economic Downturn

Maximizing the Business Value of the PC Infrastructure

Learn how to managing client systems in the enterprise.

Cloud Computing: Read about VMware's compelling vision & set of products

Enterprise PBX Buyer's Guide

Secondary Market Primer: Your Network at Half Price

Top-line Performance that's Bottom-line Efficient

Accenture: Outsourcing for uncertain times. Click to learn more.

Learn about the VMware vSphere (TM) & Intel (R) Xeon (R) Processor 5500 Series

Learn how a virtualized enterprise can help your company reduce costs

Why Isn't Server Virtualization Saving Us More?

8 Key Ingredients to Building an Internal Cloud

Data Center Optimization: Three Key Strategies

A CIO Executive Guide: Cloud Computing Looms Big on the Horizon

Oracle WebLogic Server Technical Demo

Data Grids and Service-Oriented Architecture

Achieving the Impossible: Unlimited Application Scalability

A Middleware Foundation for Application Grid

Tips for successful virtualization management.

Smart Decisions: The Role of Key Performance Indicators

Reduce risk, gain agility. See how Progress can help your business.

Improve ROI, lower TCO and reduce energy consumption.

 
 
RESOURCE CENTER