Debunking The Myths About The Stealth Attacks In Your System

By Author: eccuni
Total Articles: 211
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It’s pretty hard to get bored using the internet. Imagine the variety of things you can do: from reading text to looking for graphics, watching movies to downloading many different things including programs, applications and games. It is so readily available for everyone that it is sometimes used in excess. The downside of the availability of many things to do in the internet is also that threats and breaches can be allowed to happen if we allow our access to a point where we get careless.

Attacks are not only happening in the happen where you can obviously see it as a threat but there are something sneaky ones which we will call “Stealth Attacks”. These types of attacks are the ones you won’t easily notice and sometimes have laid their homes in your system without the security system noticing for a very, very long time. It just stays there waiting for the moment it can get some valuable information from you which it can use against you or use to steal something from you.

A lot has been said about the different attacks and this article is to help you differentiate the false things said about stealth attacks ...
... and the right things said about it. This is to set the record straight.

Myth #1: With just a click, it can read your hard drive

There is actually a site that exists that proclaims it can easily read your hard drive with just the click of the link. In order to prove their point, they now invite the viewer to click on the link and say that it is that easy for the internet to get valuable data from them. If you would follow in their hoax, they would bring you to a page that shows your files (only the popular ones where all hard drives have them), particularly AUTOEXEC.bat and CONFIG.sys files. This is a proof they were talking about and wishes to use it to convince you it is that easy. Actually, all they did was put up a link that directs you back to your local hard disk and putting files that they know every computer contains.

Myth #2: Shortcuts in your system

If you are using Windows95 OS and you decided to install programs in your computer using default parameters then you will a system wherein there are a lot of different shortcuts. Shortcuts are there for you to easily click on it to run the programs that you want. These shortcuts are not programs, it’s only a direct link that runs the program it is linking to. These shortcuts usually are found in the desktop or in the start menu. However, the danger of this is that they might plant in a code that will activate a sequences of commands that you don’t want your program to do.

Myth #3: Viruses in email messages just by reading

There are a lot of spams or irrelevant messages in your email account that will either let you go to a page or let you download things. A lot of uninformed people might tell you that just by simply reading a strange e-mail, you will automatically get the virus injected in your system. Their solution? Delete the messages when it is strange looking upon entering your inbox. Sometimes, they make it sound like it’s a passable cough or a skin irritation that passes to other people upon contact. However, as good as their intentions might be, that isn’t true.

These messages can not do anything to your system unless there is an attachment that you have downloaded and opened in your computer. There is no way a simple message can infect your system without a program or an attachment with it that is downloaded and used.

Meant To Be Enjoyed

The internet is meant to be enjoyed and cherished, that is why whenever a huge breach has happened in your system, incident handling is a must. Therefore, hiring a professional who have undergone an incident handling training is recommended because they are experienced in incident response.

The International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) is a member-based organization that certifies individuals in cybersecurity and e-commerce. It is the owner and developer of 20 security certifications. EC-Council has trained over 90,000 security professionals and certified more than 40,000 members. These certifications are recognized worldwide and have received endorsements from various government agencies. They also offer trainings in incident handling training and incident response.

More information about EC-Council is available at www.eccouncil.org.