Enterprise Threats Overview

Viruses

A computer virus is a program that has the unique ability to replicate, and like biological viruses, can spread quickly. While some viruses carry a damage routine that may only display messages or images, others may destroy files, reformat your hard drive, or cause other damage. If the virus does not contain a damage routine, it may consume storage space and memory, degrading the overall performance of your computer.

Spam

Spam describes any unsolicited communication—sent either via email or instant messenger (IM)—intended for commercial gain. The term spam encompasses a broad array of activities, many of which—such as the distribution of phishing emails, or emails that provide an entrée to a Web threat—are malicious.

Phishing

Phishing is any attempt—via phone, email, instant messaging (IM), or fax—to procure personally identifiable information with the intent of identity, intellectual property, and—ultimately—financial theft. Most of these attempts are in the guise of a legitimate purpose; in other words, they appear to be valid, but instead are the actions of a criminal enterprise. A typical electronic phishing attack comprises two components: an authentic-looking email and a fraudulent Web page.

Spyware

Spyware and adware are closely related threats. Spyware is any piece of software, installed or employed without a user’s knowledge, that watches, logs, and reports on that user’s electronic movements. Spyware can track personal information (e.g., name and address), demographic information (e.g., age and gender), and psychosocial information (e.g., stance on current issues).

Crimeware

Crimeware is an overall term that describes software used for financial theft. Crimeware can spread via almost any threat vector—including viruses/Trojans/worms, spyware/adware, and others—and comprises bots, botnets, and ransomware.

Rootkits

A rootkit is a technology employed by malware and other threats to prevent detection and removal. In general, rootkits are confined to a single system, and use a variety of techniques to alter a machine’s boot sector, kernel code, or applications. These alterations, in turn, enable threats to "hook" anywhere in the system—allowing them to remain unnoticed in browsers and registries.

Mobile Security

Trend Micro defines a mobile threat as any malware that targets smart phones. (Laptops and PDAs, while “mobile,” are susceptible to the same threats as desktop PCs and are therefore not included in this category). Mobile threats generally comprise Trojans and worms, and require user intervention to spread. While currently in their infancy, the explosion of consumer (and corporate) interest in phones using operating systems such as Symbian and others means that mobile threats are due to rise.

Browser Hijackers

A browser hijacker redirects, without a user’s permission, an existing home page, search page, or other Web site to a location of the hijacker’s choosing. Generally, the intent of such redirection is to artificially inflate traffic to a particular site, expose the user to adware, or other nefarious purposes. Browser hijackers often behave like, and spread via, spyware.