In this day and age it is unimaginable to live in a world without any Internet connectivity, as the Internet has become an integral part of our day-to-day lives. The numerous websites and web pages that we visit are made accessible to us through web hosting services which are provided by web hosting companies. These web hosting service providers lease the server space, services and technologies that are needed to make a website available online. Many of these web hosts have earned the reputation of being the best “Cloud Hosting Company” or the best “Windows Hosting Services 2020” or the best “Hosting Company in India” and abroad, as they offer excellent services consistently and cater to their broad spectrum of clients with the most affordable web hosting plans that are rich in features.
Every day we view numerous websites and click on many links on these web pages without being aware of the risk that we are exposing our devices to. Malicious software are always waiting for one mistake at the user’s end that will give these the opportunity to fulfil their purpose. The sole purpose of these malicious programs or malware is to harm either the vulnerable computer, computer network, the server or the user of these. These programs act covertly to gain access to or cause damage to the targeted device’s data. Another purpose that these malicious software serve, is gaining unauthorized access to a network. Any malware is usually delivered in the form of a file or a link that is sent over email. It requires the user to click on it, so that the malware can be executed. A huge range of malware types exist, which include viruses, Trojan Horses, worms, spyware, rogue software, ransomware, adware, wiper and scareware.
The content of this blog will focus on the malware, Remote Access Trojan (RAT). This malicious program gives the hacker the full administrative control remotely of the targeted device on which RAT gets installed. Once Remote Access Trojan infects a device, the hacker can access all the local files, login credentials and other personal information that are on it. It also enables the hacker to carry out covert surveillance on the affected device and monitor user behavior as well as use the connection for downloading viruses that could be propagated further to others. Additionally, this kind of malware can change the computer settings of the affected computer. RATs exhibit the characteristics of keylogger applications, as these enable the automated collection of keystrokes to acquire usernames, passwords etc. Many Remote Access Trojans are capable of scraping saved as well as cached passwords.
There are many Remote Access Trojans. Some of these are SubSeven, Back Orifice, ProRat, Turkojan, CyberGate, DarkComet, Optix, Shark, VorteX Rat and Poison-Ivy. The list of the names of Remote Access Trojans is quite long and it keeps growing continuously.
A RAT is very deceptive as it is usually an application that appears authentic but contains malware which gets downloaded and installed on the targeted device. Most RATs will leave no trace of their presence on the infected device. RATs can be used by cybercriminals to secretly activate the infected device’s microphone or webcam to listen to or watch the user at will.
Remote Access Trojans can be installed on a device in a number of ways, which are similar to the ways in which other malware make their way into a system. These can be transferred via email attachments, download packages, web links and torrent files. Victims of Remote access Trojans are known to have been lured into downloading it through social engineering techniques.
As is evident from the information provided in this blog, RATs are an extremely dangerous form of malware that collect a huge amount of information of the user who accesses the infected device. Remote Access Trojans’ presence on a device ascertains that any personal information that has been accessed on that infected device has been compromised. In that case an effective Anti-Malware should be installed and run on the infected device which will remove any associated files and registry modifications. Following that, the user should update instantly all login credentials from a device that is devoid of RAT and notify the system administrator of the RAT attack. In order to remain secure from such a cyber-attack, it is important to never click website links from unknown sources that one doesn’t trust and to never install software that one is not sure about and are provided by unknown parties. Additionally, one must never leave one’s device unlocked when in public and away from it. One must also use well-known Antivirus and Anti-Malware solutions that are known to be effective in providing security against Remote Access Trojans. As the saying goes, “Better safe than sorry”, one must always make use of every protective measure against every form of malware, including RAT, to have a comfortable and safe experience of using the Internet.
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