Cybersecurity risks have been one of the most common problems faced by anyone who’s using or developing software. Any individual, business, or organization can be a victim of countless malicious attacks, no matter how advanced their technology may be. While the vast advancements in technology have been an advantage for most people, they also lead to the prevalence of cybersecurity risks and malware threats. Along with the growth of technology, the birth of the internet also created the pervasiveness of attacks in IT infrastructures.
Fortunately, as alarming as it may sound, numerous types of security risks can now be identified and prevented. With the help of various IT service providers that offer security applications to counter risks in software development, preventing malware threats has never been easy. For starters, you can check on several security companies like forallsecure.com for advanced fuzzing solutions.
Aside from security companies, you’ll also learn in this article the top five security risks and malware threats in software development, along with some effective ways to beat them. Before that, here’s what malware’s all about.
What Is Malware Threat?
When it comes to safeguarding your device or assisting software development processes that you’ve been working with, you may’ve heard of the terms virus, trojan, and ransomware. These words primarily refer to the type of malicious software utilized to infect computers and devices.
Particularly, malware, also known as malicious software, mainly infects computer systems to exploit, damage, or disable the network. This has been one of the fast-becoming threats online and has been used in many of the world’s most prominent cyber-attacks.
Malware is usually used by most perpetrators to:
- Extort money from other people
- Track and record user activity without permission
- Alter core system functions
- Constraint spam or coerced advertising
- Embezzle, encrypt, or erase personal data
Utilizing malware in various cyber-attacks has proven largely profitable and is becoming more sophisticated as perpetrators incorporate old and new variants to cause damage to anyone or any organization.
Some of the most common types of security threats in software development include:
-
Ransomware
Ransomware has been one of the most common types of malwares utilized by criminals in recent years. Aside from being the malware of choice, various researches reported that ransomware is expected to extract a toll of around USD$ 8 billion worth of damages from the world.
This type of malware is mainly utilized to steal and encrypt the personal data of a person and block access until a ransom is paid. Besides that, ransomware is also used to hijack software development processes and alter system configurations. By opening a malicious attachment or clicking on a specific link within an email, a person can be trap in the most usual method of ransomware.
To prevent the risks of ransomware, software users must avoid opening attachments that seem suspicious and report the site immediately.
-
Trojan
Disguised as what seems like an authorized software, Trojan threats are primarily designed to attack unsuspicious victims online. This is a type of malware that’s concealed as legitimate software but is invented to serve malicious purposes. While both software users and novice developers may think that Trojan threats are a free update, anti-virus program, or a device, it’s mostly used by perpetrators to trick users into installing the malevolent device.
After the clueless user installs it, the Trojan operates stealthily in the background to steal personal data, insert a backdoor, or execute other detrimental actions.
While many users may have a hard time identifying a trojan from legit software, you must know that installing software from an unknown user or downloading it should be avoided to better protect yourself from a trojan virus.
-
Botnet
Aside from trojan and ransomware, another type of malware that can cause serious damages to your device upon installation is the botnet. Particularly, a botnet is malicious software that aims to carry out harmful acts upon a user without their consent. Widely known as the invisible software threats, they’re also a network of infected devices that operate together under the attacker’s control.
Apart from being used to send out spam, botnets are also utilized to administer phishing programs and perform Distributed Denial of Services (DDoS) attacks. On the other hand, a bot is a device plagued with hostile software to conduct harmful acts on a person.
To effectively counter botnet attacks, you must do the following:
- Install a properly configured Windows firewall
- Disable Auto-Run features of the software or device
- Obtain judicious control over local accounts and break password trusts
- Consider network compartmentalization
-
Adware
If you’ve experienced frustrations due to sudden advertisements that appear on your device, then you must’ve encountered adware. It’s a type of malware that shows ads on the user’s device. Though considered malware, adware doesn’t pose severe damage to the victim, nor does it steal sensitive data like any other form of malware.
However, adware forces users to view ads that they’d naturally prefer not to and cause extreme frustration. These ads cover a wide range of promotions, from small banner ads to intrusive pop-up windows that can’t be bypassed.
To combat adware viruses, you should scan your device using malware bytes or adware anti-virus. You may also install a legitimate anti-virus software or scan your computer weekly.
-
Virus
When it comes to duplicating files from another user, criminals’ most common type of malware is a computer virus. A virus is a type of baleful malware that recreates itself from folder to folder and installs its code. One of the typical characteristics of viruses is their ability to spread swiftly and replicate promptly. It also covers a wide range of data security breaches and can consequentially harm the user.
Aside from being known to fester a specific system or software to steal personal and financial information, viruses can also be used to lock a system down, alter system configuration, halt certain software development processes, or send spam.
There are also types of viruses that can be installed after you viewed a malicious site or an attachment linked to an email. To effectively counter threats of viruses, you must use malware scanners, avoid suspicious software or sites, and always scan email attachments.
-
Worm
Widely known to be similar to viruses, a worm can also recreate itself within a system. Once downloaded, the worm surreptitiously operates and infests the system without the victim’s knowledge. They’re also known to replicate at an incredible number, damage software processes, and deplete system configuration.
However, unlike a virus, it can’t replicate to other software and programs. Worms can only be used in certain software or device.
To prevent software developers or even normal software users from being a victim of worm viruses, they can utilize robust IT security systems that can scan devices and software from potential worm attacks and use anti-virus or anti-malware software.
Conclusion
Being in the software development field and becoming a software developer is never an easy task. It requires a vast amount of knowledge and expertise to effectively identify and prevent security threats that can affect software development processes. Along with that, as a software developer, you’re also required to prevent risks of malware threats that can impair the smooth operation of your software, such as ransomware, trojan, botnet, adware, virus, and worms.
Fortunately, there are various security measurements and tools that can be used by software developers and normal users to prevent themselves from being victims of software security threats.