What is a Worm?
A worm is a computer virus that spreads from one place to another using the self-replication process. It works independently without any human intervention. Once cybercriminals create it and place it in a network or endpoint, it spreads from device to device, network to network, and file to file. At every stage, it self-replicates to increase its numbers and infect other devices and endpoints connected to a single point. In order to move to new places and devices, it exploits vulnerabilities and security gaps in computers and networks. Once successfully infiltrating a system, it corrupts all the components that come in its way. Following a similar pattern, a worm moves from one device to another, leaving a trail of rampage and disruptions behind it.
What is a Trojan?
A trojan is a spoofed program that disguises itself as legitimate and authentic software or program. Users become tricked by the counterfeit appearance of the software and take it at face value. As a result of this, users download and install the program on their devices with little thinking. As soon as the trojan enters a device, it performs sinister activities such as stealing data, modifying files, tracking online activities, disrupting the normal operations of the operating system, and smuggling financial details to the black hats controlling the program from the outside. Unlike worms that work independently, trojans are put into action by the Cybercriminals. They exploit system and network vulnerabilities to infect a device with trojan horses.
The name ‘Trojan’ is derived from the Greek story of the Trojan War. According to the legend, the Greeks built a large wooden horse to give to the Trojans as a symbol of peace and ceasefire. The naive Trojans accept the horse and bring it to their fort. They take the wooden horse at face value, but Greek soldiers hide inside the big hollow horse. When the day entered into the night, and everyone was in a deep slumber, Geek soldiers came out of the wooden horse and started wreaking havoc inside the fort. They opened the main doors of the fort and let all the waiting army enter the fort. Once they were inside the fort, they started looting, plundering, and ravaging the city.
This same pattern follows in the current digital era when a user thinks software is harmless and downloads it on his PC without much thought. But in reality, it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Once it is inside your system, it starts infecting it, disrupting operations, corrupting files, and stealing sensitive data.
Difference Between a Worm and a Trojan?
There are huge differences between worms and trojans in terms of their work processes, means of infiltrating a device, tampering with internal executables, and stealing sensitive data. Both are designed using different codes and used to carry out different types of malicious activities. Let’s outline the differences between worms and trojans.
Worm
It self-replicates and spreads from one device or network to another, exploiting weaknesses in endpoints and peer-to-peer networks. To spread from one place to another, it exploits vulnerabilities in email attachments, document sharing, and discrepancies in software designs.
It operates independently and moves from one place to another without any human intervention. It burrows like a worm in a garden that penetrates one apple and then moves on to the other and then to the other. This rampage and ravage goes on relentlessly without any outside influence.
Worms take lots of system resources when they spread from one segment to the other and run their malicious operations. Due to these hectic activities, the system started dragging in the early stages. Over time you see frequent glitches and crashes and in the final stage complete breakdown of all the PC functionalities.
Worms are used to steal sensitive data, disrupt device networks, and automatically install and run malicious programs in the background of your digital devices.
SQL Slammer, Wannacry, Morris Worm, and Storm Worm are some notable examples of malicious cyber worms. Each of them has a structure, functionality, and capability to self-replicate and independently spread across different networks, devices, and connected endpoints in an organization.
Examples:
- 1. Morris Worm was one of the first worms created in 1988 to impact the early internet services.
- 2. The Storm Worm was coded in 2007 and used email attachments to spread from one device to another and infected lots of devices to form a botnet.
- 3. The SQL Slammer came into being in 2003 and was famous for exploiting the weaknesses in Microsoft SQL Server. It caused widespread disruptions across the networks.
- 4. Conficker appeared in 2008 and contaminated millions of Windows computers. It takes advantage of operating system vulnerabilities to create the largest collection of compromised computers to send spam mail and fraudsters.
- 5. WannaCry surfaced in 2017, and it worked by encrypting users' data, demanding ransom from the victim to release the information.
Trojan
It disguises itself as legitimate software or files to trick users into downloading and installing it on their system. Without thinking much, users follow the prompt and end up infecting their computers, laptops, and tabs with malicious codes. Innocent users become victims of the Trojan attacks when they take things at face value.
Once a Trojan is inside your system it will do a variety of harmful activities including stealing sensitive information such as credentials, personal details, and other credentials. It can modify files, documents, and system settings to enable cybercriminals to provide unauthorized access to your logged accounts, system storage, search history, and other sensitive areas.
Black hats can target your banking information, disrupt system functions, and hijack computers using the trojans. Trojans disguise themselves as legitimate software and links. They are attached to spam emails, text messages, and shared files.
Trojans do not self-replicate to infect a system and spread from one place to the others. It needs someone from outside who commands and controls all the movements and malicious activities to promote illicit actions.
Back Orifice, Rootkit, Beast, Zeus, and Emotet are some common examples of trojans. It operates using a program and represents itself as a utility. Users get lured to it and become prey along the way.
Examples:
- 1. Back Orifice was a prototype of Trojan that first appeared in 1998. It enabled black hats to control Windows PCs from a safe distance.
- 2. Then came rootkits, another common example of trojans. These programs disguise themselves in the system and are capable of evading antivirus software fitted into the device.
- 3. Beast is another sneaky software that black hats use to break into a device and steal confidential data. Black hats can easily manage it from a remote distance and compromise sensitive details of an individual in the target system.
- 4. Zeus made its first debut in the cyber attack in 2007. It is a highly sophisticated malware that targets banking details, financial data, and payment gateways to steal all the important credentials and commit fraud.
- 5. Emotet is another formidable malware that targets baking systems and online payment processors. But over time, it becomes more complex and powerful as it is now used to deliver different types of viruses and malicious programs to compromise a device and create a botnet. Using these botnets cyberpunks can easily conduct their illegal and harmful activities on the target device.
How to Protect Your PC From Worms and Trojans?
Now that you know the difference between common worms and trojans and how they operate to infect your system, it is essential to protect your devices from them. The following write-up underlines five time-proven tips you can use in your real life to protect your digital devices and networks from deadly cyberattacks carried out by the worms and trojans. So let’s start with them one by one:
Use Antivirus Software
The first step in preserving your device’s integrity, online privacy, and data security is to download and install a smart antivirus software. It will detect potential threats, secure your device networks, and neutralize malicious programs before they do any harmful activity on your device. It will remove the existing infections and keep your computer clean of all types of malicious threats. Smart antivirus software comes with useful tools like real-time protection and heuristic analysis that protect your PC 24/7 and analyze system behavior for suspicious activities. It protects your emails, web browsers, and operating systems from deadly cyber attacks and malware infections. Having a powerful and reliable anti-malware program on your computer will provide you with a peaceful internet browsing experience.
Stay Cautious of Email Attachments
Emails provide a convenient way for cybercriminals to slip viruses and malicious codes into your system. They attach the virus links and malware files in the mail. As soon as you open or click them, these malicious programs become active and infiltrate your devices. So, it is highly important to stay cautious of email attachments, especially those that come from unknown and unsafe resources. These can be a trap laid to compromise your device and get unauthorized access to the critical components of your digital device. When you receive such emails, first check them and do some research about the sources from which they come. Activate your antivirus and wait for the report. Do not connect to the internet or take any action without considering the facts.
Don't Use Third-Party Platforms
Using third-party platforms for downloading apps, doing shopping, sharing information, or looking for information is not a safe option. Third-party platforms are surrounded by a lot of risks and hidden dangers that can cause damage to your device when you access them. Cybercriminals use third-party platforms to plant trojans and worms into your devices. All the more, third-party platforms do not follow prescribed internet security protocols to protect client data. Everything is surrounded by dangers, and one clicks to go, and you find yourself stuck at the dead end. Hence, don’t use third-party platforms to download your files and programs or carry out any other online activity.
Keep Your System Up-To-Date
Keeping your system and running apps, drivers, and programs up-to-date are among the most important things that will help you protect from complex malware infections. Viruses like worms and trojans exploit the vulnerabilities in your PC that develop over time due to pending updates. App and program vendors release new updates from time to time to fix the security patches and vulnerabilities in their software. Ignoring them invites and capacitates worms and trojans to infiltrate your computer and do malicious activities on it. Hence, it is highly essential to keep your system updated and download all the latest updates as soon as they are made available.
Inspect Your Computer
If you see any glitches, crashes, or slow computer performance, you should not ignore this. There could be some virus or malware actions that are affecting it from the inside. In this situation, you should inspect your device and look for the possible reason behind this malfunction. Check your files, look for unwanted file modifications, look for unknown icons appearing on your screens, pay attention to the constant notifications, etc., collect information about every activity, and learn about them. Activate your antimalware program and run deep system scans to detect malware and viruses. You will find the solutions to the underlying problems and prevent the bigger risks down the lines.
Use a Firewall
A firewall is an important tool that protects your device network from malicious infection by monitoring the online traffic. When you set up this tool on your device, it detects each data packet coming and going out of it. This process analyzes each data packet for malicious threats, such as worms and trojans trying to infiltrate your system. It immediately detects and blocks unsafe and harmful apps and programs from entering your PC. As a result of this, your device remains clean of all the malicious threats, especially worms and trojans that sneakily enter your system. Hence, using a firewall is a useful step in dealing with cyber threats.
Turn Off the Auto Run Option
You should turn off the auto-run option on your system to protect it from infection of removable drivers and devices. In addition to this, scan the removable drive or device first before proceeding with your operations. It will block the malware infection at the very outset and keep your PC immune to all the malicious codes and programs. External drivers and devices are often found to be infectious and malware-ridden and can move on to the internal system of your device if you ignore the autorun process in your device. This can prove destructive and dismantling down the line. Worms and trojans entering through infected drives can corrupt and steal your valuable data.
