Protecting Against Malware

• Exploit


  To take advantage of a vulnerability, either in hardware, software, or human behavior
• Humans are often the weak spot in a system
• Hardware and software are extensively tested, but vulnerabilities can still be found and exploited quickly
• Social engineering


  The process of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information
• When a software vulnerability is found, developers need to issue a patch to address it
• Not everyone updates their software automatically, leaving systems vulnerable to attacks targeting unpatched software
• Defensive programming


  • Validating all inputs, sanitizing inputs to prevent injection attacks, keeping data secure and separate from the main program
• Code quality


  • Important for security, even small logic errors can lead to vulnerabilities
• Programmers often reuse code from sources like Stack Overflow, GitHub, or libraries, which can spread any vulnerabilities in that code
• Phishing


  Obtaining sensitive information by disguising a message as coming from a trustworthy source
• Measures to mitigate social engineering attacks


  • Strict email filters, employee training, limiting access rights, encryption, frequent password changes, multi-factor authentication
• Antivirus/anti-malware software


  • Maintains a database of known malware signatures, uses sandboxing to analyze suspicious files, and offers real-time protection by monitoring memory