True to their name, RATs are a particularly sneaky type of malware designed to trick unsuspecting users. Once on a computer, they give cybercriminals complete, anonymous control—from anywhere in the world. As the ancient Trojans
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Full Answer
What is a remote access trojan (RAT)?
A remote access trojan (RAT), also called creepware, is a kind of malware that controls a system via a remote network connection. It infects the target computer through specially configured communication protocols and enables the attacker to gain unauthorized remote access to the victim.
What happens when you enable remote access to your computer?
When remote access is enabled, authorized computers and servers can control everything that happens on your PC. They can open documents, download software, and even move the cursor around your screen in real time. A RAT is a type of malware that’s very similar to legitimate remote access programs.
Which is the Best Antivirus for remote access trojan detection?
Remote Access Trojan Detection 1 Avast 2 AVG 3 Avira 4 Bitdefender 5 Kaspersky 6 Malwarebytes 7 McAfee 8 Microsoft Windows Defender 9 Norton 10 PC Matic 11 Sophos 12 Trend Micro More ...
Is it possible to accidentally download a Trojan?
It is easy to accidentally download a trojan thinking that it is a legitimate app. Trojans can come in many different varieties, but generally they do the following: Download and install other malware, such as viruses or worms.
Can remote access Trojans be detected?
AIDE—short for Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment—is a HIDS designed specifically to focus on rootkit detection and file signature comparisons, both of which are incredibly useful for detecting APTs like Remote Access Trojans.
What are remote access Trojans used for?
Remote access trojans (RATs) are malware designed to allow an attacker to remotely control an infected computer. Once the RAT is running on a compromised system, the attacker can send commands to it and receive data back in response.
How are remote access Trojans spread?
These messages have . ZIP files attached which, once opened, reveal an ISO image. The ISO file is equipped with a malicious loader for the Trojans through either JavaScript, a Windows batch file, or a Visual Basic script. If a victim attempts to load the disk image, these scripts will trigger.
What is the best Remote Access Trojan?
10 Best Remote Access Software (Remote Control Software) In 2022Comparison of Top Remote Access Tools.#1) NinjaOne (Formerly NinjaRMM)#2) SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support.#3) Atera.#4) Supremo.#5) ManageEngine Remote Access Plus.#6) RemotePC.#7) TeamViewer.More items...•
Is someone using my computer remotely?
Open your Task Manager or Activity Monitor. These utilities can help you determine what is currently running on your computer. Windows – Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Mac – Open the Applications folder in Finder, double-click the Utilities folder, and then double-click Activity Monitor.
How can I find a hidden virus on my computer?
You can also head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Open Windows Security on Windows 10, or Settings > Privacy and Security > Windows Security > Open Windows Security on Windows 11. To perform an anti-malware scan, click “Virus & threat protection.” Click “Quick Scan” to scan your system for malware.
Can you get a RAT on your phone?
RAT infected Android devices can be remotely zombified by the perpetrator, allowing virtually unlimited access to photos, data and messages on the device. The Dendroid RAT provides full access to infected devices' camera and microphone, and can place calls or listen in on a user's phone conversations or text messages.
Which of the following is a remote Trojan?
Troya is a remote Trojan that works remotely for its creator.
What was the first remote access Trojan?
The oldest RAT was first developed in 1996 [10], however legitimate remote access tools were first created in 1989 [11]. Since then, the number of RATs has grown rapidly. The first phase was marked by home-made RATs. In these years, everyone made their own RAT, however these did not prosper and were not heavily used.
Can Remotepc be hacked?
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) has been known since 2016 as a way to attack some computers and networks. Malicious cyber actors, hackers, have developed methods of identifying and exploiting vulnerable RDP sessions via the Internet to steal identities, login credentials and install and launch ransomeware attacks.
What is orcus RAT?
Orcus is a Remote Access Trojan (RAT). Programs of this type are used to remotely access or control computers. Generally, these tools can be used by anyone legitimately, however, in many cases, cyber criminals use them for malicious purposes.
What is Nanocore RAT?
Nanocore RAT Propose Change Nanocore is a Remote Access Tool used to steal credentials and to spy on cameras. It as been used for a while by numerous criminal actors as well as by nation state threat actors.
What is a backdoor in cyber security?
Definition(s): An undocumented way of gaining access to computer system. A backdoor is a potential security risk.
What is a Remote Access Trojan which is installed by SMS spoofing used for?
Remote Access Trojans are programs that provide the capability to allow covert surveillance or the ability to gain unauthorized access to a victim PC.
Which of the following is a remote Trojan?
Troya is a remote Trojan that works remotely for its creator.
What are the common backdoor?
7 most common application backdoorsShadowPad. ... Back Orifice. ... Android APK backdoor. ... Borland/Inprise InterBase backdoor. ... Malicious chrome and Edge extension backdoor. ... Backdoors in outdated WordPress plugins. ... Bootstrap-Sass Ruby library backdoor.
What is RAT software?
RAT can also stand for remote administration tool, which is software giving a user full control of a tech device remotely. With it, the user can ac...
What’s the difference between the RAT computer virus and RAT software?
As for functions, there is no difference between the two. Yet, while remote administration tool is for legit usage, RAT connotes malicious and crim...
What are the popular remote access applications?
The common remote desktop tools include but are not limited to TeamViewer, AnyDesk, Chrome Remote Desktop, ConnectWise Control, Splashtop Business...
How to protect yourself from remote access trojans?
Just like protecting yourself from other network malware threats, for remote access trojan protection, in general, you need to avoid downloading unknown items; keep antimalware and firewall up to date, change your usernames and passwords regularly; (for administrative perspective) block unused ports, turn off unused services, and monitor outgoing traffic.
What is a RAT trojan?
RAT trojan is typically installed on a computer without its owner’s knowledge and often as a trojan horse or payload. For example, it is usually downloaded invisibly with an email attachment, torrent files, weblinks, or a user-desired program like a game. While targeted attacks by a motivated attacker may deceive desired targets into installing RAT ...
What Does a RAT Virus Do?
Since a remote access trojan enables administrative control , it is able to do almost everything on the victim machine.
How does RAT malware work?
Once get into the victim’s machine, RAT malware will hide its harmful operations from either the victim or the antivirus or firewall and use the infected host to spread itself to other vulnerable computers to build a botnet.
Why is Darkcomet no longer available?
The reason is due to its usage in the Syrian civil war to monitor activists as well as its author’s fear of being arrested for unnamed reasons.
Why do RATs use a randomized filename?
It is kind of difficult. RATs are covert by nature and may make use of a randomized filename or file path structure to try to prevent identification of itself. Commonly, a RAT worm virus does not show up in the lists of running programs or tasks and its actions are similar to those of legal programs.
Is Sub 7 a trojan horse?
Typically, Sub 7 allows undetected and unauthorized access. So, it is usually regarded as a trojan horse by the security industry. Sub7 worked on the Windows 9x and Windows NT family of OSes, up to and including Windows 8.1. Sub7 has not been maintained since 2014. 4.
How are Remote Access Trojans Useful to Hackers?
Attackers using remote control malware cut power to 80,000 people by remotely accessing a computer authenticated into SCADA (supervisor y control and data acquisition) machines that controlled the country’s utility infrastructure. RAT software made it possible for the attacker to access sensitive resources through bypassing the authenticated user's elevated privileges on the network. Having access to critical machines that control city resources and infrastructure is one of the biggest dangers of RAT malware.
Why do attackers use remote devices?
Instead of storing the content on their own servers and cloud devices, attackers use targeted stolen devices so that they can avoid having accounts and servers shut down for illegal content.
Why is email at risk?
Since an attacker remotely accesses the computer, authenticated accounts such as email are at risk. Attackers can use email, for example, to send malicious messages to other potential victims using the authenticated email account on the remotely controlled device. Using a trusted email account gives attackers a better chance of tricking an email recipient into installing malware or running a malicious attachment.
How to install a RAT?
An attacker must convince the user to install a RAT either by downloading malicious software from the web or running an executable from a malicious email attachment or message. RATs can also be installed using macros in Microsoft Word or Excel documents. When a user allows the macro to run on a device, the macro silently downloads RAT malware and installs it. With the RAT installed, an attacker can now remotely control the desktop, including mouse movement, mouse clicks, camera controls, keyboard actions, and any configured peripherals.
Why do attackers use RATs?
RATs have the same remote-control functionality as RDPs, but are used for malicious purposes. Attackers always code software to avoid detection, but attackers who use a RAT risk being caught when the user is in front of the device and the mouse moves across the screen. Therefore, RAT authors must create a hidden program and use it when the user is not in front of the device. To avoid detection, a RAT author will hide the program from view in Task Manager, a Windows tool that lists all the programs and processes running in memory. Attackers aim to stay hidden from detection because it gives them more time to extract data and explore network resources for critical components that could be used in future attacks.
What happens if you don't see malware in Task Manager?
If you don’t see any potential malware in Task Manager, you could still have a RAT that an author programmed to avoid detection. Good anti-malware applications detect most of the common RATs in the wild. Any zero-day malware remains undetected until the user updates their anti-malware software, so it’s important to keep your anti-malware and antivirus software updated. Vendors for these programs publish updates frequently as new malware is found in the wild.
What is remote control software?
Legitimate remote-control software exists to enable an administrator to control a device remotely. For example, administrators use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) configured on a Windows server to remotely manage a system physically located at another site such as a data center. Physical access to the data center isn’t available to administrators, so RDP gives them access to configure the server and manage it for corporate productivity.
Where Are Remote Access Trojans Used?
Malware developers use Remote Access Trojan (RAT) tools to gain full access and control over a user’s computer, including mouse and keyboard control, file access, and network resources.
What Is The Best Trojan Remote Access?
Hackers commonly use Blackshades to gain remote access to computers. Windows-based operating systems are frequently targeted by this tool. The Trojan has infected 500,000 systems worldwide until now.
What Can You Do With A Remote Access Tool?
The remote access programs and tools (sometimes called RATs) allow remote access and manipulation of systems from another location. All types of users can use remote access programs to access files and data on remote computers, and many of them are legitimate tools.
What Is Trojan Ddos?
An infected computer is used to launch a DoS attack from a pre-defined address using this type of malicious program. The malicious user infects a number of computers with this type of Trojan in advance (for example, as part of a mass spam mailing) in order to conduct a successful DoS attack.
What Is The Purpose Of A Trojan Horse?
In general, a Trojan is designed to damage, disrupt, steal, or in general cause some other harm to your data or network.
What does remote access do on a PC?
When remote access is enabled, authorized computers and servers can control everything that happens on your PC. They can open documents, download software, and even move the cursor around your screen in real time.
What is a RAT in cyber security?
Maxim Apryatin/Shutterstock. In most cases, RATs are used like spyware. A money-hungry (or downright creepy) hacker can use a RAT to obtain keystrokes and files from an infected computer. These keystrokes and files could contain bank information, passwords, sensitive photos, or private conversations.
What is botnet hacking?
Essentially, a botnet allows a hacker to utilize your computer resources for super nerdy (and often illegal) tasks, like DDOS attacks, Bitcoin mining, file hosting, and torrenting. Sometimes, this technique is utilized by hacker groups for the sake of cyber crime and cyber warfare.
How to remove RATs from computer?
Since most hackers use well-known RATs (instead of developing their own), anti-virus software is the best (and easiest) way to find and remove RATs from your computer. Kaspersky or Malwarebytes have an extensive, ever-expanding database of RATs, so you don’t have to worry about your anti-virus software being out of date or half baked.
What antivirus software should I use for my PC?
Windows Defender is included with your PC (and it’s honestly a great anti-virus software ), but if you feel the need for some extra security, then you can download a commercial anti-virus software like Kaspersky or Malwarebytes.
Can a hacker use a RAT?
Hackers can also control your computer remotely to perform embarrassing or illegal actions online in your name or use your home network as a proxy server to commit crimes anonymously. A hacker can also use a RAT to take control of a home network and create a botnet.
Can a RAT slow down a computer?
Generally speaking, a RAT won’t slow down your computer, and hackers won’t always give themselves away by deleting your files or rolling your cursor around the screen. In some cases, users are infected by a RAT for years without noticing anything wrong.
