Abbreviated as RATs, a Remote Access Trojan
Remote access trojan
A Remote Access Trojan is a type of malware that controls a system through a remote network connection. While desktop sharing and remote administration have many legal uses, "RAT" connotes criminal or malicious activity. A RAT is typically installed without the victim's knowledge, often as payload of a Trojan horse, and will try to hide its operation from the victim and from security software and other anti-…
What is a remote access trojan?
What Does Remote Access Trojan (RAT) Mean? A remote access Trojan (RAT) is a program used by the intruders to take complete control of the victim's computer for the purpose of performing various malicious activities. Unlike viruses and worms, RATs can exist well before detection and even remain after removal.
What is a Trojan Horse in computer security?
A Trojan horse is so-called due to its delivery method, which typically sees an attacker use social engineering to hide malicious code within legitimate software. However, unlike computer viruses or worms, a Trojan does not self-replicate, so it needs to be installed by a valid user.
What is rat Trojan and how does it work?
It infects the target computer through specially configured communication protocols and enables the attacker to gain unauthorized remote access to the victim. RAT trojan is typically installed on a computer without its owner’s knowledge and often as a trojan horse or payload.
What are the different types of Trojan Horse viruses?
There are many types of Trojan horse viruses that cyber criminals use to carry out different actions and different attack methods. The most common types of Trojan used include: Backdoor Trojan : A backdoor Trojan enables an attacker to gain remote access to a computer and take control of it using a backdoor.
What does a remote access Trojan do?
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.
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.
Is remote access Trojan illegal?
Law enforcement officials say that simply possessing a remote-access tool isn't illegal. In fact, remote-access tools are often used for IT support purposes in corporate environments.
Which of the following is a remote Trojan?
Troya is a remote Trojan that works remotely for its creator.
What is a remote access tool?
Remote access programs and tools (sometimes referred to as RATs) allow access and manipulation of systems remotely from another location. Many remote access programs are legitimate tools used by all types of users to access files and data on remote computers.
What is remote access software?
Remote access software enables a technician to get access to a computer remotely, meaning without having to be near it. The computer has to be reachable through a network connection or across the internet.
How do I know if someone is accessing my computer remotely?
You can try any of these for confirmation.Way 1: Disconnect Your Computer From the Internet.Way 2. ... Way 3: Check Your Browser History on The Computer.Way 4: Check Recently Modified Files.Way 5: Check Your computer's Login Events.Way 6: Use the Task Manager to Detect Remote Access.Way 7: Check Your Firewall Settings.More items...•
Can an Iphone get a remote access Trojan?
The iOS Trojan is smart and spies discretely, i.e. does not drain a battery. The RCS mobile Trojans are capable of performing all kinds of spying you can expect from such a tool, including location reporting, taking photos, spying on SMS, WhatsApp and other messengers, stealing contacts and so on.
How can I remotely access another computer over the Internet?
Set up remote access to your computerOn your computer, open Chrome.In the address bar, enter remotedesktop.google.com/access .Under “Set up Remote Access,” click Download .Follow the onscreen directions to download and install Chrome Remote Desktop.
What are the variants of remote access Trojan?
Common Remote Access TrojansSakula. Sakula is a seemingly benign software with a legitimate digital signature, yet it allows attackers complete remote administration capabilities over a machine. ... KjW0rm. ... Havex. ... Agent. ... Dark Comet. ... AlienSpy. ... Heseber BOT. ... Sub7.More items...
Which of the following is a type of Trojan?
Trojan-Downloader is a special type of trojans which can download & install new versions of malicious programs. Explanation: Trojan-Downloader is another type of trojans that can download & install new versions of malicious programs.
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 are the variant of remote access Trojan?
There are a large number of Remote Access Trojans. Some are more well-known than others. SubSeven, Back Orifice, ProRat, Turkojan, and Poison-Ivy are established programs. Others, such as CyberGate, DarkComet, Optix, Shark, and VorteX Rat have a smaller distribution and utilization.
Can an Iphone get a remote access Trojan?
The iOS Trojan is smart and spies discretely, i.e. does not drain a battery. The RCS mobile Trojans are capable of performing all kinds of spying you can expect from such a tool, including location reporting, taking photos, spying on SMS, WhatsApp and other messengers, stealing contacts and so on.
Are PUPs malware?
Type and source of infection. Detections categorized as PUPs are not considered as malicious as other forms of malware, and may even be regarded by some as useful. Malwarebytes detects potentially unwanted programs for several reasons, including: They may have been installed without the user's consent.
What is a logic bomb virus?
A logic bomb is a malicious program that is triggered when a logical condition is met, such as after a number of transactions have been processed, or on a specific date (also called a time bomb). Malware such as worms often contain logic bombs, behaving in one manner, then changing tactics on a specific date and time.
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 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.
Can a RAT remote access trojan be used on a computer?
Since RAT remote access trojan will probably utilize the legitimate apps on your computer, you’d better upgrade those apps to their latest versions. Those programs include your browsers, chat apps, games, email servers, video/audio/photo/screenshot tools, work applications…
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.
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 centre. Physical access to the data centre isn’t available to administrators, so RDP gives them access to configure the server and manage it for corporate productivity.
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.
What Does Remote Access Trojan (RAT) Mean?
A remote access Trojan (RAT) is a program used by the intruders to take complete control of the victim's computer for the purpose of performing various malicious activities. Unlike viruses and worms, RATs can exist well before detection and even remain after removal.
Techopedia Explains Remote Access Trojan (RAT)
A RAT's installation mechanism is usually attached to a legitimate program. RATs are commonly hidden within games or other small programs, as well as in email attachments that users download. Imposters are able to customize RAT features, such as when and where to launch the Trojan.
What is a RAT?
Remote access Trojan derives its name from the Trojan horse in Greek mythology. In the tenth year of the Trojan War, the Trojan horse was constructed by the Greeks. It was a giant hollow wooden horse intended to be given to the Trojans as a peace offering to signal the end of the war.
How does a RAT work?
A RAT works just like standard remote software but it is designed to stay hidden from the device user or anti-malware software.
How did RATs come into being?
Security researchers Veronica Valeros and Sebastian Garcia worked on a paper that presents a timeline of the most well-known RATs in the last 30 years. Here are the highlight of that study:
Why are RATs useful for attackers?
Hackers love remote access Trojans. It gives them complete administrative control over the infiltrated system while doing their job quietly and secretly. It provides them unrestrained hacking activities to accumulate data over time without causing any alarms that the victim will notice.
How do devices get infected with a RAT
Remote access Trojans can be installed on targeted devices in a number of methods similar to malware infection vectors. Cybercriminals often use social engineering to trick victims into downloading malicious documents attached to emails, advertisements, pop-ups, infected web links and SMS.
How do you detect a RAT infection?
RATs can be difficult for the average user to identify because they are planned out to avoid detection. They use randomized filenames and file paths to prevent them from identifying themselves. They don’t show up in the list of running programs and act like legal programs.
What to do if your machine has been infected with a RAT
How then would you determine if your computer is infected with a RAT if the RAT keeps hiding? An anti-malware software can usually detect and remove it from your system.
Registry Analysis
One of the things I really like about digging into the Registry is the amount of information that is available, often times even after a user or intruder has taken “antiforensics” steps in order to hide their activities.
Processes and Tools
I know I said that this chapter focused specifically on “dead box” analysis and that remains true…even though we’re now going to discuss accessing Registry information in memory. The fact is that I’ve conducted analysis of a good number of images acquired from laptops where the hibernation file has proved to be extremely valuable.
Layer 8: The People Layer
Internet technologies can inadvertently aid scams. The simplest attack is to spoof the sender’s address in an e-mail message. A recipient with little knowledge may not notice phony headers that were inserted to make a message look legitimate. A truly knowledgeable recipient can easily tell when headers are phony.
Software problems and solutions
There is no way to know how much malware is on the Internet, because new ones are always being developed and undiscovered.
Analyzing the System Hives
Autostart settings are those that allow applications and programs to start with no interaction from the user beyond booting the system or simply logging in.
Network attacks: Taxonomy, tools and systems
N. Hoque, ... J.K. Kalita, in Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 2014
Ransomware threat success factors, taxonomy, and countermeasures: A survey and research directions
Bander Ali Saleh Al-rimy, ... Syed Zainudeen Mohd Shaid, in Computers & Security, 2018
How do remote access Trojans work?
The Remote Access Trojans get themselves downloaded on a device if the victims click on any attachment in an email or from a game. It enables the attacker to get control over the device and monitor the activities or gaining remote access. This RAT makes itself undetected on the device, and they remain in the device for a longer period of time for getting data that may be confidential.
What is the advantage of remote access?
Advantage of Remote Access Trojans : It can be used to capture screenshots. The attacker can activate the webcam, or they can record video. The RAT can be used to delete the files or alter files in the system. It can also be used to capture screenshots.
What is the most powerful Trojan?
One of the most powerful Trojans that are popularly used by the attacker or hacker is Remote Access Trojan. This is mostly used for malicious purposes. This Trojan ensures the stealthy way of accumulating data by making itself undetected. Now, these Trojans have the capacity to perform various functions that damages the victim.
What Is A Remote Access Trojan Horse?
A Remote Access Trojan (RAT) is a program that allows malware developers to gain full control over a user’s computer, including mouse and keyboard control, file access, and network resources.
How Does Rat Trojan Work?
A Remote Access Trojan (RAT) infects a computer with a virus that gives cyberattackers unrestricted access to the data on the PC by using the victim’s access permissions. A RAT can include backdoors into the computer system, which can be used to create a botnet and spread to other devices as well.
What Is Rat Software?
Remote administration tools (RATs) are software programs that let you control other devices remotely using a computer. By using RAT remote tools, you can manage Linux, macOS, and Windows administration from a single console, which simplifies the process.
What Is Rat Attack?
An RAT is a type of malware that allows covert surveillance, a backdoor for administrative control, and unrestricted and unauthorized remote access to a victim’s computer. The RAT is extremely dangerous because it allows an attacker to gain remote control of the computer.
What is a Trojan horse?
A Trojan horse is a type of malware that downloads onto a computer disguised as a legitimate program. A Trojan horse is so-called due to its delivery method, which typically sees an attacker use social engineering to hide malicious code within legitimate software. However, unlike computer viruses or worms, a Trojan does not self-replicate, ...
What are the most common types of Trojan horses?
The most common types of Trojan used include: Backdoor Trojan : A backdoor Trojan enables an attacker to gain remote access to a computer and take control of it using a backdoor.
How Do Trojans Work?
Unlike computer viruses, a Trojan horse cannot manifest by itself, so it needs a user to download the server side of the application for it to work. This means the executable (.exe) file should be implemented and the program installed for the Trojan to attack a device’s system.
What is a backdoor Trojan?
A backdoor Trojan is frequently used to create a botnet through a network of zombie computers.
How to tell if a Trojan horse is infected?
How To Recognize a Trojan Virus. A Trojan horse virus can often remain on a device for months without the user knowing their computer has been infected. However, telltale signs of the presence of a Trojan include computer settings suddenly changing, a loss in computer performance, or unusual activity taking place.
How does a Trojan virus spread?
A Trojan virus spreads through legitimate-looking emails and files attached to emails, which are spammed to reach the inboxes of as many people as possible. When the email is opened and the malicious attachment is downloaded, the Trojan server will install and automatically run every time the infected device is turned on.
How long can a Trojan horse virus stay on your computer?
A Trojan horse virus can often remain on a device for months without the user knowing their computer has been infected. However, telltale signs of the presence of a Trojan include computer settings suddenly changing, a loss in computer performance, or unusual activity taking place.
What is a Trojan horse?
Trojan horse, in computing, is a malicious program that seems like an ordinary program. It can surprisingly change any computer settings and cause unusual activities. Even if no one has used the computer in a while, a Trojan can possibly reside on a computer.
How a Trojan horse Operates?
You might be wondering how a Trojan horse begins its menace on the victim's endpoint. For that, a scenario will be given for clearer illustration of how a Trojan horse works:
How long does a Trojan horse stay undetected?
The Trojan horse stays undetected until a specific date or until the victim carries out a specific action, such as visiting an online banking website. At that time, the trigger activates the malicious code and carries out its intended action. The Trojan horse can also be made to delete itself after it has done its intended function. It may return to a dormant state or it may continue to be active.
Can a Trojan horse replicate itself?
The Trojan horse is often mistaken for the Trojan horse virus. The difference between them is that the Trojan horse virus has the ability to replicate itself; the Trojan horse can't do that. This is the reason why many cyber criminals tricks make the unsuspecting endpoint users download and install the Trojan horse. When the Trojan finally gets into the endpoint, it can do whatever task the attacker designed it to carry out.
