What is remote access trojan (RAT)?
What is Remote Access Trojan (RAT)? A remote access Trojan (RAT) is a malware program that opens a backdoor, enabling administrative control over the victim’s computer. RATs are typically downloaded together with a seemingly legitimate program, like a game, or are sent to the target as an email attachment.
What is remote access?
WHAT IS REMOTE ACCESS? The ability to get accesses to a computer or a network from a remote distance Used for telecommuters accessing to the corporations’ network, home users accessing Internet 3.
What happened to remote control PCs in the late 1990s?
In the late 1990s, when the internet was still young, it was common for tech-savvy kids to scare their friends by controlling their PCs remotely. They would eject the CD tray, swap the mouse buttons, or change the desktop colors. To the unwitting user, it looked like a ghost was taking over the machine.
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 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.
Which of the following is a remote Trojan?
Troya is a remote Trojan that works remotely for its creator.
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 is the best remote access Trojan?
Blackshades is a Trojan which is widely used by hackers to gain access to any system remotely. This tool frequently attacks the Windows-based operating system for access.
What is the full form of RAT?
Introduction of Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) in Telangana to detect coronavirus has left many questions in the minds of people, the most common being, what happens if someone with COVID-19 symptoms tests negative? Earlier, only reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests were used to detect the virus.
What is the difference between a backdoor and a Trojan?
Once activated, a trojan can spy on your activities, steal sensitive data, and set up backdoor access to your machine. A backdoor is a specific type of trojan that aims to infect a system without the knowledge of the user.
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.
Is a backdoor malware?
A backdoor is a malware type that negates normal authentication procedures to access a system. As a result, remote access is granted to resources within an application, such as databases and file servers, giving perpetrators the ability to remotely issue system commands and update malware.
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...•
What is data sending Trojan?
A data-sending Trojan is a kind of Trojan virus that relays sensitive information back to its owner. This type of Trojan can be used to retrieve sensitive data, including credit card information, email addresses, passwords, instant messaging contact lists, log files and so on.
How can I remotely access another computer over the Internet?
You can set up remote access to your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer.On 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.
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.
Which programming language is commonly used to create remote access Trojans?
For remote attacks on servers the Python language is popular among hackers.
What is data sending Trojan?
A data-sending Trojan is a kind of Trojan virus that relays sensitive information back to its owner. This type of Trojan can be used to retrieve sensitive data, including credit card information, email addresses, passwords, instant messaging contact lists, log files and so on.
Is a backdoor malware?
A backdoor is a malware type that negates normal authentication procedures to access a system. As a result, remote access is granted to resources within an application, such as databases and file servers, giving perpetrators the ability to remotely issue system commands and update malware.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
What is the back orifice?
Back Orifice has 2 sequel variants, Back Orifice 2000 released in 1999 and Deep Back Orifice by French Canadian hacking organization QHA. 2. Sakula. Sakula, also known as Sakurel and VIPER, is another remote access trojan that first surfaced in November 2012. It was used in targeted intrusions throughout 2015.
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.
When was remote access first used?
The oldest legitimate remote access software was built in the late 1980s, when tools such as NetSupport appeared. Soon after that, in 1996, their first malicious counterparts were created. NokNok and D.I.R.T. were among the first, followed by NetBus, Back Orifice and SubSeven.
Who was the law professor that was targeted by NetBus?
In 1999, someone downloaded NetBus and targeted Magnus Eriksson, a law professor at Lund University in Sweden. The attacker planted 12,000 pornographic images on his computer, 3,500 of which featured child pornography. The system administrators discovered them, and the law professor lost his job.
What tools did RAT authors use in the 2000s?
In the 2000s, RAT authors were not naive kids who wanted to see how far they could go. Most of them were familiar with tools such as NetBus, SubSeven or Back Orifice, and they knew exactly what they were doing.
What was the Gh0st attack?
Gh0st is notorious for its part in the GhostNet Operation uncovered in 2009, which targeted political, economic, and media organizations in more than 100 countries. The attackers quietly infiltrated computer systems connected to embassies and government offices. Even Dalai Lama’s Tibetan exile centers in India, London, and New York City were hacked. According to several research papers, the malware collected information, encrypted it, and sent it to the command-and-control server.
Who created NetBus?
Yet, they were “innovative and disruptive,” Valeros says. NetBus, for instance, was created by Carl-Fredrik Neikter in 1998, and its name, translated from Swedish, means “NetPrank.”
Is NetBus a legit tool?
The developer claimed he didn’t want NetBus to be used maliciously, saying it was “a legit remote admin tool,” security researcher Seth Kulakow wrote in a paper he published with the SANS Institute. “However, if you didn’t already figure it out, it is still a very nice tool to use for the other purpose,” Kulakow wrote.
What are the key elements of a remote access trojan?
The two key elements of any remote access trojan are the client and the server . Additional elements may include the builder, plug-ins and crypter. In this context, a server is the program installed on the victim’s device, which is configured to connect back to the attacker. The client is the program used by the attacker to monitor and control infected victims: it allows the visualization of all active victim infections, displays general information about each infection, and allows individual actions to be performed manually on each victim.
How many remote access trojan families were there in 1996-2018?
Figure 1: Timeline of 337 well-known remote access trojan families during 1996-2018. They are ordered by the year in which they were first seen or reported by the community. The last decade clearly shows a significant growth compared with the previous 16 years.
What is remote access software?
Remote access software is a type of computer program that allows an individual to have full remote control of the device on which the software is installed. In this research we distinguish between remote access tool and remote access trojan. A remote access tool refers to a type of remote access software used for benign purposes, such as TeamViewer [1] or Ammyy Admin [2], which are common tools used by billions of users worldwide. Remote access trojans, referred to in this paper as RATs, are a special type of remote access software where (i) the installation of the program is carried out without user consent, (ii) the remote control is carried out secretly, and (iii) the program hides itself in the system to avoid detection. The distinction between tools and trojans was created by defenders to make clear the difference between benign and malicious RATs, however in the underground, attackers claim all RATs are remote access tools.
What is functionality in a RAT?
In this work, functionality refers to what the software allows the operator to do on the victim side once the installation is successful. Although there is no standardized list of functionality, any RAT is expected to provide to a certain extent access and control over the following components:
What is a builder in a RAT server?
The builder is a program used to create new RAT servers with different configurations. When attackers move infrastructure quickly, launch new attacks and require flexibility, builders save time and provide agility.
Why do attackers use crypters?
To be more efficient and hard to detect, attackers use crypters to make the RAT servers fully undetectable (FUD). Crypters are programs that take a given program, read the code, encrypt it with a key, and automatically create a new program that contains the encrypted code and key to decrypt it. Upon execution the key will be used to automatically decrypt the original program. Crypters are used to avoid detection by anti-virus engines.
Who is the operator in a RAT?
The operator (s) is the actor who purchases the software (or a licence) and carries out the attacks. This actor has the knowledge of who the target is, the possible scams or attacks that can be carried out with the software, and which characteristics are needed when purchasing a RAT.
