![Many malware detectionapps have alreadyadoptedheuristicanalysistechnologyincludingAvast
and AVG. Avast malware detectionhas foundsome maliciousthreatsusingthistechnique like
Win64:Malware-Gen,Win32:Trojan-Gen,Win32:Dropper-Gen, Win32:Malware-gen,
Trojan.Win32.Generic, Win32:MdeClass,etc.
Since bothheuristic analysisand sandboxing havecons,itis notenough to only rely on them(plusthe
old signature-based detection) to fightagainsttoday’smalware. Newerand moreadvanced
technologiesareneeded.Therefore,severalnext-generation antivirus(NGAV) techniques havecome
into being.
#4 Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
EDR monitorsand recordsdata and eventsfromendpointlogsandpackets.The collecteddatais
usedto analyze whathappensaftermalware infectsyourcomputer,lookforIOCstoknownmalware
activities,andhelpresearcherstoidentifyandrespondtothreats.
https://www.minitool.com/news/system-center-endpoint-protection.html
#5 Whitelist of Apps
The nextsolutiontodetectmalware iswhitelisting,whichvalidatesandcontrolsall aspectsof what
a processis allowedtodoandblocksprograms from doinganythingexceptwhattheyare supposed
to do.It is veryuseful todeal withthreatslike zerodays.
However, the whitelistfrustratesendusersby preventingthemtoruncompletelysafe applications.
Thus,whitelisttech isonlyrecommendedinhigh-riskenvironments.
#6 Machine-Learning Static Analysis
Thismachine learningmalware detectiontrainscomputerstorecognize anddifferentiate between
maliciousandbenignfiles.ItteachesPCswhatisbadand whatis goodso as to, eventually,the
machinescansort the filesontheirown.
Thismachine or AI-learning-basedtechnologytakesdifferentbehaviorsandcalculatesthemintoa
conclusiononthe nature of the file.Those behaviorsinclude how longafile needstoopen,file
traffic,file dailybehavior…
Thoughbeingintelligentandhighlyautomatic,machine learningisn’tperfecttodetectmalware.
Vice versa,this methodologycanbe exploitedby hackerstotraincomputerlearningsystemsto
misclassifymalware samplesassecure programs.
Moreover,machine orAIlearningisa whole new technologynotonlyin the computerfieldbutalso
inotherelectronicfields.Therefore,itcan’tbe usedsolely formalware detection.Instead,itis
recommendedthatutilize machinelearningtogetherwithothermature ortraditional detection
technologies.
Also read: [Review] MalwareAnalysis:Definition/UseCase/Types/Stages/Tools
How to Tell Whether My Computer Is Infected by Malware or Not?
The above malware detectionmethodologiesare somehow sophisticatedforgeneral users.Then,
the followingare some commonsymptomsif youare infectedwith malware.
Slowingdown computerperformance
Disturbingadseverywhere
Secretdiskspace loss](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/malware-detection-210528095742/85/Malware-detection-4-320.jpg)
Malware detection
- 1. Title: 6 Malware Detections/18 Malware Types/20 Malware Removal Tools Keywords: malware detection,malware detectionapp,malware detectiontechniques, advanced malware detection, malware detectionandremoval Description: What’s spyware and malware detection? How to carry out malware detection? How to tell if you are infected by malware? How to survive from malware attacks? URL: https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/malware-detection.html Summary: This article posted by MiniTool party elaborates on malware detection and removal with its definition, necessity, and techniques. It also discusses malware prevention and detection with malware removal tools and a backup program to keep data safe. What Is Malware? In general,malware isakindof maliciousandharmful software thatinfectsyourdevice (computers or smartphones) anddestroysyourdataor operatingsystem(OS). Sometimes,itpretendstobe a legitimate applicationbefore finallyattackingyourmachine. Malware can get intoyourdevice inmultiplemethods.Usually,itwill cheatusersinthe wayof maliciouslinks, harmful files,phishingemailswithinfected attachments,fake installers,andsoon. Once arrivedat your machine, inmostcases,the malware will hideitself firstly.Then,itwill penetrate yourcomputerfiles,folders,apps,orlocationsone byone.Finally,itwillgetintothe core of yourmachine – the OS and carry out attacks. For a powerful malware,itmaydirectlyaccessyoursystem, recordyourpersonal info,andencrypt crucial data immediatelyaftergettingintoyourPC,withoutlatency. https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/types-of-malware.html
- 2. What Is Malware Detection? Generally,malwaredetectionis the processof scanningatarget device orfilestofindmalware. Itis createdspecificallyagainstmalware. Relyingonmanytechniquesandtools,malwaredetection is reliable andeffective. Insteadof a simple one-wayprocess,malwaredetectionismore complexthanitseemstobe.Yet,it won’ttake longto complete adetectionprocessof malware.Usually,it costsnolongerthanseveral minutestofinishadetection,andsometimestogetherwithmalware removal. Why Need Malware Detection? Due to the popularityanddestructivenessof malware,itisof greatnecessityandimportance to detectmalware before it startstoattack its hostsor whenittriesto infiltrate the computer. Once malware isdetected,awarningmessage will be sentandreceivedbyusers. Therefore,the userswillstopdivingdeeperintothe insecure website ordownloadingunknownfiles. Thus,it will effectivelykeephackersfromcontrollingyourdevice andstealingyourinformation. https://www.minitool.com/news/remove-malware-windows-laptop-001.html Types of Malware Detection There are manykindsof malware detectionmethods.Some of themare popularnow,some of them are well-knowninthe past,while some of themwillbecomethe trendinthe comingfuture. Let’s learnthemall and have a thoroughunderstandingof the historyof malware detectiontechniques. #1 Signature-based Malware Detection Thistype detectsmalware usingantivirus (AV) programsthatidentifyandblockthreats. Eachfile on the target computerisanalyzed,assignedasignature orhash,and addedto the signature database. The signature database isusedto compare subsequentmalware incidents. Whena file isfoundsuspicious, the antiviruswilllookforpatterns thatmatcha knownmalware.If a match isfound,the file will be blocked,isolated,orremoved. Signatureswere the mainstayof malware detectiontechnologiesformanyyears.And,theyare still useful fordetectingknownthreats. However, whennew unknownmalware attacks,signaturescan helplittle. Today,signature-baseddetectionisnolongeraneffective waydue toconstantlyevolvingmalware. modernmalware takesadvantage of multiple new techniquestoescape fromdetection.Thismakes it harderto findthe malware bymatchingitssignature withknownmalware. https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/fileless-malware.html Technologies have takenbymodernmalware: 1. Polymorphism Polymorphicmalware changesitsfeaturesall the time topreventbeingdetected. Itscreatorsmake use of polymorphismtoevade pattern-matchingcheckingof antivirustools.Employingamutation engine,polymorphicmalware canaltercertainfeatureslikefile namesandhashes,thus hidingits maliciouscode.
- 3. Nowadays,mostmalware programs adoptpolymorphismtochange theirsignatureseachtime they iterate. So,these variantsare undetectable bysignature-basedmalware detectioneventheyare basedon knownmalware families. 2. Code Obfuscation Obfuscationof code isanotherwayusedby modernmalware to avoiddetection.Itmakesitdifficult to understandorevenreadmalware source code thusbypassingstaticantimalware (AM) apps. Multiple methodsare usedto hide harmful code,suchaspackingto compressmalware,encrypting malware,insertingdeadcode tochange the appearance of the malware,andmake instruction changes. 3. Abuse of Legitimate SignedWindowsBinaries Alreadysignedbinariesorcomponentsmaybe usedtoexecute maliciouscode insidelegitimate processesbyhackersto evade signature-matchingsoftware.Therefore,usinglegitimatetoolsin suspiciousprocessesisanindicationof malware infection. https://www.minitool.com/news/windows-defender-runs-in-sandbox.html Since signature-based analysisisless effectivethan before,new advancedmalwaredetection techniquesmustbe created and they are. #2 Sandbox Sandbox technologydetectsmalware bytestingpotentiallymaliciouscode inanisolatedvirtual environment.Withinsuch anenvironment,researcherscanobserve the code’sreal behaviorand figure outitsreal intentionswhile malware can’tspreadorcarry out any damage to the systemor network. Yet,sandboxinghassome shortcomings.Inresponsetothe sandbox technique,maliciousinventors create malware thatcan figure outwhenitisrunningina sandbox.If so,the malware will actina legitimate waywithoutharmingthe computer,whichisdifferentfromitsactual behaviorwhenit’s runninginthe real environment. Besides,some malwarevariantsare designedtoexploitthe vulnerabilitiesof sandboxes.What’s more,this behavior-basedmalware detection setssome challengestoitsapplicationlike costing much time. #3 Heuristic Analysis Heuristicanalysisobservesthe behaviorof a systemorprogram to findnew threatsthataren’t detectedbysignature-basedmethods. Heuristicanalysis establishesabaseline of normal activityfor the systemor software.Then,if somethingdifferenthappens,itwill be regardedasapotential threatby heuristicanalysis. https://www.minitool.com/news/win32bogent.html Heuristicanalysisisone of the fewtechnologiesthatare able to detectpolymorphicmalware. Moreover,itenablesantivirusdeveloperstocontinuouslychange baseline basedonnew-found threatswhile doesn’tgive detailsonhow threatsare flaggedtomalware creators.So,hackerscan’t update theirmalware accordingly. Also,heuristicanalysis hasdrawbacks.One of itsdisadvantages isthatitisuselessformalware whose code issufficientlyobfuscated.
- 4. Many malware detectionapps have alreadyadoptedheuristicanalysistechnologyincludingAvast and AVG. Avast malware detectionhas foundsome maliciousthreatsusingthistechnique like Win64:Malware-Gen,Win32:Trojan-Gen,Win32:Dropper-Gen, Win32:Malware-gen, Trojan.Win32.Generic, Win32:MdeClass,etc. Since bothheuristic analysisand sandboxing havecons,itis notenough to only rely on them(plusthe old signature-based detection) to fightagainsttoday’smalware. Newerand moreadvanced technologiesareneeded.Therefore,severalnext-generation antivirus(NGAV) techniques havecome into being. #4 Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) EDR monitorsand recordsdata and eventsfromendpointlogsandpackets.The collecteddatais usedto analyze whathappensaftermalware infectsyourcomputer,lookforIOCstoknownmalware activities,andhelpresearcherstoidentifyandrespondtothreats. https://www.minitool.com/news/system-center-endpoint-protection.html #5 Whitelist of Apps The nextsolutiontodetectmalware iswhitelisting,whichvalidatesandcontrolsall aspectsof what a processis allowedtodoandblocksprograms from doinganythingexceptwhattheyare supposed to do.It is veryuseful todeal withthreatslike zerodays. However, the whitelistfrustratesendusersby preventingthemtoruncompletelysafe applications. Thus,whitelisttech isonlyrecommendedinhigh-riskenvironments. #6 Machine-Learning Static Analysis Thismachine learningmalware detectiontrainscomputerstorecognize anddifferentiate between maliciousandbenignfiles.ItteachesPCswhatisbadand whatis goodso as to, eventually,the machinescansort the filesontheirown. Thismachine or AI-learning-basedtechnologytakesdifferentbehaviorsandcalculatesthemintoa conclusiononthe nature of the file.Those behaviorsinclude how longafile needstoopen,file traffic,file dailybehavior… Thoughbeingintelligentandhighlyautomatic,machine learningisn’tperfecttodetectmalware. Vice versa,this methodologycanbe exploitedby hackerstotraincomputerlearningsystemsto misclassifymalware samplesassecure programs. Moreover,machine orAIlearningisa whole new technologynotonlyin the computerfieldbutalso inotherelectronicfields.Therefore,itcan’tbe usedsolely formalware detection.Instead,itis recommendedthatutilize machinelearningtogetherwithothermature ortraditional detection technologies. Also read: [Review] MalwareAnalysis:Definition/UseCase/Types/Stages/Tools How to Tell Whether My Computer Is Infected by Malware or Not? The above malware detectionmethodologiesare somehow sophisticatedforgeneral users.Then, the followingare some commonsymptomsif youare infectedwith malware. Slowingdown computerperformance Disturbingadseverywhere Secretdiskspace loss
- 5. Abnormal systemInternetactivityincrease Antimalware notworking Inaccessible Filesorcomputer Systemcrash Common Malware Types Takingadvantage of those malware detectiontechnologies,nowadays,we have alistof common malware types. Belowjustliststhe commonmalware types. 1. Virus A type of computerprogram that,whenexecuted,replicatesitselfbymodifyingothercomputer programsand insertingits owncode.Itrequiresahost programand can cause greatdamage.Some examplesare Creeper, Conficker,Mirai,Win32/Simile,Gammima,andCiaDoor. https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/malware-vs-virus.html 2. Ransomware A type of malware fromcryptovirologythatthreatenstopublishthe victim’sdataorperpetually blockaccess to itunlessaransom ispaid.Some examplesare CryptoLocker, Mercury,WannaCry, Ryuk,PXJ,Sodin, andPetya. 3. Spyware A kindof software withmaliciousbehaviorthataimsto gatherinfoabouta personor organization and sendthe infotoanotherentityina way thatharms the user. An example of spyware is CoolWebSearch(CWS). 4. Adware It isusuallycalledadvertising-supportedsoftware byitsdevelopers.Adwareissoftware that generatesrevenue foritsdeveloperbyautomaticallygeneratingonline advertisementsinthe software userinterface oron the software installationscreen. Some well-knownappsorservices supportadvertising includingAdblock Plus,Skype,Gmail,andFacebook. 5. Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) Alsocalledpotentiallyunwantedapplication(PUA),PUPissoftware thata usermay perceive as unwanted.Itisusuallybundledwithawantedprogram.Antiviruscompaniesdefine the bundlesas potentiallyunwantedprogramsthatcan include software displayingintrusive advertising(adware) or trackinguser Internettosell infotoadvertisers(spyware).Additional webbrowsertoolbars, searchbars, browserredirects,shoppinghelpers,weatherapps,etc.all can be a PUP. https://www.minitool.com/news/malware-threats-to-business-2019.html 6. Worm It isa standalone malware computerprogramthatreplicatesitself tospreadtoothercomputers. Unlike avirus,it doesn’tneedahostprogram.Some examplesare ILOVEYOU,Stuxnet, SQLSlammer, and Mydoom. 7. Trojan A trojanhorse can be anymalware that misleadsusersof itstrue intent.Usually,itspreadsbysome formof social engineering.The detected trojansincludebutare notlimitedtoDarkComet, Zeus, Zlob,Dyre, andMEMZ.
- 6. 8. Rootkit A rootkitisa collectionof computersoftware,usuallymalicious,designedtoenable accesstoa computeror an area of its software thatisn’totherwiseallowedandoftenmasksitsexistence orthe existence of othersoftware. Forexample, StonedBootkitandAlureon(akaTDSS) are bothrootkits. 9. Backdoor Typically,abackdoorisa covertmethodof bypassingnormal authenticationorencryptionina computer,product,embeddeddevice,oritsembodiment.Trojancanbe usedtocreate vulnerabilitiesinadevice andinstall abackdoor.Some examplesare Sobig, Mydoom, Sony/BMG rootkit,andOpenSSLRSA. https://www.minitool.com/news/fileless-malware-campaign-004.html 10. Keylogger Alsoknownas keystroke loggingorkeyboardcapturing,itissoftware orhardware thatsecretly recordsthe keysstruck on a keyboard.Keyloggerisoftenusedtosteal passwordsorother confidentialinfo. Somekeyloggersare Blue Kill,Zeus,SpyEye,Inputlog,Scriptlog,Translog, and FlashCrestiSpy. 11. Exploit An exploitisapiece of software,achunk of data, or a sequence of commandsthatusesa but or vulnerabilitytocause unexpectedorunanticipatedbehaviortooccur oncomputersoftware, hardware,or somethingelectronic. Some well-knowncomputerexploitsare Rig,GreenFlash Sundown,Fallout,Magnitude,GrandSoft,and Zero-day. 12. Cryptojacking Cryptojackingisakindof malware thatinfectscomputerstouse themtomine cryptocurrencies (BitcoinorMonero) usuallywithoutusers’knowledge. So,itcanalsobe calledcryptomining. Cryptojackingcanresultin computerslowdowns andcrashesdue tostrainingof computer resources.Manyknowncyberattacksare cryptojackinglike Coinhive, Kobe Bryantwallpaper, MyKingsbotnet, Outlawbotnet, Vivin, andTeslacryptojacking. https://www.minitool.com/news/cytojacking-apps-on-microsoft-store.html 13. Malvertising Malvertisingisthe usage of online advertisingtospreadmalware.typically,itinjectsmaliciousor malware-ladenadvertisementsintolegitimateonline advertisingnetworksandwebpages. 14. Crimeware Crimeware isaclass of malware developed especiallytoautomate cybercrime.Itisdesignedto perpetrate identitytheftthroughsocial engineeringortechnical stealthtoaccessa user’sfinancial and retail accountsto take fundsor carry out unauthorizedtransactions. Anexample of crimewareis Bankash.Gtrojan. 15. Bots An Internetbot,webbot,robot,orsimplybot,isa computerprogram that runstasks (scripts) over the Internet.Some bots are goodwhile othersare usedtolaunchmaliciousattacks. A spambotisa software applicationdesignedtoassistinthe sendingof spam. Spybotwormis a large familyof computerwormsof varyingcharacteristics.
- 7. Agobot,alsoknownasGaobot, isa familyof computerwormswhose variantssurpassthe variantsof the Spybotfamily. 16. Bundled software Bundledsoftware,alsocalledpre-installedsoftware,issoftware thatisalreadyinstalledandlicensed on a computeror cellphone fromanoriginal equipmentmanufacturer(OEM).Unwantedbundled software,alsocalled bloatwareorcrapware,can include majorsecurityvulnerabilities. https://www.minitool.com/news/list-of-samsung-bloatware-safe-to-remove.html 17. Stealware Stealware isatype of malware thatcovertlytransfersdataor moneyfromitsoriginal ownertoa thirdparty. Itusesan HTTP cookie toredirectthe commissionordinarilyearnedbythe site for referringuserstoanothersite. 18. Stalkerware Stalkerware ismonitoringsoftware orspyware usedforstalking.Itismostlyusedinsmartphones. Some examplesare Monitor.AndroidOS.MobileTracker.a,Monitor.AndroidOS.Cerberus.a, Monitor.AndroidOS.Nidb.a,Monitor.AndroidOS.PhoneSpy.b,andMonitor.AndroidOS.XoloSale.a. Malware Detection Tools Afterlearningsomuchaboutthe analyzinganddetectingof malware,now,it’stime totalkabout the removementof malware. All above malware detectiontechniquesneedtobe embeddedintoamalware detectiontool tobe available.And,suchatool isthe same one that allowsyoutoremove the detectedmalware.Thatis to say,you use a single tool todetectandremove malware. Beloware some powerful andfamous brandsof malware detectionapps: 1. Avast 2. AVG 3. Avira 4. Bitdefender 5. Cynet 6. Emsisoft 7. F-Secure 8. HitmanPro 9. Kaspersky 10. LifeLock 11. Malwarebytes 12. McAfee 13. MicrosoftWindows Defender 14. Norton 15. PC Matic 16. Restoro 17. Sophos 18. TrendMicro 19. Viper 20. Webroot
- 8. https://www.minitool.com/news/windows-defender-vs-mcafee-avast-bitdefender.html Many of the above programsare malware detectionfree or have free versions.There isno best malware detectionsoftware,only the mostproperone.Justchoose the one that suitsyouand satisfiesyou. Besidesthose offline malwaredetectionprograms,there isalsoonline malware detection like malware detectionwebsites.Theytogethercarryout Microsoftmalware detection,Windows10 malware detection,external harddrive malwaredetection, networkmalware detection,etc. How to Protect Your Computer from Malware? In additiontoantivirusprogramsorfirewalls,youcandefendyourdatainanotherway,whichis creatingbackups.Anothercopyor more copiesgive double insurance tocrucial files.Tomake a backupof yourdigital data,you’dbetterrelyona reliable andpowerful tool like MiniTool ShadowMaker,whichenablesyoutonotonlyback up yourfiles/folders,butalsosystem, partitions/volumes,andeventhe entire harddisk. SM-Trial Alt=MiniTool ShadowMaker Also,MiniTool ShadowMakerallowsyoutocreate a schedule toautomaticallybackupitemsdaily, weekly,monthly,oron a special eventinthe future.Asforbackuptypes,itprovides fullbackup, incremental backup,anddifferentialbackup;aswell as the wayto manage backup images.
- 9. Conclusion Malware is alwayschangingandevolving;thereisneveranalmightysolutiontodetectanddefeatit. What malware detectionsoftware shoulddois to keepupwiththe change of threatsor attacksand workout correspondinglyeffective methodologies. Generally,suchmethodscontainmultiple protectionlayersandlevelstodetectandbeatviruses.