Chapter 5. Malware

Chapter Objectives

After reading this chapter and completing the exercises, you will be able to do the following:

• Understand viruses (worms) and how they propagate, including the Sobig and Sasser types

• Have a working knowledge of several specific virus outbreaks

• Understand how virus scanners operate

• Understand what a Trojan horse is and how it operates

• Have a working knowledge of several specific Trojan horse attacks

• Grasp the concept behind the buffer-overflow attack

• Have a better understanding of spyware and how it enters a system

• Defend against each of these attacks through sound practices, antivirus software, and antispyware software