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The Difference Between Malware and a Virus – CrowdStrike

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April 1, 2021
Often used interchangeably, the terms malware and virus have two distinct meanings.
Malware, or malicious software, is an overarching term used to describe any program or code that is created with the intent to do harm to a computer, network or server.
A virus, on the other hand, is a type of malware. Its definition is limited only to programs or code that self-replicates or copies itself in order to spread to other devices or areas of the network.
Based on the above definitions, the word malware can be used to refer to any type of virus. However, the word virus does not describe all types of malware.
Aside from the matter of self-replication, there are other important distinctions between malware and viruses. Understanding the characteristics of these two cyber threats can help the user identify the type of attack and how to best resolve it.
Again, malware is an overarching category of attack. It includes subcategories such as ransomware, keyloggers, trojans, worms, spyware and, of course, viruses.
While there are many types of viruses, all of them share the ability to spread through self-replication.
Typically, malware attacks are initiated through phishing or social engineering techniques, as well as corrupt attachments or downloads.
Most often, viruses are spread via web application, software and email; they can also be transmitted through infected websites, content downloads and corrupt storage devices.
Malware works in different ways, but most start by ensuring a means of persistent access to a system so adversaries can slip into the network any time they like. Once inside, the malware takes control of the system with the purpose of communicating back to its original sender. The information it communicates may include sensitive data, intellectual property, captured keystrokes or images from a device’s camera, among other items.
Viruses, on the other hand, are usually dormant until the victim activates the attack, either through opening an infected application, downloading a corrupt file or clicking an infected link. Once activated, the virus may complete any number of tasks that it was designed to do, including deleting files, encrypting data, taking over system functions or disabling security settings.
The outcome of a malware attack depends on the type of attack. In some cases, like ransomware attacks, the goal of the cybercriminal is to receive payment in return for system restoration. In others, like distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, the hacker may have no purpose other than to disrupt operations.
Though viruses vary in terms of sophistication, the attacker’s goal is generally to damage the user’s device or the larger network. For organizations, the virus may result in disrupted operations and may cost significant sums to restore the system, but the attacker typically does not profit off the activity directly unless the virus is part of a broader malware attack, such as a ransomware scheme.
Download the 2021 Global Threat Report to uncover trends in attackers’ ever-evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures that our teams observed this past year.
Understanding why the terms malware and virus are often misused requires a lesson in both history and linguistics.
In the 1970s, some of the first malware attacks were referred to as viruses. People without expertise in the world of technology and cybersecurity were not aware of the technical definition and simply thought this term could be used to describe any malware attack. In the coming years, the term became more mainstream, eventually becoming a shorthand way to refer to a variety of cyberattacks.
Compounding matters, for the next two decades, computer users were bombarded with the need for cybersecurity products and services, which were usually presented as antivirus software. Though the products protected the user from other types of malware as well, the product name focused on virus protection, which reinforced the idea that viruses were the major category of attack.
Malware is an umbrella term used to describe any type of malicious software, regardless of its operations, intent or distribution mechanism. Common types of malware include:
For more information about the most common types of malware, please see our supplemental post: Common examples of malware.
Just as there are many types of malware, there are also many varieties of viruses. That said, it is important to remember that the definition of malware is much broader and includes a wide variety of techniques and methods. Viruses, on the other hand, are similar in the sense that they all rely on self-replication to infect new hosts.
Common types of viruses include:
Technically speaking, ransomware is a type of malware. It works by encrypting the victim’s important files in demand of a payment (ransom) to restore access.
Ransomware is not a virus because it is not a self-replicating infection. However, a virus can be used as part of a ransomware attack to encrypt data or alter files in a way that makes them unusable to the owner.
The best approach to protect against malware is to employ a unified array of methods including machine learning, exploit blocking, behavioral analysis and blacklisting.
The CrowdStrike Falcon® platform uses a unique and integrated combination of methods to prevent and detect known malware, unknown malware and fileless malware (which looks like a trusted program).
Machine Learning
The Falcon platform uses machine learning to block malware without using signatures. Instead, it relies on mathematical algorithms to analyze files and can protect the host even when it is not connected to the internet.
Exploit Blocking
Malware does not always come in the form of a file that can be analyzed by machine learning. Some types of malware may be deployed directly into memory through the use of exploit kits. To defend against these, the Falcon platform provides an exploit blocking function that adds another layer of protection.
Behavioral Analysis
What about fileless malware that doesn’t use an exploit kit, such as certain types of ransomware? To protect systems against these threats, the Falcon platform uses indicators of attack (IOAs), which look across both legitimate and suspicious activities to detect stealthy chains of events that indicate malware infection attempts. Most IOAs can prevent non-malware attacks as well.
Blocklisting
Falcon also allows organizations to blocklist applications, automatically preventing them from running anywhere in the organization.

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Prosecutors seek from 40 to 50 years in prison for Sam Bankman-Fried for cryptocurrency fraud

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Prosecutors seek from 40 to 50 years in prison for Sam Bankman-Fried for cryptocurrency fraud

By LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s orchestration of one of history’s largest financial frauds in his quest to dominate the cryptocurrency world deserves a prison sentence of 40 to 50 years, federal prosecutors on Friday told a federal judge.

Prosecutors made the recommendation in papers filed in Manhattan federal court in advance of a March 28 sentencing, where a judge will also consider a 100-year prison sentence recommended by the court’s probation officers and a request by defense lawyers for leniency and a term of imprisonment not to exceed single digits.

Bankman-Fried, 32, was convicted in November on fraud and conspiracy charges after his dramatic fall from a year earlier when he and his companies seemed to be riding a crest of success that had resulted in a Super Bowl advertisement and celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady and comedian Larry David.

Some of his biggest successes, though, resulted from stealing at least $10 billion from investors and customers between 2017 and 2022 to buy luxury real estate, make risky investments, dispense outsized charitable donations and political contributions and to buy praise from celebrities, prosecutors said.

 

FILE - Sam Bankman-Fried leaves Manhattan federal court in New York on Feb. 16, 2023. Bankman-Fried's lawyers are seeking leniency next month at the FTX founder's sentencing for cryptocurrency crimes. The lawyers filed presentence arguments late Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in Manhattan federal court. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

 

“His life in recent years has been one of unmatched greed and hubris; of ambition and rationalization; and courting risk and gambling repeatedly with other people’s money. And even now Bankman-Fried refuses to admit what he did was wrong,” prosecutors wrote.

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“Having set himself on the goal of amassing endless wealth and unlimited power — to the point that he thought he might become President and the world’s first trillionaire — there was little Bankman-Fried did not do to achieve it,” prosecutors said.

They said crimes reflecting a “brazen disrespect for the rule of law” had depleted the retirement funds and nest eggs of people who could least afford to lose money, including some in war-torn or financially insecure countries, and had harmed others who sought to “break generational poverty” only to be left “devastated” and “heartbroken.”

“He knew what society deemed illegal and unethical, but disregarded that based on a pernicious megalomania guided by the defendant’s own values and sense of superiority,” prosecutors said.

Bankman-Fried was extradited to the United States in December 2022 from the Bahamas after his companies collapsed a month earlier. Originally permitted to remain at home with his parents in Palo Alto, California, he was jailed last year weeks before his trial after Judge Lewis A. Kaplan concluded that he had tried to tamper with trial witnesses.

In their presentence submission, prosecutors described Bankman-Fried’s crimes as “one of the largest financial frauds in history, and what is likely the largest fraud in the last decade.”

“The defendant victimized tens of thousands of people and companies, across several continents, over a period of multiple years. He stole money from customers who entrusted it to him; he lied to investors; he sent fabricated documents to lenders; he pumped millions of dollars in illegal donations into our political system; and he bribed foreign officials. Each of these crimes is worthy of a lengthy sentence,” they wrote.

They said his “unlawful political donations to over 300 politicians and political action groups, amounting to in excess of $100 million, is believed to be the largest-ever campaign finance offense.”

And they said his $150 million in bribes to Chinese government officials was one of the single largest by an individual.

“Even following FTX’s bankruptcy and his subsequent arrest, Bankman-Fried shirked responsibility, deflected blame to market events and other individuals, attempted to tamper with witnesses, and lied repeatedly under oath,” prosecutors said, citing his trial testimony.

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Two weeks ago, Bankman-Fried attorney Marc Mukasey attacked a probation office recommendation that their client serve 100 years in prison, saying a sentence of that length would be “grotesque” and “barbaric.”

He urged the judge to sentence Bankman-Fried to just a few years behind bars after calculating federal sentencing guidelines to recommend a term of five to 6 1/2 years in prison.

“Sam is not the ‘evil genius’ depicted in the media or the greedy villain described at trial,” Mukasey said, calling his client a “first-time, non-violent offender, who was joined in the conduct at issue by at least four other culpable individuals, in a matter where victims are poised to recover — were always poised to recover — a hundred cents on the dollar.”

Mukasey said he will respond to the prosecutors’ claims in a filing next week.

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Biden to create cybersecurity standards for nation’s ports as concerns grow over vulnerabilities

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Biden to create cybersecurity standards for nation’s ports as concerns grow over vulnerabilities

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order and created a federal rule aimed at better securing the nation’s ports from potential cyberattacks.

The administration is outlining a set of cybersecurity regulations that port operators must comply with across the country, not unlike standardized safety regulations that seek to prevent injury or damage to people and infrastructure.

“We want to ensure there are similar requirements for cyber, when a cyberattack can cause just as much if not more damage than a storm or another physical threat,” said Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser at the White House.

Nationwide, ports employ roughly 31 million people and contribute $5.4 trillion to the economy, and could be left vulnerable to a ransomware or other brand of cyberattack, Neuberger said. The standardized set of requirements is designed to help protect against that.

The new requirements are part of the federal government’s focus on modernizing how critical infrastructure like power grids, ports and pipelines are protected as they are increasingly managed and controlled online, often remotely. There is no set of nationwide standards that govern how operators should protect against potential attacks online.

The threat continues to grow. Hostile activity in cyberspace — from spying to the planting of malware to infect and disrupt a country’s infrastructure — has become a hallmark of modern geopolitical rivalry.

For example, in 2021, the operator of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline had to temporarily halt operations after it fell victim to a ransomware attack in which hackers hold a victim’s data or device hostage in exchange for money. The company, Colonial Pipeline, paid $4.4 million to a Russia-based hacker group, though Justice Department officials later recovered much of the money.

Ports, too, are vulnerable. In Australia last year, a cyber incident forced one of the country’s largest port operators to suspend operations for three days.

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In the U.S., roughly 80% of the giant cranes used to lift and haul cargo off ships onto U.S. docks come from China, and are controlled remotely, said Admiral John Vann, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s cyber command. That leaves them vulnerable to attack, he said.

Late last month, U.S. officials said they had disrupted a state-backed Chinese effort to plant malware that could be used to damage civilian infrastructure. Vann said this type of potential attack was a concern as officials pushed for new standards, but they are also worried about the possibility for criminal activity.

The new standards, which will be subject to a public comment period, will be required for any port operator and there will be enforcement actions for failing to comply with the standards, though the officials did not outline them. They require port operators to notify authorities when they have been victimized by a cyberattack. The actions also give the Coast Guard, which regulates the nation’s ports, the ability to respond to cyberattacks.

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Why Was Sam Altman Fired? Possible Ties to China D2 (Double Dragon) Data from Hackers

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Theories are going around the internet why Sam Altman was fired. On an insider tech forum (Blind) – one person claims to know by third-hand account and how this news will trickle into the media over the next couple of weeks.

It’s said OpenAI had been using data from D2 to train its AI models, which includes GPT-4. This data was obtained through a hidden business contract with a D2 shell company called Whitefly, which was based in Singapore. This D2 group has the largest and biggest crawling/indexing/scanning capacity in the world 10x more than Alphabet Inc (Google), hence the deal so Open AI could get their hands on vast quantities of data for training after exhausting their other options.

The Chinese government became aware of this arrangement and raised concerns with the Biden administration. As a result, the NSA launched an investigation, which confirmed that OpenAI had been using data from D2. Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, which is a major investor in OpenAI, was informed of the findings and ordered Altman’s removal.

There was also suggestion that Altman refused to disclose this information to the OpenAI board. This lack of candor ultimately led to his dismissal and is what the board publicly alluded to when they said “not consistently candid in his communications with the board.”

To summarize what happened with Sam Altman’s firing:

1. Sam Altman was removed from OpenAI due to his ties to a Chinese cyber army group.

2.OpenAI had been using data from D2 to train its AI models.

3. The Chinese government raised concerns about this arrangement with the Biden administration.

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4. The NSA launched an investigation, which confirmed OpenAI’s use of D2 data.

5. Satya Nadella ordered Altman’s removal after being informed of the findings.

6. Altman refused to disclose this information to the OpenAI board.

 

We’ll see in the next couple of weeks if this story holds up or not.

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