With COVID-19 not going anywhere soon, governments across the world are relying heavily on building a virtual infrastructure. Such an infrastructure works to keep businesses and corporations running as close to usual as possible, and dampens the negative effects of the pandemic on industries and the job market.
Attaining this goal is not an easy task, and keeping any system and/or infrastructure secure is a daunting enough task as it is. During the recent The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s National Security Summit, Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned attendees about preparing for threats that target critical infrastructure of countries.
Backdoor Malware Deployed
According to a recent article by 9news, several state actors have definitely deployed backdoor malware on several government and corporate systems, that could be activated at any moment. This could be catastrophic, as such malware could shut off power grids and cause all kinds of logistical mayhem.
What is Backdoor Malware?
Backdoor malware allows hackers, cybercriminals or regular users to gain authorized or unauthorized access to a system, without having to go through the regular security measures. This can give the unwanted user high level access (aka Root Access) to the system. Backdoor attacks are usually discreet and are not easily detected, hence dubbing the recent deployed malware in Australia “Sleeper Weapons”.
Hackers who have successfully gained backdoor access to systems can install the following malwares:
- Spyware, which collects information about the system and users.
- Ransomware, that will encrypt and lock your files until the ransom has been paid.
- Use the user’s computer for a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks to stop operations within the system.
- Cryptojacking, which uses the system to mine for cryptocurrency.
Protecting against “Sleeper Weapons”
There are several precautions that governments and corporations can take. These include:
- Change default passwords and add Multi-factor Authentication (MFA).
- Monitor the network and use a firewall to check inbound and outbound traffic.
- Applications and plugins from reputable sources.
- Anti-malware security solutions used on workstations.
Contact us at Agilient to discuss our expertise in professional services including cyber-protection and security framework implementation.
Author: Saeed Baayoun, Agilient Consultant