Most often people associate malware with sketchy downloads. If an advertisement on a website says they can give you a free copy of the latest blockbuster movie then it's probably malware.
However some malware takes on the appearance of legitimate programs to evade your computer's defenses. They're purposely made difficult to detect and remove.
Fileless malware attacks began picking up steam in 2017 including the hack of the Democratic National Committee. Here's everything you need to know to avoid them.
What is Fileless Malware?
Just last year fileless malware attacks made up around 30% of all malware attacks. Of all breaches they made up more than half of the successful ones.
Fileless attacks are a type of stealth attack that operates inside of your system's memory. They're not installed or stored on your computer. As a result they also never touch your hard drive.
One way they get into your system is through Microsoft Windows Powershell which is a legitimate program for task automation. Once users click on a malware link the website triggers the exploit and it's launched in Powershell. The payload is executed in memory only and it can do whatever it wants at that point.
Like other types of malware the fileless variant can give attackers administrator access and gathers data from targets.
Fileless Malware Example
Some examples of fileless malware include Frodo Number of the Beach and The Dark Avenger. Other notable attacks include SQL Slammer Stuxnet and UIWIX.
SQL Slammer refers to an attack in 2003 that targeted Microsoft SQL servers. Stuxnet was made to bypass nuclear enrichment systems. UIWIX was uncovered in 2017 the same year of the Equifax data breach.
Microsoft Powershell
Despite its use as a backdoor for fileless malware Microsoft Powershell is very useful for a lot of your standard programs. You can run it remotely to execute commands on your network. They're an essential part of running a large network.
How to Prevent Fileless Malware Attacks
The main way fileless malware makes its way onto your system is through web-based launches. This is often done through phishing tactics.
Phishing refers to emails received allegedly from reputable companies when they're actually from attackers. Links included in these emails can result in downloading files loaded with malware. In this case it executes the installing program for fileless malware.
Billions of phishing emails are sent out every day around the world and result in 90% of all data breaches. Cybersecurity awareness and best practices are key to avoiding fileless malware attacks.
Protect Your Business From Hidden Threats
Fileless malware can cause all kinds of havoc for your system and they're incredibly difficult to track down. If you don't identify all the different components that make it up you may find the entire infection returns shortly after. Even a virus scanner won't detect the attack.
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