How to detect a hacker attack that leaves no traces on your hard drive

PARTNER: Safety Detectives

A hacker attack that does not leave any traces on your hardware is also known as non-malware or fileless malware. Read on to understand more about this cyber threat and how you can detect it.

Understanding the Fileless Malware

Fileless malware is a nil-footprint threat that spreads and infects your computer without relying on malicious software. Instead, non-malware identifies prevailing vulnerabilities in the computer and exploits it. 

The prevalence of fileless malware is a wake-up call to organiSations to switch from the conventional prevent security model. To protect data, organiSations should instead adopt a detection model that involves threat hunting, threat intelligence, and red/blue/purple teams.

Fileless malware lives in your computer’s RAM and uses different malicious tools to penetrate trusted and safe procedures like adobe.exe or iexplore.exe. The threat does so to carry out the attack and spread to various systems in record time. This type of threat operates alone making it difficult to identify, prevent, or even remove. 

The only way to get rid of fileless malware is to reboot your system because the RAM keeps data when the computer is running. It is worth mentioning that a hacker can leverage scripts to restart your machine and run the threat. A hacker can lead the malware to steal information from your hard disk or even spread the attack to different locations through your internet connection.

Features of Fileless Malware

• It neither has an identity nor does it come with a footprint

• It dwells in the RAM which is why it is called the memory-based malware

• It does not present a specific pattern which is why heuristics scanners cannot detect it

• It leverages genuine procedures to execute the attack

• It can be paired with different malware

• It leverages certified applications that are already available on your computer

Detecting Fileless Malware Attack

There is no notable behaviour or new file installations that can facilitate the detection of fileless malware attacks. However, there are some things you should watch out for. For example, beware of unusual network traces and patterns like your machine linking to botnet servers. Check for any signs of compromise in the system memory and other components a malicious code may have left behind. 

• Countering Fileless Malware

One of the most effective methods of preventing fileless malware is to always use updated version of Bitdefender to protect your computer. Another method would be to maintain JavaScript. Blocking JavaScript increases the risk of losing content on many websites. Here are other fileless malware prevention measures you can try.

• Adopt Email Policies

More than 90% of malware threats come via email, as we shall see below.

• Email Links

Persuading unsuspecting individuals to a malicious site via an email link is a common exercise. When users click on the link, malware penetrates your computer. Organizations should warn workers against clicking on suspicious email links. Adopt email policies complete with some restrictions in the organization to control fileless malware attacks.

• Email Attachments

Let employees understand how to handle email attachments like MS Office and PDF documents. While PDF documents are used in formal emails, they can also be used to spread malware. Fileless malware can be spread via PDF. 

Once you download a PDF file, the firewall can track the malicious content. However, if you open it without downloading, the malware will disappear once you close the PDF tab. Employees should always disable the PDF reader to prevent it from launching JavaScript. 

Employees should also avoid activating macros. Spreading malicious software through macros activation is a common exercise in Microsoft. 

• Replace Flash

Flash is becoming notorious when it comes to spreading malicious software via browsers. Many browsers are using HTML5 for video addition instead of flash. For example, Microsoft Edge does not allow Flash code. Popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox give you the choice of blocking flash. The Internet Explorer, on the other hand, won’t load Flash if Activex is not active.

• Safeguard Your Browsers

Create a one browser use policy to facilitate the installation of a matching browser protection application on each machine. For example, you can protect Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer with Windows Defender Application Guard. Install the Webscribe extension for your Chrome and Firefox browsers. 

Finally

Non-malware attacks have a higher chance of succeeding than file-based malicious software. Detecting fileless malware can be difficult, which is why organizations should adopt stringent measures to protect their systems. Enlighten your employees to ensure they understand the company protocols and the steps they should take to prevent malware attacks.