Word of the Day: command and control server

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms |May 4, 2018

command and control server A command and control server (C&C server) is a computer that issues directives to digital devices that have been infected with rootkits or other types of malware, such as ransomware. C&C servers can be used to create powerful networks of infected devices capable of carrying out distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, stealing data, deleting data or encrypting data in order to carry out an extortion scheme. In the past, a C&C server was often under an attacker's physical control and could remain active for several years. Today, C&C servers generally have a short shelf life; they often reside in legitimate cloud services and use automated domain generation algorithms (DGAs) to make it more difficult for law enforcement and white hat malware hunters to locate them. A malicious network under a C&C server's control is called a botnet and the network nodes that belong to the botnet are sometimes referred to as zombies. In a traditional botnet, the bots are infected with a Trojan horse and use Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to communicate with a central C&C server. These botnets were often used to distribute spam or malware and gather misappropriated information, such as credit card numbers. Popular botnet topologies include: Star topology - the bots are organised around a central server. Multi-server topology - there are multiple C&C servers for redundancy. Hierarchical topology - multiple C&C servers are organized into tiered groups. Random topology - coopted computers communicate as a peer-to-peer botnet (P2P botnet). Since it was typically used to command botnets, networks often guard against IRC communication. This has motivated the drive for more covert ways for C&C servers to issue commands. Alternative channels used for botnet command include JPG images, Microsoft Word files and posts from LinkedIn or Twitter dummy accounts. Quote of the Day "To protect their malicious operations, hackers are constantly looking for techniques to try and obfuscate their C&C infrastructure and to avoid takedowns by making forensic analysis, detection and attribution a lot harder." - Michael Cobb   Trending Terms rootkit ransomware DDoS attack botnet white hat Trojan horse   Learning Center AIR-Jumper: How can security camera lights transmit data? Ben-Gurion University researchers developed aIR-Jumper -- an exploit that leverages lights within security cameras. Learn how this targeted attack works. How are hackers using Twitter as C&C servers for malware? Hackers are using Twitter instead of C&C servers to spread their malicious Twitoor Android Trojan. Find out how the attack works and how to prevent it. How can a malicious C&C server remain undetected? A C&C server used by malware authors can evade detection, but here's how enterprises can uncover malicious C&C communications. New cloud threats as attackers embrace the power of cloud Here's a look at the top cloud threats in 2018 and some guidelines for protecting platforms and infrastructure in public clouds. Katyusha Scanner: How does it work via a Telegram account? The Katyusha Scanner is based on the Arachni scanner, and it now works through Telegram after being found on a hacking forum. Nick Lewis explains how this is possible. Writing for Business A botnet is a group of computers organized to distribute spam or malware -- _________ the owners are typically unaware of the fact. A. though B. although c. even though Answer   Stay In Touch For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com   Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed!   FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2018 TechTarget. All rights reserved.