A backdoor is a malicious computer program used to provide the attacker with unauthorized remote access to a compromised PC by exploiting security vulnerabilities. This backdoor virus works in the background and hides from the user. It is quite difficult to detect as it is very similar to other malware viruses. A backdoor is considered to be one of the most dangerous parasite types, as it allows a malicious person to execute any possible actions on a compromised computer. Often a backdoor is known to have additional destructive capabilities, such as screenshot capture, keystroke logging, file infection, and encryption. This virus is a combination of different security and privacy threats, which works on its own and does not need to be controlled at all.
Spreading of the Backdoor Virus
Backdoors lack the capability of spreading themselves and infecting systems without a user’s knowledge. These threats get into the system via four main ways:
- A number of backdoors have been already integrated into specific applications. Even genuine programs may have undocumented remote access features. Here, the attacker will have to contact a computer with such software installed to immediately get complete unauthorized access to the system or take over control over the specific software.
- There are a few backdoors that infect a computer by exploiting specific software vulnerabilities. They work just like worms and automatically spread without the user’s knowledge.
- PC users can accidentally install typical backdoors on their computers with being completely aware. A backdoor virus can come attached to the file-sharing programs or e-mail messages. By giving them unsuspicious names, their authors trick users into executing or opening such files.
- Very often, backdoors are installed by other parasites like Trojans, viruses, or even spyware. They manage to enter into a system without A user’s knowledge, and they then affect each of users who use a compromised computer. It is possible for some threats to be manually installed by malicious users who have adequate privileges for the software installation. The small part of backdoors can spread by exploiting remote systems with specific security vulnerabilities.
What can a Backdoor Virus do to Your System?
After entering your system, a backdoor virus causes the following activities:
- Permits the intruder to create, delete, rename, edit or copy any file, execute different commands, change any system settings, adjust the Windows registry, run, control and terminate applications, and install other software and parasites.
- Records keystrokes and captures screenshots.
- Allows the attacker to control computer hardware devices, alter related settings, restart or shutdown a computer without asking for permission.
- Steals sensitive personal data, passwords, login names, identity details, and valuable documents. Logs user activity and tracks web browsing habits.
- Infects files, damages the entire system, and corrupts installed applications.
- Prevents its removal by providing no uninstall feature
- Reduces Internet connection speed and overall system performance.
- Distributes infected files to remote computers with specific security vulnerabilities and executes attacks against hacker defined remote hosts.
- Installs hidden FTP server that can be employed by malicious individuals for different illegal purposes.
Removing a Backdoor from the System
With backdoors being extremely dangerous, the need for virus protection is thus becoming the need of the hour. There are lots of programs that help in the removal of backdoor viruses. The most reliable one is Comodo Antivirus Software available with impressive security features making it one of the best antivirus software in the IT security industry. This antivirus software helps in successfully protecting your PC(s) against backdoors, Trojan horses, worms, viruses, spyware, adware, rootkits, and several other malware infections, including the extremely dangerous zero-day threats.
Comodo Antivirus offers the following security features:
- Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS): This security feature helps in comprehensively monitoring your computer and preventing malicious attacks from entering it. It employs a set of behavior analyzers to perform the search.
- VirusScope: This technology is useful for local PC analysis and also helps PC users to undo malicious-looking changes which PC(s) might have recorded due to malicious actors.
- Efficient Whitelisting: Potential to mark specific files as trustworthy and give them default access.
- Cloud-based Behavior Analysis – Valkyrie: The increase in zero-day malware insists on the need for a cloud-based behavior analysis system capable of keeping up with the latest malware.
- Default Deny Approach: A unique approach employed by Comodo to prevent all files by default from entering the system until they prove themselves to be harmless.
- Containment: This technology backs default deny approach by ‘containing’ or ‘restraining’ files and then running them in a separate environment, till they prove themselves to be harmless, without affecting your computer’s security.
Related Resources:
Wikipedia Hacked by DDoS Attack