Author Question: What is a sniffing attack and how does it differ from a MitM attack? What will be an ideal ... (Read 155 times)

karlynnae · **on:** Jul 7, 2018

What is a sniffing attack and how does it differ from a MitM attack?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Discuss and explain malicious code threats and how they work. Include the different types of viruses.

What will be an ideal response?

helenmarkerine · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 7, 2018

Answer to Question 1

A sniffer is a type of eavesdropping program that monitors information traveling over a network. When used legitimately in a sniffing attack, hackers use sniffers to steal proprietary information from a network, including passwords, e-mail messages, company files, and confidential reports. A man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack also involves eavesdropping but is more active than a sniffing attack, which typically involves passive monitoring. In a MitM attack, the attacker can intercept communications between two parties who believe they are directly communicating with one another, when in fact the attacker is controlling the communications.

Answer to Question 2

Malicious code includes a variety of threats such as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, and bot programs. A virus is a computer program that can replicate or make copies of itself and spread to other files. Viruses can range in severity from simple programs that display a message or graphic as a joke to more malevolent code that will destroy files or reformat the hard drive of a computer, causing programs to run incorrectly. Worms are designed to spread not only from file to file but from computer to computer and do not necessarily need to be activated to replicate. A Trojan horse is not itself a virus because it does not replicate but it is a method by which viruses or other malicious code can be introduced into a computer system. It appears benign and then suddenly does something harmful. For example, it may appear to be only a game and then it will steal passwords and mail them to another person. A backdoor is a feature of worms, viruses, and Trojans that allow attackers to remotely access compromised computers.

Ransomware (or also known as scareware) is a type of malware (often a worm) that locks your computer or files to stop you from accessing them. Bot programs are a type of malicious code that can be covertly installed on a computer when it is attached to the Internet. Once installed, the bot responds to external commands sent by the attacker, and many bots can be coordinated by a hacker into a botnet.