Who Creates Computer Malware?

Thread Starter

Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
I recently had a problem with the so called Powelikes "Trojan" which is some kind of malware.

It sounded like a relatively sophisticated program that could hide in the Windows application and transmit information back to the perpetrator. This program caused a lot of havoc with my computer such as high CPU and memory use and a number of "Blue Screens"). I was able to get rid of it using a special Norton malware remover. I haven't had any problems with identity theft or suspicious charges on my credit card.

However I'm wondering who creates this malware in the first place? Considering the sophistication of some of these programs, I sometimes wonder if the government has contracted with some company (such as Oracle) to develop a method of spying on citizens.

Maybe those who warned us (Ed Snowden) that the government was snooping on citizens were right on the money.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
Lots of people develop malware for lots of different reasons. You have the people that just get kicks of messing with others. You have the people that do it as a challenge, often not intending any harm to come of their code. You have people that have some kind of personal agenda that they think if furthered by causing all kinds of mischief and grief. You have people that are trying to get access to information or control of your system for the purposes of illegal activities of one flavor or another. All of these things can be done at any level ranging from the lone individual to groups to organizations (legal or illegal) to governments.

Before you jump on the "it's complex so it must be the government" bandwagon, keep in mind that malware is just a piece of software and that equally complex pieces of software are developed all the time by people at all levels. If nothing else, consider that someone (or a group of someones) knew enough to develop the application that was compromised. Therefore those someones (or some subset of them) almost certainly have the knowledge to exploit that application and that knowledge is largely transferable which would allow someone that had gained enough experience to write key parts of that app to use that knowledge to seek out and exploit similar parts of other apps that they were never connected with.

The thing that has always pissed me off is that, script kiddies aside, the people that write malware to trash someone's system have almost certainly been through the agony of losing hours and days of effort when a computer hard drive crashes or the like. For them to set out to intentionally inflict that on others, particularly when it's just "for kicks", leaves me with zero sympathy for them once they get caught. I think just punishment would be for them to spend 16 hours/day in a prison cell disinfecting every machine affected by their deeds and can't get paroled until they finish. If they only get 0.04% of the way done when they die of old age, too damn bad.
 

sirch2

Joined Jan 21, 2013
1,037
Have you seen Oracle's software? They don't seem to be able to do anything in under 300MB and without flashing up a load of splash screens and crapware. Last company I'd choose to write malware is Oracle (and I've been working with Oracle software for 30 years, their Database is good but the rest is mediocre).

Two main sources seem to be "organised" criminals and people doing it for the intellectual challenge and general anarchy. The criminals either just want to use your computer to send spam, hack into someone else's computer from yours, steal your details or the latest is encrypting your hard drive and charging you a ransom to decrypt it. Various "hacking" collectives such as Anonymous generally want to take over your computer so that they can run DDOS attacks on companies and government agencies that they have an issue with.
 

vikasbly44

Joined Jan 19, 2015
13
Dear....
you can solve this problem, by following these steps....

Step 1: Enter Safe Mode

Keep your PC disconnected from the Internet, and don't use it until you're ready to clean your PC. This can help prevent the malware from spreading and/or leaking your private data.

Step 2: Delete Temporary Files
Now that you're in Safe Mode, you'll want to run a virus scan. But before you do that, delete your temporary files. Doing this may speed up the virus scanning, free up disk space, and even get rid of some malware.

Step 3: Download Malware Scanners
Now you're ready to have a malware scanner do it's work--and fortunately, running a scanner is enough to remove most infections. If you already had an antivirus program active on your computer, you should use a different scanner for this malware check, since your current antivirus software may have not detected the malware

Step 4: Run a Scan With Malwarebytes
For illustrative purposes, I'll describe how to use the Malwarebytes on-demand scanner. To get started, download it. If you disconnected from the Internet for safety reasons when you first suspected that you might be infected, reconnect to it so you can download, install, and update Malwarebytes; then disconnect from the Internet again before you start the actual scanning. If you can't access the Internet or you can't download Malwarebytes on the infected computer, download it on another computer, save it to a USB flash drive, and take the flash drive to the infected computer.
 

alfacliff

Joined Dec 13, 2013
2,458
a few years ago, we bought a new machine tool from canada. it used a fanuc control and the guy that was sent to load all the software was having a problem with the program getting smaller each time a change was loaded. it turned out that a new railing was welded on before the ground system was complete, and somehow, the computer got a bug in it due to the welding. dumping all program and data, and starting from scratch fixed it. that is the first time I have ever heard of a natural bug in a computer.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
a few years ago, we bought a new machine tool from canada. it used a fanuc control and the guy that was sent to load all the software was having a problem with the program getting smaller each time a change was loaded. it turned out that a new railing was welded on before the ground system was complete, and somehow, the computer got a bug in it due to the welding. dumping all program and data, and starting from scratch fixed it. that is the first time I have ever heard of a natural bug in a computer.
Look up where the term "bug" comes from.

The story surrounding Grace Hopper and the moth in the Harvard Mark II is a bit apocryphal, but not by much. The event absolutely happened, but the term "bug" had been around for at least a century. But that actually lends credence to the claim that Adm Hopper remarked that it was the first actual occurrence of a bug in a computer.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Two main sources seem to be "organised" criminals and people doing it for the intellectual challenge and general anarchy.
I just finished reading the Kaspersky findings of NSA programs in hard drive controller chips.
I don't wear a tinfoil hat, but I am sure My Government writes and uses very effective Malware. (I'm just not important enough for them to care about.)

ps, Open DVD reader, insert backup disk, restart computer, follow instructions on the screen. That will fix most Malware, except the kind that is in the bios or the hard drive controller chip.

What? You didn't make a backup disk? Happy virus hunting.
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
I don't wear a tinfoil hat, but I am sure My Government writes and uses very effective Malware. (I'm just not important enough for them to care about.)
@#12, have you or anyone else participating on this thread, aware of Stuxnet and its variants including Flame, Duqu, and others? Google "Stuxnet". Its an amazing story.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
I would consider our government to be negligent if it were not very active in the field of information warfare. That's not to say that I don't think strict controls need to be in place to keep the government in check (or that I think those controls are where they ought to be), but the same is true with many things. I would consider out government negligent if it were not very active in the field of nuclear weapons technology or other military technologies, but there needs to be strict and proper controls in place in those areas, too.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
And whom would enforce these strict controls on the government?
Nothing to see here folks. Our Government is already not spending billions of dollars to monitor every phone and internet activity of every upstanding, patriotic citizen in the U.S.A.
 

frank55

Joined Dec 6, 2013
313
Dear....
you can solve this problem, by following these steps....

Step 1: Enter Safe Mode

Keep your PC disconnected from the Internet, and don't use it until you're ready to clean your PC. This can help prevent the malware from spreading and/or leaking your private data.

Step 2: Delete Temporary Files
Now that you're in Safe Mode, you'll want to run a virus scan. But before you do that, delete your temporary files. Doing this may speed up the virus scanning, free up disk space, and even get rid of some malware.

Step 3: Download Malware Scanners
Now you're ready to have a malware scanner do it's work--and fortunately, running a scanner is enough to remove most infections. If you already had an antivirus program active on your computer, you should use a different scanner for this malware check, since your current antivirus software may have not detected the malware

Step 4: Run a Scan With Malwarebytes
For illustrative purposes, I'll describe how to use the Malwarebytes on-demand scanner. To get started, download it. If you disconnected from the Internet for safety reasons when you first suspected that you might be infected, reconnect to it so you can download, install, and update Malwarebytes; then disconnect from the Internet again before you start the actual scanning. If you can't access the Internet or you can't download Malwarebytes on the infected computer, download it on another computer, save it to a USB flash drive, and take the flash drive to the infected computer.

nI do better than that, whenever malware and virus strike me,i format disk and do clean install; it takes less time and i don't have to pay for any antivirus/malware software and i get rid of all crap,time i have all in the world,i do ne
Dear....
you can solve this problem, by following these steps....

Step 1: Enter Safe Mode

Keep your PC disconnected from the Internet, and don't use it until you're ready to clean your PC. This can help prevent the malware from spreading and/or leaking your private data.

Step 2: Delete Temporary Files
Now that you're in Safe Mode, you'll want to run a virus scan. But before you do that, delete your temporary files. Doing this may speed up the virus scanning, free up disk space, and even get rid of some malware.

Step 3: Download Malware Scanners
Now you're ready to have a malware scanner do it's work--and fortunately, running a scanner is enough to remove most infections. If you already had an antivirus program active on your computer, you should use a different scanner for this malware check, since your current antivirus software may have not detected the malware

Step 4: Run a Scan With Malwarebytes
For illustrative purposes, I'll describe how to use the Malwarebytes on-demand scanner. To get started, download it. If you disconnected from the Internet for safety reasons when you first suspected that you might be infected, reconnect to it so you can download, install, and update Malwarebytes; then disconnect from the Internet again before you start the actual scanning. If you can't access the Internet or you can't download Malwarebytes on the infected computer, download it on another computer, save it to a USB flash drive, and take the flash drive to the infected computer.

I can do better than that; the time you loose doing all that, i format disk and do a clean install of OPS and after that i can go drink some beers while you stay there pulling your hair,besides i never keep important files/documents, in my PC's, i have an external HDD where i keep all those important stuff,besides in order to have a fair good software to do the cleaning of malware /virus,you have to pay for it, the free one won't cut it.
But that's me go figure!
 
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