Describe some actions or techniques that can be used to mitigate or stop the impacts of malicious applications? Are some of these methods more effective than others? Provide an example of a cyber attack that resulted from the execution of malicious code. There are plenty of examples that can be queried from the Internet.
There are a few techniques you can utilize to minimize the potential damage of a malicious application. One of the most common is to utilize dedicated anti-virus software like Norton, or MacAfee. While they can be overzealous in their execution, they also are highly effective at notifying users of potentially dangerous applications, and isolated them. Another is to use an isolated machine, or a Virtual Machine to test applications for their potential danger. An isolated, or virtual device can minimize the damage dealt by a potentially dangerous application, as well as easily fixing the issue if one occurs
Some of these methods are indeed more effective than others. While using isolated devices or virtual machines take more resources, they are more effective by far. Antivirus software require less upkeep and resources to maintain, but they have the potential to not only register false-positive on safe applications, but can potentially fail to detect more sophisticated, or bleeding edge applications not yet known to the antivirus software.
One example comes from the Infosec labs we run as part of the class, where we can copy malware onto a victim PC, disguise it as a browser application like Chrome, or Firefox, and then either the attacker runs it, or the victim runs it, compromising the PC. A practical example is the attack REvil launched on Kaseya; REvil was able to send out infected faux “software updates” through Kaseya’s Administrative channels, and to Kaseya partners as well. The victims would run the fake update, compromising their systems in the process, leaving them vulnerable to the ransomware attack.
Source:
Touro College. (2021, November 12). The 10 biggest ransomware attacks of 2021. Touro College Illinois. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://illinois.touro.edu/news/the-10-biggest-ransomware-attacks-of-2021.php