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can’t detect the malware and you’re already infected, then what can it do? How about
controlling your computer and using it as one of many ‘hops’ in the chain to obfuscate the

source of an attack? If you get infected with one of these Zero-day RATS (Remote Access
Trojans), you’re not only a victim, you are an accidental accomplice.

Remote Access Trojans

Remote Access Trojans (RATs) that make it onto a computer, undetected, give someone far
away all the control they need of the victim’s computer. RATs are generally sent through emails
by ‘riding’ what looks like as a trusted file attachment such as a PDF, Excel spreadsheet or

Word doc.

Once the victim opens the email and clicks on the attachment, they may actually see a useful or

trustworthy looking PDF, XLS or DOC open up but at the same time the RAT is being installed.
Some less sophisticated RATs will display a fake error message ‘file corrupted’ so you think the
attachment didn’t come through completely and didn’t open.

Many RATS can disable antivirus and firewall software or create covert channels to bypass
them, when sending and receiving information, commands, data and files.

RATs can do just about anything you can think of – this is a sampling of what they are capable
of:

 Watch you type and log your keystrokes
 Watch your webcam and save videos

 Listen in on your microphone and save audio files
 Take control of your computer
 Download, upload and delete files

 Physically destroy a CPU by overclocking
 Install additional tools including viruses and worms

 Edit your Windows registry
 Use your computer for a denial of service (DoS) attack
 Steal passwords, credit card numbers, emails and files

 Wipe your hard drive completely
 Install boot-sector (very hard to remove) viruses

21 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – December 2014 Edition
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