What is TDSS, TDL3, or Alureon Rootkit?
TDSS, or TDL3, is a class of rootkits based on Windows operating system. It is designed to download and execute other malware on the system, pop-up advertisements in your web browser, and block certain applications from running. This rootkit can affect your system in several ways, i.e., replacing hard disk drivers with malicious files.
After infection TDSS will hide in the system files of the operating system which would make it immune to the regular security software and further download and infect the system with other malware.
Techniques used to spread TDSS Rootkit
A TDSS rootkit can install automatically, or a hacker can authorize its installation once they've gained administrative rights or root of the system. Gaining such access is a result of a personal attack on the system, i.e., overriding a known vulnerability or the system password (acquired by cracking or social engineering tactics like "phishing").
Once installed, it becomes possible to cover the infections on the system as well as to control administrative access. The key is the root or administrator access.
Full control over a system means that existing software can be modified, including programs that may be some way or another be utilized to distinguish or evade it.
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Behavioral-based Identification
The behavioral-based approach to detecting rootkits attempts to indicate the appearance of a rootkit by watching for rootkit-like function.
For example, by profiling a system, variations in the timing and frequency of API calls or in overall CPU utilization can be associated to a rootkit.
The process is complicated and is hindered by a high percentage of false positives. Incomplete rootkits can sometimes inject very obvious changes into a system: the Alureon rootkit crashed Windows systems after a security update revealed a design defect in its code. Logs from a packet analyzer, firewall, or intrusion prevention system may present evidence of rootkit behavior in a networked environment.
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Discovering Rootkits from memory Dump
Constraining a total dump of virtual memory will catch a dynamic rootkit (or a part dump on account of a kernel-mode rootkit), permitting an offline experimental investigation to be performed with a debugger against the following dump file, without the rootkit having the capacity to take any measures to shroud itself.
This procedure is profoundly particular and may expect access to non-open source code or debugging symbols. Memory dumps launched by the operating system cannot always be utilized to recognize a hypervisor-based rootkit, which can capture and subvert the most minimal level trials to read the memory—a hardware device, such as one that implements a non-maskable interrupt, might be required to dump memory in this situation.
Virtual machines likewise make it simpler to break down the memory of a compromised machine from the hidden hypervisor, so some rootkits will abstain from infecting virtual machines hence.
- Keep your Windows Updated: To avoid such infections, we recommend that you should always keep your system updated through automatic windows update. By doing this you can keep your device free from virus. According to the survey, outdated/older versions of Windows operating system are an easy target.
- Third-party installation: Try to avoid freeware download websites as they usually install bundled of software with any installer or stub file.
- Regular Backup: Regular and periodical backup helps you to keep your data safe in case the system is infected by any kind of virus or any other infection. Thus always backup important files regularly on a cloud drive or an external hard drive.
- Always have an Anti-Virus: Precaution is better than cure. We recommend that you install an antivirus like McAfee or a good Malware Removal Tool like Download Free Virus RemovalTool
- Enable your popup blocker: Install a powerful ad- blocker for Chrome, Mozilla, and IE.
