Are you Zombie ? If you use cracked softwares, You may be on target !

Most of us don’t consider spending on software they use at home and prefer cracked applications.  If you are one of them ? Please read further.

So what you did the last time you downloaded a software?

1.       You Google it

2.       You find it’s not free or expensive

3.       You search for a cracked version

4.       You download the torrent

5.       You install an infected application and become a zombie

If that’s the case, You have already invited a hacker to have a stealth look at your machine. It’s like giving a master key of your home to a well known thief.  Other possibility is that your system may now be an active zombie of a botnet.

What Is a Bot (or Zombie)?

A ‘bot’ is a type of malware which allows an attacker to gain complete control over the affected computer. Computers that are infected with a ‘bot’ are generally referred to as ‘zombies’. There are literally tens of thousands of computers on the Internet which are infected with some type of ‘bot’ and don’t even realize it. Attackers are able to access lists of ‘zombie’ PC’s and activate them to help execute DoS (denial-of-service) attacks against Web sites, host phishing attack Web sites or send out thousands of spam email messages. Should anyone trace the attack back to its source, they will find an unwitting victim rather than the true attacker.

Find out more on wikipedia, just drag your mouse over.

Have you ever though why software is cracked and made available for free download; “No” think about it. Why would somebody crack an applications for you? People who take software for granted don’t realize how much effort it takes to develop an application. Cracked software’s are the simplest way to spread viruses, worms and other malicious programs. When you install these re-engineered software’s on your machine you become infected. Whenever you get online, the malicious program sends your system information to the zombie community and then they can remote access your system and use it to monetise in various ways. They can use your system and internet resources for spreading spam or execute denial of service attacks on other servers to shut them down. These programs work under the hood means they are stealth, you can’t see what’s going on and you may continue to experience slow internet speeds and system performance. 

Want to find out if your system is infected, download RUBotted by Trend Micro. RUBotted is a small program that watches for incoming bot-related traffic which is worth considering adding to your security toolbox. The following program description has been obtained from TrendSecure.

Trend Micro RUBotted (Beta) is a small program that runs on your computer, watching for bot-related activities. RUBotted intelligently monitors your computer’s system behaviour for activities that are potentially harmful to both your computer and other people’s computers.

RUBotted monitors for remote command and control (C&C) commands sent from a bot-herder to control your computer. Additionally, RUBotted watches for an array of potentially malicious bot-related activities, including mass mailing – a common activity performed by a bot-infected computer.

RUBotted co-exists with your existing AV software, providing advanced bot specific behavior monitoring. RUBotted does not rely on frequent, network intensive updates to ensure your computer’s continued protection.

Operating Systems:

Windows 2000 Professional (Latest Service Pack Installed)

Windows XP Professional or Home Edition (Latest Service Pack Installed)

Windows 2003 Server (Latest Service Pack Installed)

Windows Vista (32 Bit with Latest Service Pack Installed)

Snapshots:

 Click here to Download