Malicious code in the cloud

Keywords: malicious code, cloud, malware, intelligence

Abstract


Abstract:

Introduction/purpose: The paper analyzes the impact of malicious codes in the cloud. Malicious code is an unauthorized piece of code that violates the integrity of an application and infrastructure to cause certain effects, such as security breaches, spread of infections, and data infiltration from the computer with the help of malicious software - this is a simple form of data theft which can lead to disastrous consequences in all segments of society, especially when it comes to national security. To overcome this challenge, it is necessary to detect holes in the safety of cloud environments and repair them before the attackers use these vulnerabilities to bypass the integrated cloud infrastructure.

Methods: Structural analysis, functional analysis, comparative analysis, synthesis.

Results: There are many factors for collecting, comparing, and delivering intelligence data on cloud threats. Cloud applications are increasingly being targeted because their use to store and share data with mobile application hosting has been increased exponentially, enabling industrial automation and business information monitoring and procurement. In addition, billions of devices on the Internet use the cloud infrastructure as a background for processing and transmitting large data sets. Malicious code is easily distributed due to the ease of sharing documents and files via the cloud.

Conclusion: As cloud technologies are taking a central place in the world of digital transformation, the threat to the cloud environment is expected to grow exponentially. This means that organizations need to ensure that the cyber security position of the cloud infrastructure they possess is robust and mature enough to combat all relevant security threats in order to minimize business risks. Understanding the nature of practical security controls and how they are assessed enables organizations to build a practical approach to security and privacy in the cloud.

References

Arghire, I. 2020. Ragnar Locker Ransomware Uses Virtual Machines for Evasion. Security Week, May 22 [online]. Available at: https://www.securityweek.com/ragnar-locker-ransomware-uses-virtual-machines-evasion [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Cimpanu, C. 2020. Docker malware is now common, so devs need to take Docker security seriously. ZDnet (Zero Day Blog), November 30 [online]. Available at: https://www.zdnet.com/article/docker-malware-is-now-common-so-devs-need-to-take-docker-security-seriously/ [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Dulce, S. & Shulman, A. 2015. Man in the Cloud Attacks. Slideshare, August 05 [online]. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/Imperva/maninthecloudattacksfinal?from_action=save [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Fishbein, N. & Kajiloti, M. 2020. Watch Your Containers: Doki Infecting Docker Servers in the Cloud. Intezer, July 28 [online]. Available at: https://www.intezer.com/blog/cloud-security/watch-your-containers-doki-infecting-docker-servers-in-the-cloud/ [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Hutchins, E.M., Cloppert, M.J. & Amin, R.M. 2011. Amin Intelligence-Driven Computer Network Defense Informed by Analysis of Adversary Campaigns and Intrusion Kill Chains. In: ICIW 2011: 6th International Conferenceon i-Warfare and Security, Washington, DC, pp.113-126, March 17-18 [online]. Available at: https://www.proceedings.com/16654.html [Accessed: 20 March 2022]. ISBN: 9781622766758.

Millman, R. 2020. Web app attacks are up 800% compared to 2019. IT Pro, November 23 [online]. Available at: https://www.itpro.com/security/357872/web-app-attacks-increase-2020 [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Poston, H. 2020. Linux vulnerabilities: How unpatched servers lead to persistent backdoors. Infosec, September 23 [online]. Available at: https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/topic/linux-vulnerabilities-how-unpatched-servers-lead-to-persistent-backdoors/ [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Remillano, A. 2020. Malicious Docker Hub Container Images Used for Cryptocurrency Mining. Trend Micro, August 19 [online]. Available at: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/fr/security/news/virtualization-and-cloud/malicious-docker-hub-container-images-cryptocurrency-mining [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Sood, A.K. 2021. Empirical Cloud Security: Practical Intelligence to Evaluate Risks and Attacks. Herndon, VA: Mercury Learning and Information. ISBN: 978-1683926856.

Sood, A.K. & Enbody, R.J. 2011. A browser malware taxonomy. Virus Bulletin, June 06 [online]. Available at: https://www.virusbulletin.com/virusbulletin/2011/06/browser-malware-taxonomy/  [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Sood, A.K., Enbody, R.J. & Bansal, R. 2011. The art of stealing banking information – form grabbing on fire. Virus Bulletin, November 01 [online]. Available at: https://www.virusbulletin.com/virusbulletin/2011/11/art-stealing-banking-information-form-grabbing-fire  [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Sood, A.K. & Zeadally, S. 2016. Drive-By Download Attacks: A Comparative Study. IT Professional, 18(5), pp.18-25. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1109/MITP.2016.85

Vijayan, J. 2020. SolarWinds Campaign Focuses Attention on ‘Golden SAML’ Attack Vector. DARKReading, December 22 [online]. Available at: https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/solarwinds-campaign-focuses-attention-on-golden-saml-attack-vector [Accessed: 20 March 2022].

Published
2022/06/24
Section
Review Papers