Assignment (most current IT threats) - Essay Example

Most Current IT Threats One threat that information technology systems face today is Trojan.Premele. The malware is considered to be low risk and seems to have been introduced in the global arena within the last few days. One reputable organization that offers IT solutions, Symantec, registered the existence of the malware in its systems on February 17, 2014 (Symantec, 2013). The malware an infect different operating systems, especially Windows. In this respect, the threat infects Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7 among other operating systems. Trojan.Premele infects a computer system by presenting itself as a fake Adobe Flash update (Symantec, 2013).

When a user allows the software to be downloaded and installed, it is executed to form a new executable file. The software also creates a new registry entry that makes the file to be executed every time Windows starts. The program further modifies a number of registries. When the computer is connected to the Internet, the malware connects to some remote locations and may install other malware into the infected system. The malware that is installed by Trojan.Premele way cause further harm to the computer system and expose it to even more malicious software. Trojan.Premele can be detected by antivirus or antimalware software installed in a computer (Symantec, 2013).

It can also be detected by the changes that it makes to registries and the new registries that it creates. It can also be detected by the computers that it connects to remotely. The malware can be avoided by installing a firewall or/and antivirus that is up-to-date. The use of complex passwords on computers also lowers the risk of infection by the malware.ReferenceSymantec (2013). Trojan.Premele. Retrieved February 18, 2014, from http://www.symantec.com/security_response/earthlink_writeup.jsp?

docid=2014-021714-4409-99