Once upon a time, creating malware was simply a way for programmers to show off their IT skills and was not used as a way to make easy money.
In our time, however, this has changed. Creating malware has become the main occupation of hackers, who try to spread it by any means. And it has become the biggest headache for businesses and individuals, who try to protect their systems from an unwanted attack.
The good news, however, is that cybersecurity professionals have also adapted and can help businesses neutralize the risk of malware. Let's look at some of the ways to deal with such cases.
1stChecking Malware Databases
With the help of a malicious domain check API, you can check if a domain has been flagged as dangerous. Known sources include:
PhishTank – Offering a community-based verification system, the provider specializes in identifying and monitoring malicious websites known to carry out phishing attacks.
Web of Trust (WOT) – WOT classifies domains into various categories (i.e. Positive, Neutral, Questionable, or Negative) based on user information obtained from third-party providers.
Virus Total – This portal leverages various antivirus programs and detection engines while also detecting suspicious actions and content on domains that users can submit for verification.
Google Safe Browsing– This service takes into account many URLs every day and creates a list of all unsafe online elements that have been detected.
2nd WHOIS Check
A malware threat can also be prevented thanks to the WHOIS service. This is because many threat actors register new domains all the time to host and carry out their malware attacks. The information you can find here includes a website’s recent registration and expiration dates, its registered name, and country of origin, among other things.
Additionally, data that can be obtained through WHOIS can be used by researchers to correlate malicious domains belonging to the same person who has made a registration. The databases can be searched in real time as new details about websites with harmful content emerge.
3rdFinding and analyzing malicious threats
Reliable information about malicious threats is crucial to thwarting hacker attacks. Without it, security researchers would be operating blindly, while adversaries would have all the visibility they need to penetrate a network's defenses. A variety of threat intelligence tools can be obtained for this purpose:
Malware feeds – These channels monitor developing trends that may be indicative of a new and upcoming malware attack, allowing users to adjust their cybersecurity measures and stay one step ahead.
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) – SIEM tools are used by many threat detection teams to monitor data flow on the network, allowing them to detect and react to incoming threats.
Threat intelligence platform – This software can provide information and recommendations on suspicious cases, which may contain malware, by examining various parameters such as security certificates for target domains.
Fortunately, there are some tools that can help us in the never-ending battle against malicious attacks!
