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CompTIA Security+ 2.2
TechKnowSurge Catalog Interactives Who Installs the Malware?
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Who Installs the Malware?

Somebody has to install the malware. Sort each delivery by who does it: the attacker, a victim inside, or a third party.

⚑ Complete this interactive to capture a CTF flag worth 5 points.

About this interactive

What you are doing: deciding who carried the malware onto the target network. The lesson gives three answers. The attacker can do the install in person, but that means getting into the building and onto the equipment, which is hard and risky. A victim inside the organization (an employee) can do it, almost always because social engineering tricked them: an email attachment, a link in a text, a download, a found thumb drive. Or a third party can do it: a supplier, a service provider or vendor, a partner or a customer whose own systems or people carry the malware in. How to use it: ask whose hands or whose systems did the install. The attacker in person; someone who works for the target; or an outside company the target trusts.

What you'll learn

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+
2.2 Explain common threat vectors and attack surfaces.

Key terms

Malware
Software specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a system.
Supply Chain Attack
An attack that targets the less-secure elements of a product or service's supply chain to compromise the final target.
Social Engineering
A manipulation technique that exploits human psychology to trick individuals into revealing confidential information.
Attack Surface
The total set of points in a system where an unauthorized user can attempt to enter or extract data.
Removable Media
Portable storage devices such as USB flash drives, SD cards, and optical discs that can be detached from a computer and used to transport, distribute, or back up data.

Topics

Malware Supply Chain Attack Interactive Categorize

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