Unless you live under the rocks, you must have heard of malware. If not, let me dig you in to know what it means. Yes, malware is the same intrusive software component that can destroy your software and even entire computing systems. We all have heard or seen such attacks on our or our friends’ computers. These could be spyware, viruses, Trojan horses, worm, or even Ransomware that can track your computer’s functions or activity and corrupt or hack into your system without your knowledge. It can cause mild to major damages as per the hacker’s intent.
Many asked me, “can you get malware just by visiting a website?” Now, let us look at how malware attacks happen and what they do. Malware attacks can occur when you insert a USB drive or a tool and even through drive-by downloads or sites that automatically download harmful programs without your knowledge.
Can malware be downloaded on its own? I would say yes! Malware can damage because the OS is fragile, and so is the browser. Let’s look at all the discreet and not-so-discreet ways malware can enter.
Types of Malware and Viruses
If I visit a website without an HTTPS, I can expose to the attack of unimaginable viruses and spyware. Let’s check out the types of malware that one can get in this way:
- Virus: A virus is one of the most common types of malware that can also spread and infect other files.
- Trojan Horse: This looks like a generic software program, and one may have to allow it access to the system. That would trigger the Trojan horse to unleash its potential to damage or corrupt the system while you unknowingly install it.
- Worm: This can smoothly copy and find its way from a host program to a system.
- Ransomware: There was a time, Ransomware was causing great havoc as it was infecting and encrypting data. Once they do it, the people doing it would seek ransom from the organization to decrypt the data.
- Spyware: This is the scariest situation where you might be sharing information online or from your computer to another. All of this you might be doing unbeknownst to the fact that someone is watching your every move.
- Exploit Kit: If you have an unguarded landing page leading to the main website, keep an eye on where it leads to. This is the main function of the Exploit kit. Then using any regular browser-based applications of Adobe Reader or Oracle Java, it delivers a harmful payload from remote locations to your devices.
These are just the basic malware that anyone might have heard of at least once in their lifetime. There are, however, evolution and advancement in this area as well. You can check out several other types of viruses and malware like Adware, the Keyloggers or system monitor trackers, remote access Trojan called RAT, and more.
Can You get a Virus from Visiting a Website without Downloading anything?
Many people do not even realize they can get a virus from any website. Of course, several phishing activities may come as an email attachment or link. Simply clicking on these would help the hackers infiltrate your system or take complete control of you. There are infamous obfuscation methods that can bypass any antivirus in the market these days.
They may even hide the IP addresses from where they come from and can track all kinds of traffic to and from the browser. These are all types of harm the attacks can do to your system. Even some systems can repeatedly change the code and avoid detection at all costs. It can corrupt the system’s Random Access Memory and leave no traces.
Many unscrupulous companies use Adware on their website to track the user’s browser and can download the internet history. They can then accordingly put out ads urging the viewer to buy. However, this is one of the most serious ways a website can spread a virus just as you visit it.
Can You Get Malware without Installing anything?
If you do not update the browser or do not have plug-ins, your browser can get some serious viral attacks. You may say you use only a secure and reliable browser like Firefox or Chrome. But a browser’s developer might not be sparing a thought for the plug-ins as they come from third-party developers. So, they may not even comply with this Chrome or Firefox programmers. If we look at it, some programs can cause more harm without you even installing them.
Hackers have developed tool sets where they place a set of scripts on any fragile-looking website. The scripts infiltrate and systematically deliver bugs across the website user’s device. You will be installing and causing damage to the system.
These have been ruining several systems and computing infrastructures for a long. The fileless malware resides in the computer’s memory and not anywhere in the files or hard drive. It makes it hard to detect and diagnose.
Looking at these, I feel compelled to address them as urgently as possible.
How to Detect Malware
This is the million-dollar question as we know there is malware around, but we also need to detect it from our computers soon. So, how do we do it?
Our computers and other devices are forever prone to all such malware attacks. But making it strong is the only way out of this. The early you detect, the better it is for you to safeguard. Malware will enter your system, but you need not worry about its impact when you have robust protection.
Good quality antivirus and protection can do this detection fast. It will do regular timed scanning of the network. As soon as it detects, get ready to remove it. However, this antivirus available for free online will not be just enough to save from high-end attacks. In this kind of scenario, you will need a proper plan.
Several businesses know that they must do much more than install an antivirus. They must use advanced malware protection tools in the network. It will help in employing technologies to monitor your website and even other computers on the LAN.
However, practicing safety behavior also can keep you safe from this unscrupulous malware. For instance, do not open attachments from any random email addresses. The attachments may appear to be genuine but could be from unlicensed domains.
Companies must take care to update the antivirus and anti-malware software too.
Can You get malware just by Visiting a Website?
Yes. Hackers have a special affinity for attacking domains that are not used much. They try to use new techniques that may look like innocuous documents or links. But if you pay attention, antivirus vendors look out for loopholes and release patches. I suggest updating your software in time might not even take that much time. All it would take is a patient understanding and updating; you shall be safer than ever.
Ways to Protect Your Devices
Know the Route of Attacks: Yes, you can get a virus even from corrupt device pairings. Remember that every device is vulnerable, whether a mobile phone, a camera, or a MAC laptop.
If you visit a corrupt website from your mobile phone, hackers can easily introduce a virus or spyware into the system. I hope this answers your concern, “can you get a virus without opening a file?”
Check Your Smartphones: If you download any unscrupulous apps on your phone or click on random links from the SMS message, even your smartphone can get infected. The malware on mobile phones will usually steal your personal or banking information and not cause permanent damage to the phone.
Upgrade Your OS: A great way to stay safe from malware attacks on a phone or OS would be to upgrade your system and device. It will allow your device to be as updated as the hackers and keep it clean.
Increase the Multi-level security Measures: These days, the multi-level security protocol is in place for all device security. This is ideal for staying safe; it is all the more essential if you have many apps on your phone or multiple users.
Upgrade Your Anti-virus Subscription: Go for a complete package of Anti-virus. It refers to those advanced and premium subscription packages of Anti-virus, anti-malware, Anti-exploit software tools, and adblockers. When you see a certificate warning on a website, do not simply ignore it.
Look for authorized and unauthorized drive-by download tools and attacks and stay safe. I recommend opting for backing up vital data on any drive or external hard disk and not keeping just all of the data in one spot. Such precautions might save you from many headaches should there ever be a malware attack on your device.
The last article, “Can You Get Malware Without Downloading Anything?” was not well written. Some of the sentences were unconstructive. Kindly check going forward. The US market is very competitive; I need a well-written article to take me through it.