IM-RAT: a Trojan capable of spying through the webcam
Cyber attacks are a daily occurrence, but some malicious software is more dangerous than others given the vulnerability of the equipment. IM-RAT is a Trojan virus capable of infecting computers and giving intruders access to obtain personal information that can be used for countless crimes.
In order to better understand the danger of the IM-RAT virus, we will first take a walk through some basic definitions that will help establish the concept.
What is a computer virus?
A computer virus is defined as a software or program that has the purpose of altering the normal functioning of the computer. There are many types of computer viruses and their degree of danger increases depending on the level of control they can exercise over the computer.
Some simply take care of consuming your computer’s RAM memory so that it runs the entire system much slower, which is quite frustrating. Others are engaged in popping up unwanted advertisements or installing unauthorized programs on your computer.
Regardless of its origin or type, it is highly recommended to carry out regular maintenance on the computer and to have an antivirus installed capable of detecting these threats and eliminating them in time.
What is a Trojan virus?
Trojan viruses belong to a subcategory of computer viruses. They are malicious in nature and are designed to control computer functions. It infiltrates the system and gives access to third parties so that they can obtain password information, photos, locations and even images and videos through your webcam.
This type of virus is one of the most dangerous, since it installs itself almost undetectably disguised under the guise of a standard program, hence the name Trojan, making a clear reference to the famous Trojan Horse used by the Achaeans as an offensive strategy by wanting to enter the fortified city of Troy, which was successful.
IM-RAT: The International Trojan Virus
IM-RAT was the name given to the Imminent Monitor Remote Access Trojan, referring precisely to the remote control that the virus gave attackers.
IM-RAT’s main actions focused first on disabling the antivirus and antispyware installed on the computer to gain full remote access.
After managing to infect a computer, the Trojan user could control different actions of the computer and also access what was captured by its peripherals. In other words, with IM-RAT, anyone could know what you type on your computer, the pages you visit, your usernames and passwords, turn your webcam and microphone on or off, among many other things.
As you can see, the invasion of privacy by this computer virus is quite high and the affordable price at which it was put up for sale did not make things easy for the authorities, since they only charged approximately $25 per user license.
The Trojan was developed by a group of people and later sold worldwide, being used in 124 countries around the world and acquired by almost 15,000 people, becoming a latent international threat.
Dismantling the criminal network of IM-RAT
Given the scope that the Trojan virus had had, it was soon detected by high-ranking authorities such as the European Police Office (Europol) and Eurojust, as well as organizations from other affected countries, including Colombia, Australia and several countries of the European Union..
The investigation was led by the Australian Federal Police and in June 2019 the main developer of the virus could be located, to carry out the pertinent actions against him and also an employee of the criminal network.
In addition to this, the infrastructure from which the IM-RAT network operated, comprised of more than 430 devices, which are still being analyzed, was dismantled and 13 individuals involved in the development and marketing of malicious software were arrested.
In order to find the basis for IM-RAT, investigations had to be carried out in the United Kingdom, Spain, Poland, Colombia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Australia and Sweden.
Tips to avoid malicious attacks on the web
Although IM-RAT was successfully eradicated by international anti-cyber-attack organizations, there are still plenty of malicious software roaming the web that can infect your computer at any time. So, here are some tips to avoid becoming another victim of a computer virus:
- antivirus
The most important thing is to have an antivirus installed on your computer that is capable of detecting threats and eliminating them before they can cause damage to your operating system.
On the internet you can get free antiviruses that offer protection against the most common viruses, but if you want much more effective protection that is updated to be aware of each new malicious software, it is more advisable to purchase a license.
- Update
Keeping your computer and its applications up to date will also help you to increase security against virus attack. It is advisable to allow automatic updates from Windows Update, as well as from the antivirus installed so that they have the necessary information to be able to attack programs of malicious origin.
- Peripherals
Even if you have the best webcam of the moment installed, it can still be hacked to violate your privacy, so you can choose to disconnect it when you are not using it or, if it is integrated, place a sticker on top of the lens. It may seem a bit rudimentary, but this way you will be sure that nobody observes you without your consent.
- Maintenance
The maintenance of the computer must be carried out regularly, especially if you use it to browse different pages, play games and download programs on a regular basis.
To do this, we advise you to clean the browsing cache, empty the recycle bin, defragment the disk and, finally, perform a complete scan with the antivirus of your choice to be able to eliminate junk or suspicious files that you have stored on your computer..
