Today, modern technology has become an inseparable aspect of our lives. As a result, it’s difficult to think of a world without it. However, the advances in technology also come with risks. Especially in terms of malicious source code that threaten the health of computer systems.
In this article, we’re going to talk about malicious source code. If you understand how malicious code operates, then you can be a step ahead in containing and removing it.
Malicious Source code is the language hostile parties “speak” to manipulate computer systems into dangerous behaviours. The writing changes or add-ons to the existing programming of computer programs, files, and infrastructure can create malicious code.
This threat is the foundational tool that carries out the vast majority of cybersecurity attacks. However, hackers probe and find weaknesses in the programming language of computers.
Then they create “phrases” known as scripts or lists of commands to abuse these vulnerabilities in these languages. These scripts can be re-used and automated via macroinstructions, or macros for short.
Hackers and other threat actors would move very slowly if they were restricted to manual methods of exploiting computer systems. Unfortunately, malicious code allows them to automate their attacks. While some codes can even replicate, spread, and cause damage on their own. Similarly, types of code may need human users to download or interact with them.
To help you protect yourself, let’s explore how these threats work.
Executable + source code + build files:
Since malicious source code can also be injected into an application at a stage after development, you also need to analyze build files. For example, build files can be made to execute programs that inject malicious code at build time by the addition of a simple task, as shown in the following ant build file snippet:
<java
classname="InjectCode"
dir="${build}"
fork="true"
="true" maxmemory="128m">
<classpath>
<pathelement location="${javassist.path}"/>
</classpath>
</java>
Build files can also be configured to retrieve malicious dependencies from locations outside the build servers, as shown in the following snippets:
<path id="project.class.path">
<pathelement location="lib/"/>
<pathelement path="${java.class.path}/"/>
<pathelement path="${additional.path}"/>
<pathelement location = "${malicious.path}"/>
</path>
OR
<javac destdir="${build}" source="${target)" target="${target}">
<src path="${src}"/>
<classpath path="${malicious.path}" />
</javac>
An insider can also replace existing dependencies in the build server’s local repository with malicious ones. During the build process, these malicious dependencies will use even by a benign build file and will result in malicious code will inject into every application using those dependencies. The presence of malicious code in an executable where the source code and build file both appear benign points toward this case.
Malicious code attackers or malware code perpetrators have a few basic intentions in spreading their venomous code throughout business applications, including:
Malicious code may be used to breach systems on its own, enable secondary malicious activity, or replicate and spread itself. In any case, the original code must move from one device to another.
These threats can spread over nearly any communications channel that transmits data. Often, the vectors of spread include:
Visiting infected websites or clicking on a bad email link or attachment are standard gateways for malicious code to sneak its way into your system.
However, this threat can enter from legitimate sources as well as explicitly malicious ones. Anything from public USB charging stations to exploited software update tools will misuse for these purposes.
The “packaging” of malicious code isn’t always obvious. But public data connections and any messaging service are the most important paths to watch. Downloads and URL links will often use by attackers to embed dangerous code.
For computer users, there are several hints that malicious source code is lurking on the system:
Detecting malicious software on web applications or enterprise networks is significantly more complicated. Analyzing network assets and website sources for malware or different types of malicious code involves continuous monitoring, auditing of system logs, and the use of sophisticated security tools.
Enterprise management and security teams have their work cut out for them in protecting against web application vulnerabilities and malware code.
Providing continuous protection includes a comprehensive approach to application, network, and data security that includes:
One way to avoid malicious source code in your applications is to add static analysis (also called “white-box” testing) to your software development lifecycle to review your code for the presence of malicious code. Therefore offesnsive360’s static code analysis looks at applications in non-runtime environments.
This method of security testing has distinct advantages in that it can evaluate both web as well as non-web applications. Through advanced modelling, can detect malicious code in the software’s inputs and outputs that cannot be seen through other testing methodologies.