What is Hybrid Malware and How Can We Avoid This Threat

There are many varieties of malicious software and attacks that we can find on the Internet. Many strategies hackers use to steal information and compromise our computers. Luckily we also have many methods and tools to protect ourselves and prevent systems from being affected. But for this you have to know what we are up against. In this article, we are going to talk about what hybrid malware is . We will also give advice to prevent being victims of this problem.

Hackers constantly perfect attacks

It should be noted that cybercriminals are constantly improving the attack techniques they use. We talk about how they use different methods that manage to bypass security tools and enter a network or device without being detected.

Hybrid Malware

This is a problem that in many cases makes our antivirus and security software that we use not detect threats correctly. For this reason, it is convenient not to rely solely on the programs that we use to defend ourselves, but also to always keep common sense in mind, as well as the importance of having updated equipment.

Hackers often tailor their attacks to the type of user and the device or system they are using. Hence, we find a wide variety of threats that in one way or another can put our security and privacy at risk.

What is hybrid malware

Hybrid malware is also known as combo malware . As we have indicated, there are different types of threats. Cybercriminals can use different methods even to achieve the same goal. Hybrid malware is nothing more than several different types of attacks combined into one.

An example would be the combination of a Trojan with adware or a malicious file. They serve as a strategy for hackers to gain entry into a network or system. Sometimes they need the combination of two varieties or even more for this.

What can they achieve with the combined malware? Let’s take as an example that an attacker uses a virus to alter the code of a certain program, but also uses a Trojan to hide in memory. It would be an example of hybrid malware.

This makes hybrid malware very dangerous. It is possible that they carry out different actions in the same attack and that the combination of the different elements used gives the attacker greater control.

We already know that each type of threat can achieve something different. We are talking, for example, of Trojans, keyloggers, spyware … Now, the combination of two or more different types in the same attack can open a wide range of important possibilities for cybercriminals.

Mozi, una nueva amenaza en forma de malware

How to avoid falling victim to combo malware

Fortunately, we can take into account certain tips to avoid being victims of this type of threat that can put the proper functioning of our equipment at risk and damage privacy. We are going to give some essential recommendations for this.

Always keep systems up to date

Something fundamental is to keep the equipment and all kinds of programs that we use correctly updated . We have seen that on many occasions attackers can rely on vulnerabilities that are present to achieve their objective.

The developers themselves release patches and security updates that we must apply. Only then will we have truly secure systems and we can correct those faults that may appear.

Have adequate security programs

Of course we must also have a good antivirus and other security tools to protect us. This is something that we must apply regardless of the type of operating system or device that we are using. Security threats can be present for all computers.

We have a large number of options, both free and paid, for using security software. It is important that we inform ourselves correctly which one best suits what we really need.

Avoid downloading from third party sites

Sometimes a simple download from an unreliable page can put our equipment at risk. We can be victims of hybrid malware. Therefore our advice is always to download programs from official sites and stores . In this way we make sure that we are not installing software that could have been maliciously modified by third parties.

Control installed plugins

Another interesting question is to control which add-ons we have installed and what their real function is. We speak especially about browsers, since sometimes we can install extensions that play a favorable role for attackers.

It is convenient that we know at all times what tools may be collecting data from us and could share it with third parties to carry out their attacks.

Set up the system

We must not forget the possibility of making use of different functions and characteristics that we can configure in a system and in the tools that we use. Sometimes they give us an extra security. We must therefore dedicate time to this point and correctly configure our equipment.

Use reliable browsers

The browser is today a fundamental piece for our day to day. We use it to access the network, to enter web pages and the different services that we use. This means that we must use programs that are reliable, that provide us with guarantees.

Common sense

One last point, although perhaps the most important, common sense . In most cases we can say that hackers to sneak combo malware are going to need a bug from the victim. It can be for example an attachment that we have received by e-mail and we have downloaded without checking the source, a link that we have accessed and it is malicious, etc.

Therefore, we must always keep common sense in mind and avoid at all costs making mistakes that could compromise us. In this way we will have a lot of cattle to protect ourselves not only from hybrid malware, but from any other threat that may affect us on the network.