What are Back Door Attacks
Back Door attacks use programs that give a component to entering a system without experiencing the standard authentication process. This can either appear as concealed access points deliberately put into application by the original developers to aid in maintaining and debugging the software (which were then left in when the software was deployed by customers) or a malicious program that is placed on a system via a virus, or other method which opens up the system to unauthorized access.
A number of back door programs have been discovered over the years, some which are listed below:
- Back Orifice - This rather distastefully named tool was developed by a group known as the Cult of the Dead Cow Communications. The primary purpose of Back Orifice is to provide remote access to a server for the purposes of performing administrative tasks.
- NetBus - Similar to Back Orifice, NetBus is also designed to enable remote administrative access to Windows system.
- Sub7 - Sub7 is yet another illicit back door program designed to allow unauthorized access to systems.
Whilst the installation of any of the above back door programs on a system will have serious implications for security, all these threats can be effectively prevented through the implementation of a comprehensive virus scanning strategy.
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