Next-Generation Malware Predicted to Emerge Soon with Dire Consequences

The evolution of malware comes about just like a pendulum on a grandfather clock, it hardly ever stops. Computer security researchers are busier than ever attempting to patch up their efforts to predict the next evolution of malware as it crests the horizon shining brighter than it ever has shined. This disheartening shine was shared at Focus 2013 where McAfee executives shared new advanced evasion techniques (AET) that future malware is predicted to employ basically bypassing the best edge security devices.

Emerging malware exploits have always tried the true abilities for us, and many other security experts to combat such malicious threats. The potential outbreak of new exploits that manipulate low-level IP packets by altering rudimentary perimeters look to be the next-generation of malware that we will see creep on our radar screen.

The technique of fragmenting malicious datagrams and then sending them out of order but later reassembled on the receiving client end is a major indication that the advanced evasion techniques used by emerging malware can be a serious problem. This problem gets exponentially worse, because security detection applications would need to use fast buffer methods. The idea of spreading fragments like new malware does may have seemed like a trivial idea for detection methods until now.

Next generation malware is not only expected to fragment data before it is collected at the client end, but it operates at multiple levels starting with the network-protocol level using normal rules for web traffic, in addition to using steganography to embed a malicious binary payload within an innocuous image file. If this confuses you, think of a heavy freight train with two engines as the malware infection where it splits into two trains to use up two separate tracks, one being an offbeat short cut while the other being more of a familiar direct track to end up at the same destination.

Essentially, next generation malware with its multi-layered payload could embed necessary decryption instructions where something like an infected HTML5 webpage, which could automatically load an innocuous-looking picture and then execute the malicious part of it later. This call all take place through an execution by means of an embedded shell script, which will lead to the dire consequences of having a severely infected computer.

The severity of systems infected with next generation malware lies within how the malware is able to evade detection and removal. Although, the definitive actions of the malware are rather irrelevant at the moment, let it be known that such malware may be used to do just about anything imaginable within the realm of what a compromised computer is capable of. Think of it as a botnet-controlled system that gets infected and remains infected with no cure in easy reach.

Defenses against AET malware and HTML5 code distribution methods begins a new age of malware where known defenses are disregarded. The use of client-side code defenses seems to be the best approach to combating such malware for now.