Bitdefender EndpointSecurityToolsForWindows UsersGuide EnUS
Bitdefender EndpointSecurityToolsForWindows UsersGuide EnUS
USER'S GUIDE
Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
User's Guide
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Table of Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
1. Purpose and Intended Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
2. How to Use This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
3. Conventions Used in This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
4. Request for Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
1. Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1. The System Tray Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2. The Main Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2.1. The Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.2. Events Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3. The Modules Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4. Actions Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2. Scanning for Malware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.1. Scanning a File or Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2. Running a Quick Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3. Running a Full Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.4. Configuring and Running a Custom Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.4.1. File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.4.2. What to Scan? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.4.3. What to Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.5. Checking Scan Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3. Using Volume Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.1. Encrypting Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.2. Decrypting Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3. Checking the Encryption Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.4. Changing the Encryption PIN or Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4. Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.1. Types of Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.2. Checking If Your Protection Is Up-to-Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.3. Performing an Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5. Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6. Using the Command Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
6.1. Supported Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6.2. Command Line Error Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
7. Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
iii
Preface
1. Purpose and Intended Audience
This documentation is intended for the end users of Bitdefender Endpoint Security
Tools, the Security for Endpoints client software installed on computers and servers
to protect them against malware and other Internet threats and to enforce user
control policies.
The information presented herein should be easy to understand by anyone who is
able to work under Windows.
Preface iv
Appearance Description
[email protected] E-mail addresses are inserted in the text for
contact information.
“Preface” (p. iv) This is an internal link, towards some location
inside the document.
filename Files and directories are printed using
monospaced font.
option All the product options are printed using bold
characters.
keyword Important keywords or phrases are highlighted
using bold characters.
Admonitions
The admonitions are in-text notes, graphically marked, bringing to your attention
additional information related to the current paragraph.
Note
The note is just a short observation. Although you can omit it, the notes can provide
valuable information, such as specific feature or a link to some related topic.
Important
This requires your attention and is not recommended to skip over it. Usually, it provides
non-critical but significant information.
Preface v
1. GETTING STARTED
Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools is a fully-automated computer security program,
managed remotely by your network administrator. Once installed, it protects you
against all kinds of malware (such as viruses, spyware and trojans), network attacks,
phishing and data theft. It can also be used to enforce your organization's computer
and Internet use policies. Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools will make most
security-related decisions for you and will rarely show pop-up alerts. Details of
actions taken and information about program operation are available in the Events
timeline.
Important
This option is available only if granted by the network administrator through
policy settins.
This option is not available for Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
Legacy.
The Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools icon in the system tray informs you when
issues affect your computer by changing the way it looks:
Critical issues affect the security of the system.
Getting Started 1
Some issues affect the security of the system.
Note
The network administrator can choose to hide the system tray icon.
Main Window
Getting Started 2
1.2.1. The Status Area
The Status area offers useful information regarding the security of the system.
Status Area
You can easily identify the current security status based on the status symbol
displayed to the left of the status area:
● Green check mark. There are no issues to fix. Your computer and data are
protected.
● Yellow exclamation mark. Non-critical issues are affecting the security of your
system.
● Red X mark. Critical issues are affecting the security of your system.
In addition to the status symbol, a detailed security status message is displayed
to the right of the status area. You can see the detected security issues by clicking
inside the status area. Existing issues will be fixed by your network administrator.
Events Timeline
Getting Started 3
The Events timeline is an important tool in monitoring your Bitdefender protection.
For instance, you can easily check if an update was successfully performed or if
malware was found on your computer.
Modules Window
Antimalware
Antimalware protection is the foundation of your security. Bitdefender Endpoint
Security Tools protects you in real time and on demand against all sorts of
malware, such as viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, etc.
● On-Access. On-access scanning prevents new malware threats from entering
the system by scanning local and network files when they are accessed
(opened, moved, copied or executed), boot sectors and potentially unwanted
applications (PUA).
Getting Started 4
● HyperDetect. HyperDetect exposes advanced attacks and suspicious
activities in the pre-execution stage. This layer of security contains machine
learning models and stealth attack detection technology.
● Advanced Threat Control. It continuously monitors applications running on
the endpoint for malware-like actions. Advanced Threat Control will
automatically try to disinfect the detected file.
● Quarantine displays the list of quarantined files, their original path,
quarantine action time and date and their security status. Use the buttons
at the bottom to delete or restore the files you want. If you want to delete
all files from the quarantine, click the Empty button.
Quarantine
Content Control
The Content Control module protects you while on the Internet against phishing
attacks, fraud attempts, private data leaks, and inappropriate web content. It
also includes a comprehensive set of user controls that help the network
administrator enforce computer and Internet use policies.
● Traffic Scan. This component prevents malware from being downloaded
to the endpoint by scanning incoming emails and web traffic in real time.
Outgoing emails are scanned to prevent malware from infecting other
endpoints.
Getting Started 5
● Application Blacklisting. This component prevents access to unauthorized
applications in your company. The administrator is responsible for creating
rules for the allowed applications in the organization.
● Web Access Control. This component protects you from accessing
dangerous websites based on administrator-defined rules.
● Data Protection. This component prevents unauthorized disclosure of
sensitive data based on administrator-defined rules.
● Antiphishing. This component automatically blocks known phishing web
pages to prevent users from inadvertently disclosing private or confidential
information to online fraudsters.
● Network Attack Defense. Network Attack Defense detects network attack
techniques used to gain access on specific endpoints, such as brute-force
attacks, network exploits and password stealers.
Note
This module is not available for Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
Legacy.
Firewall
The firewall protects you while you are connected to networks and the Internet
by filtering connection attempts and blocking suspicious or risky connections.
Note
This module is not available for Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
Legacy.
Device Control
It allows preventing sensitive data leakage and malware infections via external
devices attached to endpoints, by applying blocking rules and exclusions via
policy to a vast range of device types. The administrator is responsible for
managing permissions for the following types of devices:
● Bluetooth Devices
● CDROM Devices
● Floppy Disk Drives
● IEEE 1284.4
● IEEE 1394
● Imaging devices
● Modems
● Tape Drives
Getting Started 6
● Windows Portable
● COM/LPT Ports
● SCSI Raid
● Printers
● Network Adapters
● Wireless Network Adapters
● Internal and External Storage
Note
This module is not available for Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
Legacy.
Application Control
The Application Control module blocks unauthorized applications and processes
from running on the endpoint. Application Control decreases the frequency
and impact of malware incidents, reducing the attack surface and vulnerabilities
by controlling the number of unwanted applications in your network.
Note
This module is not available for Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
Legacy.
Sandbox Analyzer
The Sandbox Analyzer module provides a powerful layer of protection against
advanced threats by performing automatic, in-depth analysis of suspicious
files which are not yet signed by Bitdefender antimalware engines. Sandbox
Analyzer employs an extensive set of proprietary technologies to execute
payloads in a contained virtual environment hosted by Bitdefender, analyze
their behavior and report any subtle system changes that is indicative of
malicious intent.
Note
This module is not available for Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
Legacy.
Volume Encryption
The Volume Encryption module allows you to provide full disk encryption by
managing BitLocker on Windows machines. You can encrypt and decrypt boot
and non-boot volumes, with just one click, while GravityZone handles the entire
process, with minimal intervention from the users. Additionally, GravityZone
Getting Started 7
stores the recovery keys needed to unlock volumes when the users forget their
passwords.
Note
This module is not available for Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
Legacy.
EDR Sensor
The EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) Sensor collects, handles and
reports endpoint and application behavior data. Some of the information is
processed locally, while a more complex set of data is reported to a backend
component of GravityZone.
The module generates a small footprint when it comes to network bandwidth
usage and hardware resource consumption.
Note
This module is not available for Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
Legacy.
Patch Management
Patch Management keeps the operating system and software applications up
to date. This module includes several features, such as on-demand / scheduled
patch scanning, automatic / manual patching or missing patch reporting.
Note
This module is not available for Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools for Windows
Legacy.
Getting Started 8
1.4. Actions Menu
To define or run a scan task, click the Actions button to open the Actions menu.
This is where you can also check for updates.
Actions Menu
Quick Scan
Uses in-the-cloud scanning to detect malware running in your system. Running
a quick scan usually takes less than a minute and uses a fraction of the system
resources of a regular virus scan.
Full Scan
Checks the entire computer for all types of malware threatening its security,
such as viruses, spyware, adware, rootkits and others.
Custom Scan
Allows you to choose the locations to scan and to configure scan options.
Getting Started 9
Check for updates
If an update is detected, you will be asked to confirm it or the update will be
performed automatically, depending on the update settings configured by you
network administrator.
Getting Started 10
2. SCANNING FOR MALWARE
The main objective of Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools is to keep your computer
free of malware. It does that primarily by scanning in real time accessed files, e-mail
messages and any new files downloaded or copied to your computer. Besides
real-time protection, it also allows running scans to detect and remove malware
from your computer.
You can scan the computer whenever you want by running the default tasks or
your own scan tasks (user-defined tasks). Scan tasks specify the scanning options
and the objects to be scanned. If you want to scan specific locations on your
computer or to configure the scan options, configure and run a custom scan.
At any point during the scan, you can see the progress in the Events timeline.
Note
Because Full Scan performs a thorough scan of the entire system, the scan may take
a while. Therefore, it is recommended to run this task when you are not using your
computer.
If you want to scan specific locations on your computer or to configure the scanning
options, configure and run a custom scan. For more information, please refer to
“Configuring and Running a Custom Scan” (p. 13).
Before running a full scan, make sure Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools is
up-to-date with its malware signatures. Scanning your computer using an outdated
signature database may prevent Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools from detecting
new malware found since the last update. For more information, please refer to
“Updates” (p. 22).
Full Scan is configured to allow scanning:
● Running processes, boot sectors and registry.
● Email archives and network files from all drives, including removable ones.
● For rootkits, adware, spyware, keylogger and dialer applications, on all drives,
including removable ones.
● For Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUA)
● Browser cookies
To run a full scan, follow these steps:
1. Open the Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools window.
2. Click the Actions button on the upper-right corner.
Note
If your system has a functional TPM, your security administrator can configure
such a policy that encrypts the volumes automatically, without requiring PIN.
● A password if the system does not have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
chip. The password is also required when the TPM is not functional or
detected by Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools.
Note
The default automatic update frequency may be changed by your network
administrator.
The update process is performed on the fly, meaning that the files to be updated
are replaced progressively. In this way, the update process will not affect product
operation and, at the same time, any vulnerability will be excluded.
If you are connected to the Internet through a dial-up connection, then it is
recommended to regularly update Bitdefender by user request. For more information,
please refer to “Performing an Update” (p. 23).
Updates 22
2. You can see the update status and the time of the most recent update check
and update installation.
For detailed information about the latest updates, check the update events:
1. In the main window, click the Filter button to open the Filters menu.
2. Click the Update button. The latest updates will be displayed in the Events
timeline.
You can see when updates were initiated and information about them - whether
they were successful or not, if they require a restart to complete the installation.
If required, restart the system at your earliest convenience.
Important
If required, restart the system at your earliest convenience. We recommend doing it
as soon as possible.
Updates 23
5. EVENTS
Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools displays a detailed log of events concerning
its activity on your computer, including computer activities monitored by Content
Control and applications blocked by Application Control. The Events timeline in an
important tool in monitoring your Bitdefender protection. For instance, you can
easily check if an update was successfully performed, if malware was found on
your computer etc. To check the events log, follow these steps:
1. Open the Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools main window.
2. All events are displayed in the Events timeline.
3. Click the Filter button to open the Filters menu.
4. Select the event category from the menu. Events are grouped into the following
categories:
● General Settings
● Antimalware
● Firewall
● Update
● Content Control
● Device Control
● Application Control
● Sandbox Analyzer
● Volume Encryption
Each event relates with the following information: a short description, the action
Bitdefender took on it when it happened, and the date and time when it occurred.
To see detailed information about a particular event in the list, click View Log.
You can also filter events by their importance to the protection level. There are
three types of events:
Events 24
6. USING THE COMMAND LINE INTERFACE
Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools allows you to automatically run local
on-demand scanning tasks and updates by using the Product Console, a command
line interface found in the product installation folder on your Windows machines.
The BEST command line interface has two working modes:
● Multiple commands at once. This mode uses own command line interface and
allows you to enter commands and receive results until you exit.
To access this mode:
1. Go to c:\Program Files\Bitdefender\Endpoint Security or to
the folder where BEST was installed.
2. Find and double-click the product.console executable. The command line
interface opens up.
3. Execute the desired command.
Example:
GetVersion antivirus
● One command at a time. This mode uses the Command Prompt and returns to
the system prompt after the command is executed.
To access this mode:
1. Open Command Prompt (cmd.exe).
IsUpdateInProgress
Verify if a product update is in progress.
Output values:
● true - a product update is in progress.
● false - no product update is in progress.
Example:
StartUpdate
Start an update and retrieve the result without waiting for the task to finish.
Example:
StartUpdate
With options, you can customize a scanning task. These options are not
mandatory.
Each option has two or more available values, but you can use only one value.
When the FileScan.OnDemand.RunScanTask command does not specify
any option, the custom scan takes into account the default value of that option.
For example, if you run this command without mentioning the
scanKeyloggers option, that means Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools will
still scan for keyloggers, according to the scanKeyloggers default value
(true).
Note
There are not specific commands for Quick scan or Full scan. However, you can
configure FileScan.OnDemand.RunScanTask to scan either only the OS
location or the entire system, with all options enabled, as needed.
infectedAction1=ignore|disinfect|disinfectOnly|delete|quarantine
Select the first action taken when an infected file is detected: ignore,
disinfect, delete or move it to quarantine. You can use this action together
with infectedAction2.
Default value: disinfect
Example:
infectedAction2=ignore|disinfect|disinfectOnly|delete|quarantine
Select the second action taken when an infected file is detected, if the first
action fails.
Default value: quarantine
Example:
suspiciousAction2=ignore|delete|quarantine
Select the second action taken when a suspicious file is detected, if the
first action fails.
Default value: ignore
Example:
scanBootSectors=true|false
Scan the boot sectors of your hard disk.
Default value: false
Example:
scanMemory=true|false
Scan the programs running in your system’s memory.
Default value: false
Example:
smartScan=true|false
Scan only new and changed files.
Default value: true
Example:
scanKeyloggers=true|false
Scan for keylogger software.
Default value: true
Example:
scanPUA=true|false
Scan Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUA).
Default value: false
Example:
extensionType=all|application|custom|none
Scan files depending on their extension: all files, only executable files, only
files with the extensions you want or do not scan any file.
Default value: all
Example:
customExt="<string>"
This option helps you scan only the files with the extensions you want. It
requires a string with each extension between vertical bars (such as
lowPriority=true|false
Run the task with low priority.
Default value: false
Example:
These options are an alternative to the options available in BEST console. For
more information refer to “Configuring and Running a Custom Scan” (p. 13).
Getting Help 37
Glossary
Adware
Adware is often combined with a host application that is provided at no charge
as long as the user agrees to accept the adware. Because adware applications
are usually installed after the user has agreed to a licensing agreement that
states the purpose of the application, no offense is committed.
However, pop-up advertisements can become an annoyance, and in some
cases degrade system performance. Also, the information that some of these
applications collect may cause privacy concerns for users who were not fully
aware of the terms in the license agreement.
Archive
A disk, tape, or directory that contains files that have been backed up.
A file that contains one or more files in a compressed format.
Backdoor
A hole in the security of a system deliberately left in place by designers or
maintainers. The motivation for such holes is not always sinister; some
operating systems, for example, come out of the box with privileged accounts
intended for use by field service technicians or the vendor's maintenance
programmers.
Boot sector
A sector at the beginning of each disk that identifies the disk's architecture
(sector size, cluster size, and so on). For startup disks, the boot sector also
contains a program that loads the operating system.
Boot virus
A virus that infects the boot sector of a fixed or floppy disk. An attempt to boot
from a diskette infected with a boot sector virus will cause the virus to become
active in memory. Every time you boot your system from that point on, you will
have the virus active in memory.
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Bootkit
A bootkit is a malicious program having the ability of infecting the master boot
record (MBR), volume boot record (VBR) or boot sector. The bootkit remains
active even after a system reboot.
Browser
Short for Web browser, a software application used to locate and display Web
pages.
Command line
In a command line interface, the user types commands in the space provided
directly on the screen using command language.
Cookie
Within the Internet industry, cookies are described as small files containing
information about individual computers that can be analyzed and used by
advertisers to track your online interests and tastes. In this realm, cookie
technology is still being developed and the intention is to target ads directly
to what you've said your interests are. It's a double-edge sword for many people
because on one hand, it's efficient and pertinent as you only see ads about
what you're interested in. On the other hand, it involves actually "tracking" and
"following" where you go and what you click. Understandably so, there is a
debate over privacy and many people feel offended by the notion that they are
viewed as a "SKU number" (you know, the bar code on the back of packages
that gets scanned at the grocery check-out line). While this viewpoint may be
extreme, in some cases it is accurate.
Downloader
It is a generic name for a program having a primary functionality of downloading
content for unwanted or malicious purposes.
Events
An action or occurrence detected by a program. Events can be user actions,
such as clicking a mouse button or pressing a key, or system occurrences,
such as running out of memory.
Glossary 39
Exploit
An exploit generally refers to any method used to gain unauthorized access to
computers or a vulnerability in a system’s security that opens a system to an
attack.
False positive
Occurs when a scanner identifies a file as infected when in fact it is not.
Filename extension
The portion of a filename, following the final point, which indicates the kind of
data stored in the file.
Many operating systems use filename extensions, e.g. Unix, VMS, and MS-DOS.
They are usually from one to three letters (some sad old OSes support no more
than three). Examples include "c" for C source code, "ps" for PostScript, "txt"
for arbitrary text.
Grayware
A class of software applications between legitimate software and malware.
Though they are not as harmful as malware which affects the system’s integrity,
their behavior is still disturbing, driving to unwanted situations such as data
theft and unauthorized usage, unwanted advertising. Most common grayware
applications are spyware and adware.
Heuristic
A rule-based method of identifying new viruses. This method of scanning does
not rely on specific virus signatures. The advantage of the heuristic scan is
that it is not fooled by a new variant of an existing virus. However, it might
occasionally report suspicious code in normal programs, generating the
so-called "false positive".
IP
Internet Protocol - A routable protocol in the TCP/IP protocol suite that is
responsible for IP addressing, routing, and the fragmentation and reassembly
of IP packets.
Keylogger
A keylogger is an application that logs anything you type.
Keyloggers are not malicious in nature. They can be used for legitimate
purposes, such as monitoring employees or children activity. However, they
Glossary 40
are increasingly being used by cyber-criminals for malicious purposes (for
example, to collect private data, such as login credentials and social security
numbers).
Macro virus
A type of computer virus that is encoded as a macro embedded in a document.
Many applications, such as Microsoft Word and Excel, support powerful macro
languages.
These applications allow you to embed a macro in a document, and have the
macro execute each time the document is opened.
Malware
Malware is the generic term for software that is designed to do harm - a
contraction of 'malicious software'. It is not yet in universal usage, but its
popularity as a general term for viruses, Trojan Horses, worms, and malicious
mobile code is growing.
Malware signature
Malware signatures are snippets of code extracted from actual malware
samples. They are used by antivirus programs to perform pattern-matching
and detect malware. Signatures are also used to remove the malware code
from infected files.
The Bitdefender Malware Signature Database is a collection of malware
signatures updated hourly by the Bitdefender malware researchers.
Non-heuristic
This method of scanning relies on specific virus signatures. The advantage of
the non-heuristic scan is that it is not fooled by what might seem to be a virus,
and does not generate false alarms.
Password stealer
A password stealer collects pieces of data that can be account names and
associated passwords. These stolen credentials are then used for malicious
purposes, like account takeovers.
Phishing
The act of sending an email to a user falsely claiming to be an established
legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private
information that will be used for identity theft. The email directs the user to
Glossary 41
visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as
passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that
the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and
set up only to steal the user’s information.
Polymorphic virus
A virus that changes its form with each file it infects. Since they have no
consistent binary pattern, such viruses are hard to identify.
Port
An interface on a computer to which you can connect a device. Personal
computers have various types of ports. Internally, there are several ports for
connecting disk drives, display screens, and keyboards. Externally, personal
computers have ports for connecting modems, printers, mice, and other
peripheral devices.
In TCP/IP and UDP networks, an endpoint to a logical connection. The port
number identifies what type of port it is. For example, port 80 is used for HTTP
traffic.
Ransomware
A malware that locks you out of your computer or blocks access to your files
and applications. Ransomware will demand that you pay a certain fee (ransom
payment) in return for a decryption key that allows you to regain access to
your computer or files.
Report file
A file that lists actions that have occurred. Bitdefender maintains a report file
listing the path scanned, the folders, the number of archives and files scanned,
how many infected and suspicious files were found.
Rootkit
A rootkit is a set of software tools which offer administrator-level access to a
system. The term was first used for the UNIX operating systems and it referred
to recompiled tools which provided intruders administrative rights, allowing
them to conceal their presence so as not to be seen by the system
administrators.
The main role of rootkits is to hide processes, files, logins and logs. They may
also intercept data from terminals, network connections or peripherals, if they
incorporate the appropriate software.
Glossary 42
Rootkits are not malicious in nature. For example, systems and even some
applications hide critical files using rootkits. However, they are mostly used
to hide malware or to conceal the presence of an intruder into the system.
When combined with malware, rootkits pose a great threat to the integrity and
the security of a system. They can monitor traffic, create backdoors into the
system, alter files and logs and avoid detection.
Script
Another term for macro or batch file, a script is a list of commands that can
be executed without user interaction.
Spam
Electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. Generally known as any
unsolicited email.
Spyware
Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet
connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes.
Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware
or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet; however, it
should be noted that the majority of shareware and freeware applications do
not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on
the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else.
Spyware can also gather information about email addresses and even
passwords and credit card numbers.
Spyware's similarity to a Trojan horse is the fact that users unwittingly install
the product when they install something else. A common way to become a
victim of spyware is to download certain peer-to-peer file swapping products
that are available today.
Aside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware steals from the user
by using the computer's memory resources and also by eating bandwidth as
it sends information back to the spyware's home base via the user's Internet
connection. Because spyware is using memory and system resources, the
applications running in the background can lead to system crashes or general
system instability.
Glossary 43
Suspicious files and network traffic
Suspicious files are those with a doubtful reputation. This ranking is given by
many factors, among which to name: existence of the digital signature, number
of occurrences in computer networks, packer used, etc. Network traffic is
considered suspicious when it deviates from the pattern. For example, unreliable
source, connection requests to unusual ports, increased bandwidth usage,
random connection times, etc.
System tray
Introduced with Windows 95, the system tray is located in the Windows taskbar
(usually at the bottom next to the clock) and contains miniature icons for easy
access to system functions such as fax, printer, modem, volume, and more.
Double click or right-click an icon to view and access the details and controls.
Targeted attacks
Cyber-attacks that mainly aim financial advantages or denigration of reputation.
The target can be an individual, a company, a software or a system, well studied
before the attack takes place. These attacks are rolled out over a long period
of time and in stages, using one or more infiltration points. They are hardly
noticed, most times when the damage has already been done.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol - A set of networking protocols
widely used on the Internet that provides communications across
interconnected networks of computers with diverse hardware architectures
and various operating systems. TCP/IP includes standards for how computers
communicate and conventions for connecting networks and routing traffic.
Trojan
A destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. Unlike viruses,
Trojan horses do not replicate themselves but they can be just as destructive.
One of the most insidious types of Trojan horse is a program that claims to rid
your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses onto your computer.
The term comes from a story in Homer's Iliad, in which the Greeks give a giant
wooden horse to their foes, the Trojans, ostensibly as a peace offering. But
after the Trojans drag the horse inside their city walls, Greek soldiers sneak
out of the horse's hollow belly and open the city gates, allowing their
compatriots to pour in and capture Troy.
Glossary 44
Update
A new version of a software or hardware product designed to replace an older
version of the same product. In addition, the installation routines for updates
often check to make sure that an older version is already installed on your
computer; if not, you cannot install the update.
Bitdefender has its own update module that allows you to manually check for
updates, or let it automatically update the product.
Virus
A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your
knowledge and runs against your will. Most viruses can also replicate
themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can copy
itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple
virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring
the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of
transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems.
Worm
A program that propagates itself over a network, reproducing itself as it goes.
It cannot attach itself to other programs.
Glossary 45