Using the Safe Zip Cracker
I have selected this particular option because it is one of the most viable and the information I have learned is enriching. There is a tendency for passwords to fail, especially when holding sensitive items. One of the advantages of the safe zip cracker is that it uses dictionary-based brute-forcing mechanisms (Su et al., 2018). The system applies the different dictionary words to deploy an effective password combination. In addition, such systems are also programmed to check for malicious codes and to disable those malicious codes that can be used as an attack channel on the system.
Decode.exe
The.exe files are executable files, and in most cases, when they get detected in certain areas of the computer systems, they are usually suspicious files containing malware and viruses. In our particular case, the decode.exe files that were analyzed contained several interlinked files that included; “test. hid” and “text.exe.”
The Advantages of Encryption Standards
Encryption techniques are usually developed to ensure that data is safeguarded. There are several advantages of text-based encryption, and they include the fact that the data can be used across different devices through the concept of multi-device encryption techniques. Encryption also helps in the avoidance of regulatory fines. Depending on the industry type, there are usually restrictions regarding information that can be shared with third parties. In the case when information accidentally leaks, if there is encryption with the text, such information can never be released to unauthorized users. Moreover, information always remains secure, especially if the users work remotely, whereby data is forced to traverse different networks. Data integrity is also ensured; considering that the data is never tampered with, the integrity is enforced. Lastly, trust is enhanced; when data is secure, there is a tendency for the organization’s reputation to be protected.
The Disadvantages of Encryption Standards
Considering that encryption techniques are mainly applied to safeguard the information assets. There are several challenges with the technology. Encryption standards require significant resources in terms of time, usage of computing resources like the processor, and excessive memory. Another issue is that the user must always remember the passwords that were used so that the information can be decrypted (Yuan et al., 2018). For instance, if an employee departs the organization, the organization must find ways to acquire the encryption technique that was initially used. Otherwise, the data will never be accessed, even with conventional hacking techniques.
Source Code for decode.exe
The source code contained in the executable program indicates that the application is malicious. Most of the information available is meant to hijack the victim’s machine and recording keystrokes. This implies that they are specifically targeting information like the passwords that are purposely used for online transactions such as the wiring of funds. They also focus on hijacking information like the social security numbers and driver’s license that can be used in initiating fraudulent activities. Another issue with the code is that it is properly crafted to invalidate the secure socket layer (SSL) certificate. A machine with an invalidated SSL can be easily hijacked by any computer programmer because the security standard is invalidated. The code can also easily replicate itself across the network, implying that once the code infects any machine, most of the machines that will connect to the network are likely to get infected. Such a scenario is usually stressful to the network administrator because key business processes are likely to be affected.
References
Su, D., Liu, J., Wang, X., & Wang, W. (2018). Detecting Android locker-ransomware on chinese social networks. IEEE Access, 7, 20381-20393.
Yuan, Y., Yang, Y., Wu, L., & Zhang, X. (2018). A high performance encryption system based on AES algorithm with novel hardware implementation. In 2018 IEEE International Conference on Electron Devices and Solid State Circuits (EDSSC) (pp. 1-2). IEEE.