In cybersecurity, a hacker malicious can damage your system in different ways and, therefore, it is important that you know what remote code execution or rce cybersecurity is
Some of these techniques could be imperceptible, while others could ruin all of a company’s valuable data. This can occur when a cyber attacker finds a security flaw and learn how to take advantage of it. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the vulnerabilities of a system before a hacker does it to harm you.
One of the greatest damages that could be committed by a hacker It’s of take complete control of your computer remotely. Therefore, in this post, we will talk about what remote code execution is, how to protect yourself from it, and how it spreads.
Computer vulnerabilities
before understanding what is remote code execution or that it is a rce, it is necessary to see the process of how it is reached.
The vulnerabilities of a system are all those bugs that compromise cybersecurity. Any flaw that an attacker can use to harm a third party is considered a. Once a hacker identifies a vulnerability, may develop or acquire a software specialized to take advantage of it. These programs are known as exploits.
As their name suggests, these software They are intended to exploit a vulnerability, but they are not a virus as such. It is a system access tool that allows you to cause damage from within, such as execute malicious code on the victim’s computer.
What is remote code execution?
Remote Code Execution (RCE) It refers to taking control of the console of a computer’s operating system, in order to execute remote commands. In this way, a hacker malicious could install malware, ransomware or, in principle, do what you want within the computer.
However, to make a arbitrary remote code execution, first the hacker It must penetrate several barriers, from which the cybersecurity team can protect the user.
How to protect yourself from remote code execution?
To prevent a hacker do remote code execution or that is rce on a system, it is necessary to reduce the attack surface. This means minimizing the amount of information an attacker could investigate about the system. The less data you can obtain, the poorer your knowledge will be in planning an attack.
Additionally, the cybersecurity team must be able to identify vulnerabilities of a system in time. To do this, it is recommended to carry out periodic audits and search for errors as thoroughly as a cyber attacker could do. This way, security stays one step ahead of potential attacks.
Buffer Overflow
We have already seen what is remote code execution; Now, you should know that there are different types of failure that can carry it out. One of the most common is the buffer overflow.
He buffer overflow It is an attack that consists of exceed the storage capacity of a memory unit. This is achieved through a software malicious that serves as exploit so that, by taking up memory, viruses are installed in other vulnerable parts of the computer. By doing this, it is possible to escalate privileges to the point of accessing the operating system console.
Remote Code Execution of Viruses and Worms
He malware and ransomware They can be executed like this. In fact, the ransomware It became one of the preferred attack types for cybercriminals due to its profitability. However, many of these malware and ransomware have the ability to create copies of themselves and spread to other devices.
This is called a «computer worm» and is due to a component in the virus codewhich can be included in a remote execution to tell the malware to be replicated on the computer and other devices on the network.
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