Remote Administration Tools, also called back door programs, are malicious software packages that attempt to gain complete control over computer systems. These programs, (sometimes called back door software) can be attached to Trojan Horses, viruses, worms, and Spyware. If a system is infected, there is virtually no limit to what these programs can do. While Remote Administration Tools are not capable of spreading by themselves, there are some worms that carry Remote Administration Tools, using them to infect machines as they spread. Some of the functions that a Remote Administration Tool can perform include: - Uploading and downloading potentially unwanted files in stealth
- Making changes to the registry
- Deleting files
- Stealing passwords, account numbers, and other personal identifiers and confidential information
- Logging keystrokes
- Renaming files
- Displaying images or message boxes
- Disabling peripherals such as mice devices or keyboards
- Reconfiguring the desktop by adding toolbars, buttons and other functionality
- Shutting down or restarting the user's computer
- Running applications or terminating current applications
- Detecting and controlling devices such as microphones or Web cameras to capture user information
- Disabling the anti-virus or firewall
- Opening an FTP server on a computer so as to make it accessible to others
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