Cyber Threats Explained: How Malware Attacks Windows, Linux, and Android
Think of a hacker like a burglar. A skilled burglar doesn't use the same tools for every house. They study the building's design—its windows, doors, and alarm systems—and choose their tools accordingly.
In the digital world, malware (malicious software) works the same way. It behaves differently depending on the operating system (OS) it targets, whether it's the Windows on your laptop, the Linux running your company's servers, or the Android on your smartphone. Understanding these differences is no longer just a job for the IT department. For any business professional, knowing how hackers target these systems is the first step to building a truly secure organisation. To help you understand, we've broken down a typical malware attack into six key stages.
Stage 1: The Entry Method
This is how malware first gets onto a device, often in disguise.
Windows: The most common method is through .exe files. These are application files that hackers disguise as legitimate software, like a document, a system update, or a popular program.
Linux: Malware often arrives as an ELF binary, a file format specifically designed for Linux systems, which are the backbone of many web servers and cloud infrastructures.
Android: Attackers use .apk files, which are the installation files for all Android apps. They hide malware in fake versions of popular apps or even trick you into downloading a malicious "system update."
Why it matters: Recognising how malware disguises itself is the first line of defence. It helps your teams and security systems spot and block suspicious files before they can cause harm.
Stage 2: Waking Up the Threat
Once on a device, the malware needs to activate itself to start its malicious work.
Windows: A common trick is to hide malicious code inside trusted Windows processes. Think of it like a hijacker hiding inside a legitimate delivery van to get past security gates unnoticed. This is known as DLL injection or process hollowing.
Linux: Malware often uses simple shell scripts (a set of commands) and cron jobs (automated schedules). A cron job acts like a silent alarm clock, telling the malware to run at a specific time or on a regular basis without anyone noticing.
Android: Once a malicious app is installed and opened, it begins its work. It then abuses the permissions you granted it (like access to contacts, messages, or location) to take control and steal information.
Why it matters: If your security systems only look for threats in obvious places, they will miss malware that activates in these sneaky ways. Detection tools must understand how threats behave on each specific OS.
Stage 3: Staying Hidden
After activating, malware wants to ensure it survives, even if you restart the device. This is called persistence.
Windows: Malware often edits the Windows Registry (a core database of settings) or creates Scheduled Tasks. This tells Windows to automatically relaunch the malware every time the computer starts.
Linux: It uses the same cron jobs mentioned earlier or modifies system startup files (like .bashrc or systemd services) to ensure it runs automatically whenever the server is on.
Android: The malware might trick the user into giving it Device Administrator privileges, essentially making it a "super-user" that is very difficult to remove. It can also run as a persistent background service that is always on.
Why it matters: Persistence is a sign of a deeper infection. Finding these hiding spots is critical for completely removing a threat from your systems.
Stage 4: Avoiding Detection
Malware uses clever techniques to hide from antivirus software and security teams.
Windows: A sophisticated technique is "Living-Off-the-Land" (LOLBins). The malware uses the computer’s own built-in tools (like PowerShell) against it. This malicious activity blends in with normal operations, making it incredibly hard to spot.
Linux: Hackers use fileless tactics, where the malware runs only in the computer's active memory (RAM) and never saves itself to the hard drive. This leaves behind no evidence for security tools to find.
Android: Malware on phones can perform checks to see if it's running in a "sandbox" or emulator (a test environment used by security researchers). If it detects this, it will not activate, saving its attack for a real user's device.
Why it matters: This is why traditional antivirus is no longer enough. Modern security requires behavioural analytics—systems that look for unusual activity, not just known viruses.
Stage 5: The Ultimate Target
All malware has a goal—to access or steal valuable information.
Windows: On personal and corporate computers, attackers target login passwords, credit card numbers stored in browsers, and cryptocurrency wallets.
Linux: Because Linux powers servers, hackers hunt for high-value infrastructure data like SSH keys (digital keys to servers), server configuration files, and company databases.
Android: Mobile malware focuses on personal data, reading your SMS messages (for one-time passwords), logging into your banking apps, and stealing your contact lists.
Why it matters: Knowing what assets are most likely to be targeted on each platform helps you prioritise your defences and protect what's most important.
Stage 6: The Defence Challenge
Each OS presents unique challenges for cybersecurity teams.
Windows: The sheer volume of threats can cause "alert fatigue." Security teams receive so many warnings that it becomes difficult to identify the one that truly matters.
Linux: While powerful logging tools exist, they often require expert setup. Without a standard, user-friendly security dashboard, it can be hard to see what’s happening inside a server.
Android: It is difficult for security apps to get a full view of everything happening on a phone. The main weakness, however, is often the user, who may grant powerful permissions to an app without understanding the risk.
Why it matters: To stay safe, you need security solutions designed specifically for the challenges of each system you use.
How to Protect Your Business
Based on our experience protecting organisations worldwide, here are practical steps you can take:
Use the Right Tools for Each System: Implement security monitoring solutions designed for the unique behaviours of Windows, Linux, and Android.
Routinely Audit for Hiding Spots: To counter the persistence methods from Stage 3, regularly check registry entries and scheduled tasks on Windows, cron jobs and systemd services on Linux, and app permissions on Android.
Focus on Behaviour, Not Just Signatures: Move beyond traditional antivirus to behavioural detection systems that can spot the "Living-Off-the-Land" tactics described in Stage 4.
Perform Regular Health Checks: Don't wait for a disaster. A Compromise Assessment is like a regular health check-up for your IT systems, designed to find hidden threats before they can do major damage.
Be Prepared for an Incident: Establish clear Digital Forensic protocols so that if a breach does happen, you can quickly find out how it happened, fix the root cause, and prevent it from happening again.
How AKATI Sekurity Can Help
A one-size-fits-all security approach is no longer effective. AKATI Sekurity is trusted by governments and corporations across the globe to provide specialised, proactive cybersecurity.
Compromise Assessment: We proactively hunt for hidden breaches and threats across your entire infrastructure.
Digital Forensics: Our experts provide world-class investigation after an incident, giving you clear answers and actionable intelligence to strengthen your defences.
Partner with AKATI Sekurity to transform your cybersecurity strategy from reactive to proactive, ensuring your business is resilient against the evolving threats of tomorrow.
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