A remote access tool or RAT, clandestinely installed on your system could wreak havoc and completely immobilise your business.
Tool or Trojan?
RAT can also stand for remote administration tool, but it is often referred to as a remote access Trojan, especially when installed silently and with malicious intent, as a back door into your system.
Malware attached to an email, embedded in a website or even spread via a USB drive, can install a RAT. Your security software may not detect them, and you probably won’t know about them. They remain invisible, allowing bad actors to pursue their aims unnoticed.
Risky Old Tools
A potential RAT can even be left behind by a well-meaning service provider, presenting a loss of control and a grave risk. Many times I’ve been called in to a new client to find 5 or 6 RAT’s installed on the system by long-forgotten support technicians: the phone guy, the alarm guy, the line-of-business application helpdesk, prior IT service providers, etc.. People move on; businesses move on. Do you even know who has access to your system?
Dangerous Trojans
A criminal can use a RAT to move laterally through your system, to steal data, plant ransomware or add your network to a malicious botnet used to bring down larger systems, distribute malware or mine crypto currency. Your system might be used as a staging point for an attack on one of your customers’ or suppliers’ systems.
Such events could bring your business activities to a halt, ruin your reputation and destroy your business.
Baw Baw IT Managed Services clients don’t need to worry about an unknown remote access tool. Our multi-layered security strategy detects RAT’s and prevents damage to your system.
Further reading
Trend Micro: Remote access programs / tools
Europol: How to protect yourself against Remote Access Trojans and other malware
AFP: Advice for potential victims of IM-RAT malware
