What Are Logic Bombs in Cyber Security?


What is a Logic Bomb?

A logic bomb is a sort of malware that infiltrates software, a computer network, or an operating system with malicious code with the objective of inflicting harm to a network when particular circumstances are fulfilled. It is used to decimate a system by emptying hard drives, erasing files, or distorting data when triggered by a specified event. A date or time leading up to the activation of an infected software program or the deletion of certain data from a system might be considered an event.

Logic bombs are commonly utilized with Trojan horses, worms, and viruses in order to maximize damage before being detected. The primary objective of Logic bombs is to reformat a hard drive, change or corrupt data, and delete vital information from the system. A logic bomb has the potential to unleash massive destruction.

The goal of a logic bomb assault is to cause cyber-sabotage from someone inside a corporation or organization who has been granted access to sensitive information, as opposed to other types of malware that break into a secure system. If employees fear they are about to be fired, the logic bomb might be a tool for them to get back at the organization. Because they are the only ones capable of delaying, employing the help of a logic bomb and dispersing it every day might be a perfect approach for them. As a consequence, the attack might start at any moment within a set period of time or when they quit the company.

Someone with high-level access such as a system administrator is frequently responsible for the installation of logic bombs. A person like this can cause havoc by planting logic bombs on multiple systems and programming them to "blow up" at the same time when a specific event occurs, such as when an employee's salary is removed from the company's database.

"Slag code", which refers to the altered code that renders an otherwise safe software hazardous, is another term for a logic bomb. Time bombs are a common sort of logic bomb, and the words are occasionally interchanged. Code bombs and cyber bombs are other names for logic bombs.

When injected into the code of a software program with the goal of hurting the target, a logic bomb is a filthy code that causes operational disruptions. The logic bomb's activation is conditional, and it will remain dormant until the program completes that condition. When the pre-defined condition is met, the operation logic bomb goes off, causing a slew of problems, including wiping important data files, corrupting the machine's hard drive, and destroying the operating system.

Logic bombs are harmful code, although they aren't strictly malware because they're often found in legitimate programs. A logic bomb must be introduced into a system and activated by other software or procedures. Malware may often infect a system on its own. A logic bomb may be embedded in a legitimate software by someone with knowledge of and access to the system and network, such as a disgruntled systems administrator or developer, as part of the virus's or worm's assault plan.

How Do Logic Bombs Work?

Positive and negative situations both have the potential to set off a logic bomb. Positive trigger logic bombs detonate after a condition is satisfied, such as the date of a major corporate event or the opening of a certain file. A logic bomb with negative triggers is a logic bomb that is activated when a condition is not satisfied. A logic bomb with negative triggers is one that is activated when a condition is not satisfied, such as when the bomb is not deactivated on time or when an employee is unable to deactivate the code by a certain time.

A logic bomb's assaults can be quite powerful. There are several cases of logic bombs that detail how they have wiped out big financial firms' operations and systems. Anything that has the capacity to ruin an organization's or institution's server has the potential to be more powerful to the broader public as well as damaging to the firm itself.

Someone can program logic bombs to execute different unauthorized operations; for example −

  • Using system resources

  • Deleting important data

  • Restricting or prohibiting legitimate user access

  • Allowing hackers to gain access using backdoors

  • Data tampering, etc.

How Are Logic Bombs Used?

A dissatisfied employee or other IT staff with knowledge of how to program a logic bomb can use it to jeopardize network security. A logic bomb may be used to demand money for software by developing a code that turns the software program into a trial version, in addition to targeting a specific computer or network system. To keep using the program beyond a certain length of time, the user must pay a certain amount of money.

Logic bombs can also be used for blackmail, with the logic bomb detonating inside a computer system or network if the demand is not satisfied, destroying data, and performing other destructive activities specified in the command codes.

If you have a lot of computer programming skills, logic bombs are quite simple to make, and they don't reproduce like other harmful programs. As a result, logic bombs are often aimed at specific targets and do not spread to unintended targets.

Updated on: 04-May-2022

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