[Review] What Is a Logic Bomb & How to Avoid Logic Bomb Viruses?

What Is a Logic Bomb Virus?

Software that is inherently harmful usually contains logic bombs that will execute a particular payload at a preset time or when some other condition is met. So, for logic bomb definition, there is also saying that a logic bomb is the event or condition that determines when the payload is activated or delivered.

The technology can be adopted by a virus or worm to get momentum and spread before being discovered. Some viruses attack the infected computers on certain dates. And, trojans and other viruses that activate on specific dates are usually called “time bombs”. Viruses that take advantage of the logic bomb technique are known as logic bomb viruses.

To be considered a logic bomb, the payload should be unknown and unwanted to the user of the software. Therefore, it is difficult to detect logic bombs before they reveal themselves. Example logic bomb like a programmer may hide a piece of code that will start deleting files related to himself once he ever is terminated from a company.

What is another name for a Logic bomb? That is a slag code, a manipulated code that makes an otherwise safe application harmful. Time bombs are a common type of logic bombs. Sometimes, the 2 terms are used interchangeably.

Logic Bomb Characteristics

No matter which name is used, the attack principle of the logic bomb is the same.

• Carry an unknown payload that implements the attack.
• Lie dormant until triggered.
• Deliver the payload when a particular situation appears.

The usual triggers of the logic bomb are:

• A specific date
• A specific amount of time has passed
• A specific program launches
• Failed to log in
• A certain transaction is processed

And, the common bad effects that logic bomb can cause include:

• File deletion
• Disks wipeout
• Data damage
• Private data collection
• Siphon off funds

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Logic Bomb Examples

Besides the example mentioned in the above content, there are a lot of other instances of logic bombs.

In the early 2000s, due to a salary dispute, a UBS Global employee named Roger Duronio planted a time bomb to damage the company’s computer network for driving down the company’s stock. This caused $3.1 million in damage.

In 2005, Sony got enmeshed in a scandal for releasing CDs that unleashed a logic bomb when inserted into a computer. the logic bomb on the CDs installed a rootkit that prevented the PC’s ability to copy the CDs.

In 2013, the hacker group put a time bomb inside malware and infected over 32,000 systems in South Korea. The malware wiped the hard drives and master boot records of victims including at least 3 banks and 2 broadcasting companies causing havoc across the country. Symantec reported that the logic bomb malware also contains a component that was able to wipe Linux computers.

In 2016, at a branch of the Siemens corporation, a programmer called David Tinley intentionally created spreadsheet software with logic bombs. Thus, the software malfunctions after a certain amount of time. So, the company had to keep hiring him back to fix the problem. The logic bombs went unfound for 2 years until then he was out of town and had to hand over the administrative password to his software.

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How to Defend Yourself from Logic Bomb Attacks?

Since logic bomb viruses are hard to detect, you’d better stop them from getting into your computer. To do that, first of all, you have to keep a good behavior while using the Internet and be careful to download online files or click unknown links.

If you doubt that you may already have logic bombs on your machine, you can rely on a robust antivirus program to detect and remove them from your PC, such as AVG AntiVirus Free.

If you haven’t yet been attacked by logic bombs, you are recommended to make a backup of your crucial data via a professional and reliable program like MiniTool ShadowMaker, which can help you back up not only important files/folders but also hard disks or system and with schedules and schemes.

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Conclusion

All in all, a logic bomb is a piece of code intentionally inserted into a software system that will set off a malicious function when certain conditions are met. It is difficult to notice a logic bomb until it operates its functions and causes great data loss. Therefore, it is of great importance to rely on a powerful security app to protect your computer and a data backup program to copy vital files regularly.