Evaluating Grayware Characteristics and Risks

Table 8

Features used in the gray risk evaluation by the proposed framework.

Stage	Feature	Description	Default scoring method
Penetration	Affected Platform	Operating systems (OSs) vulnerable to grayware	Number of OSs affected
	Attack Avenue	Installation mechanisms to infect systems	Number of attack channels
Activation	Information Exposure	Expose confidential information	Low: 1, Medium: 2, High: 3
	Integrity Impact	Impact on system integrity and availability	Low: 1, Medium: 2, High: 3
	Destructiveness	Damage file systems, stability, and productivity	No: 1, Yes: 2
	Carried Payload	Malicious activities after invading victims	Number of payloads
Discovery	Information Encryption	Cryptographic methods employed by grayware	No: 1, Yes: 2
	Memory Resident	Stay at main memory after execution	No: 1, Yes: 2
Eradication	Registry Key	Create registry keys to survive reboot	Number of registry keys
	Manipulated Files	Create/modify files to customize victim systems	Number of created files