COMPUTER VIRUSES

PREPARED BY: MASTURA ISMAIL

 WHAT IS COMPUTER
COMPUTER VIRUS VIRUS ?
A Computer Virus is a program that may disturb the normal working of
a computer.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPUTER VIRUS:

the ability to replicate itself.
the ability to attach itself to another computer file.

?
COMPUTER VIRUS

NO !
VIRUS
 WHAT IS COMPUTER
VIRUS ?
COMPUTER
VIRUS

“ A COMPUTER PROGRAM ABLE TO

INFECT OTHER PROGRAMS BY
MODIFYING THEM TO INCLUDE A
POSSIBLY EVOLVED VERSION OF
ITSELF. ”
 History
• Pakistani Brain Virus (1986): boot sector virus
called (c)Brain, created in 1986 by two brothers,
Basit and Amjad Farooq Alvi, operating out of
Lahore, Pakistan

• Apple Virus 1 (1981): Boot sector infecting virus.

Possibly created for pirated games.

• Animal (1975) (Univac): “Guess an animal” game.

Different Types of Malware
 WHO ARE ROUGE
PROGRAMERS ?
COMPUTER
VIRUS

* PSYCHO CASES
- FOR FUN
- RELEASE ANGER
- TAKE REVENGE
 WHO ARE ROUGE
PROGRAMERS ?
COMPUTER
VIRUS

* PROFIT EARNERS
$

- VIRUS / ANTIVIRUS
MARKET
 WHO ARE ROUGE
PROGRAMERS ?
COMPUTER
VIRUS

* INFO ATTACKERS

- DISRUPT ENEMY’S
INFORMATION &
NETWORK
 TYPES OF COMPUTER
VIRUS
COMPUTER
VIRUS

* BOOT / PARTITION INFECTING VIRUS

* EXECUTABLE FILE INFECTING VIRUS
* MULTI-PART VIRUS
* DIRECTORY INFECTING VIRUS
RESIDENT NON RESIDENT
 WHAT CAN THEY
COMPUTER DO ?
VIRUS
• FORMAT DISK
• COPY, RENAME AND DELETE FILES
• COPY THEMSELVES WITH NEW
CONFIGURATION INFORMATION
• MODIFY FILE DATES AND EXTENSIONS
• CALL OTHER COMPUTERS TO UPLOAD AND
DOWN LOAD FILES
 HOW DO THEY DO ?
COMPUTER
VIRUS

 APPENDING
 INSERTION
 INTERCEPTION
 REDIRECTION
 REPLACEMENT
 Symptoms of Virus
Attack
COMPUTER
Computer runs slower then usual
VIRUS
 Computer no longer boots up
 Screen sometimes flicker
System crashes for no reason
 Files/directories sometimes disappear
Random restarts
Unknown and uninstalled icons on desktop
System memory and disk space is reduced
Error messages on regular basis
 CONCLUSION
“LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT”

• SAFE COMPUTING TECHNIQUES

• MANAGE SOFTWARE PIRACY
• EDUCATE USERS
• KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST
VIRUS AND ANTIVIRUS
• REVIEW SITUATION