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What is a Virus ? A virus is just a computer program. Like any other program, it contains instructions that tell your computer what to do. But unlike an application, a virus usually tells your computer to do something you don't want it to do, and it can usually spread itself to other files on your computer -- and other people's computers.
In some cases, a virus will execute only a gentle "personality quirk," such as causing your computer to make seemingly random bleeps. bleeps. But a virus can be very destructive; it destructive; could format your hard drive, overwrite your hard drive boot sector, or delete files and render your machine inoperable. inoperable.
Macro Virus:
Written using a simplified macro programming language, these viruses affect Microsoft Office applications, such as Word and Excel.
Multipartite Virus
Infects both files and the boot sector-sector-- a double whammy that can reinfect your system dozens of times before it's caught. caught.
Polymorphic Virus:
Changes code whenever it passes to another machine.
Stealth Virus:
hides its presence by making an infected file not appear infected
Worms:
A worm is a computer program that has the ability to copy itself from machine to machine. Worms machine. normally move around and infect other machines through computer networks. networks. Worms eat up storage space and slows down the computer. computer. But worms don't alter or delete files. files.
Trojan horses :
A Trojan horse is simply a computer program that claims to do one thing (it may claim to be a game) but instead does damage when you run it (it may erase your hard disk). disk).
When loaded onto your machine, a Trojan horse can capture information from your system -such as user names and passwords or could allow a malicious hacker to remotely control your computer. computer. Trojan horses have no way to replicate automatically. automatically.
Origins of Viruses :
People create viruses.. A person has to viruses
write the code, test it to make sure it spreads properly and then release the virus. virus. A person also designs the virus's attack phase, whether it's a silly message or destruction of a hard disk. disk. In most of the cases people create viruses just for the thrill or fun. fun.
The virus loads itself into memory and looks around to see if it can find any other programs on the disk. If it can find one, it modifies it to disk. add the virus's code to the unsuspecting program. program. Then the virus launches the "real program. program." The user really has no way to know that the virus ever ran. Unfortunately, the ran. virus has now reproduced itself, so two programs are infected. The next time either of infected. those programs gets executed, they infect other programs, and the cycle continues. continues.
If one of the infected programs is given to another person on a floppy disk, or if it is uploaded to internet, then other programs get infected. infected. This is how the virus spreads. spreads.
The spreading part is the infection phase of the virus. virus. Viruses wouldn't been so violently disliked if all they did was replicate themselves. Unfortunately, themselves. most viruses also have some sort of destructive attack phase where they do some damage. Some damage. sort of trigger will activate the attack phase, and the virus will then "do something" -- anything from printing a silly message on the screen to erasing all of your data. The trigger might be a specific date, data. or the number of times the virus has been replicated, or something similar. similar.
SOME TRICKS THE VIRUSES PLAY : One important trick is the ability to load viruses into memory so that they can keep running in the background as long as the computer remains on. This gives on. viruses a much more effective way to replicate themselves. themselves.
Another trick is the ability to infect the boot sector on floppy disks and hard disks. The boot sector is a disks. small program that is the first part of the operating system that the computer loads and tells the computer how to load the rest of the operating system. system. By putting its code in the boot sector, a virus can guarantee that it gets executed. It can load itself executed. into memory immediately, and it is able to run whenever the computer is on. Boot sector viruses on. can infect the boot sector of any floppy disk inserted in the machine, and on campuses where lots of people share machines they spread like wildfire. wildfire.
In the case of new viruses for which no antidote has been created, scanning software uses methods that look for unusual virus like activity on your system. system. If the program sees any funny business, it quarantines the questionable program and broadcasts a warning to you about what the program may be trying to do. If you and the do. software think the program may be a virus, you can send the quarantined file to the antivirus vendor, where researchers examine it, determine its signature, name and catalog it, and release its antidote. antidote. It's now a known virus. virus.
For added safety, you need to install reliable antivirus scanning software and download updates regularly. Major regularly. antivirus software vendors, including Symantec, Network Associates, Computer Associates, and Trend Micro, provide regular updates. (Computer Associates' updates. InoculateIT is also free.) Some of the free. vendors also offer a service that will automatically retrieve updates for you from the company's Web site. site.
Regular updates are essential. essential. Researchers at Computer Economics estimate that 30 percent of small businesses are vulnerable to viruses either because they don't keep their virusvirus-scanning software updated or because they don't install it correctly. correctly.
Compiled by : S. Agarwal, Lecturer & Systems Incharge, St. Xavier's Computer Centre, Kolkata : sxcc@vsnl.net