BY:-

Sumit Yadav
 What is Computer Virus..??
A computer virus is a small software program that spreads from one
computer to another computer and that interferes with computer operation. A
computer virus may corrupt or delete data on a computer, use an e-mail
program to spread the virus to other computers, or even delete everything on
the hard disk.
Computer viruses are most easily spread by attachments in e-mail
messages or by instant messaging messages. Therefore, you must never open an e-mail
attachment unless you know who sent the message or unless you are expecting the e-mail
attachment. Computer viruses can be disguised as attachments of funny images, greeting
cards, or audio and video files. Computer viruses also spread by using downloads on the
Internet. Computer viruses can be hidden in pirated software or in other files or programs that
you may download.
Viruses – Types and Examples

 Boot Viruses :-
These viruses infect disc boot records or master boot records in hard disks. They
replace the boot record program (which is responsible for loading the operating system
in memory) copying it elsewhere on the disk or overwriting it. Boot viruses load into
memory if the computer tries to read the disk while it is booting.
Examples: Form, Disk Killer, Michelangelo, and Stone virus

• Program Viruses:-
These infect executable program files, such as those with extensions like .BIN, .COM,
.EXE, .OVL, .DRV (driver) and .SYS (device driver). These programs are loaded in
memory during execution, taking the virus with them. The virus becomes active in
memory, making copies of itself and infecting files on disk.
Examples: Sunday, Cascade
•Multipartite viruses:
A hybrid of Boot and Program viruses. They infect program files and
when the infected program is executed, these viruses infect the boot record.
When you boot the computer next time the virus from the boot record loads in
memory and then starts infecting other program files on disk.
Examples: Invader, Flip, and Tequila

 Stealth viruses:
These viruses use certain techniques to avoid detection. They may either redirect
the disk head to read another sector instead of the one in which they reside or they may
alter the reading of the infected file’s size shown in the directory listing. For instance, the
Whale virus adds 9216 bytes to an infected file; then the virus subtracts the same
number of bytes (9216) from the size given in the directory.
Examples: Frodo, Joshi, Whale

 Polymorphic viruses:
A virus that can encrypt its code in different ways so that it appears differently in
each infection. These viruses are more difficult to detect.
Examples: Involuntary, Stimulate, Cascade, Phoenix, Evil, Proud, Virus 101
•Macro Viruses:-
A macro virus is a new type of computer virus that infects the macros within a document or
template. When you open a word processing or spreadsheet document, the macro virus is activated
and it infects the Normal template (Normal.dot)-a general purpose file that stores default
document formatting settings. Every document you open refers to the Normal template, and hence
gets infected with the macro virus. Since this virus attaches itself to documents, the infection can
spread if such documents are opened on other computers.
Examples: DMV, Nuclear, Word Concept.

 Active X: -
ActiveX and Java controls will soon be the scourge of computing. Most people do
not know how to control there web browser to enable or disable the various functions
like playing sound or video and so, by default, leave a nice big hole in the security by
allowing applets free run into there machine. There has been a lot of commotion behind
this and with the amount of power that JAVA imparts, things from the security angle
seem a bit gloom
 Computer Trojans:-

 Computer Trojans are simply malicious computer programs disguised as

something useful.

 The major difference between viruses and Trojans is that viruses reproduce,
while a Trojan is just a one time program which executes its payload as soon
as the Trojan is executed.

 Trojans are the most common way of bringing a virus into a system.

 A current example of a Trojan is a program called pkz300b.exe which

disguises itself as an archiving utility, but when run it will delete your entire
hard drive.
Computer Worms:-
 Computer Worms are reproducing programs that run independantly and
travel across network connections. The main difference between viruses
and worms is the method in which they reproduce and spread. A virus is
dependant upon a host file or boot sector, and the transfer of files
between machines to spread, while a worm can run completely
independently and spread of its own will through network connections.
 An example of a worm is the famous internet worm of 1988: Overnight
the worm copied itself across the internet, infecting every Sun-3 and
VAX system with so many copies of itself that the systems were
unusable. Eventually several sites disconnected themselves from the
internet to avoid reinfection.
 How Do Computer Viruses Spread?

Computer viruses usually spread in one of three ways:-

 From Removable media.

 From Downloads off the Internet.

 From e-mail attachments.

E-mail

Virus..

Removable Disc
Computer Virus Symptoms:-
 Computer is infected with a malicious computer virus, it may begin to show a series
of Computer Virus symptoms that indicate that a virus is present.

 Computer viruses can be very harmful and damaging to your computer system, root
files, and various program files. A computer virus can also increase the risk of hacker
threats and attacks, and open the door to even more unauthorized downloads and
software installations.

 When a virus begins to spread, many program files can become unstable and display
warnings.

 The operating system may not launch properly, and the computer user may need to
reboot and restart the computer frequently to ensure all programs are starting and
working fine.

 Critical files may get deleted automatically, and this can happen periodically or all at
once. Error messages will become prevalent; it may become difficult to save
documents, and the computer may be running slower than usual.
 Symptoms of worms and trojan horse
viruses in e-mail messages:-

 When a computer virus infects e-mail messages or infects other files on a

computer, you may notice the following symptoms:

 The infected file may make copies of itself. This behavior may use up all the free
space on the hard disk.

 A copy of the infected file may be sent to all the addresses in an e-mail address
list.

 The computer virus may reformat the hard disk. This behavior will delete files
and programs.
A Computer Virus can damage your system:-
 A computer virus can do a lot of damage to your system before you even realize
that it happened. Leaving your computer unprotected is a primary reason why
most of the computer viruses get into your system.

 Different types of computer viruses that invade your system. Scum ware,
Adware, Spyware, Trojan Horses, computer viruses and Worms. Each one
attacks your system in a similar way.

 Computer Viruses: Quickly spreads from one computer to another computer. It

starts by attaching and loading itself onto the computer without your
knowledge.

 A computer virus can be duplicated.

 How to remove a computer virus
 Install and Update the antivirus software on the computer.
Then, perform a thorough scan of the computer by using the
antivirus software.
 Install the latest updates from Microsoft Update on the
computer.
 Download, install, and then run the Malicious Software
Removal Tool to remove existing viruses on the computer. To
download the Malicious Software Removal Too
How to protect your computer against viruses:-

 On the computer, turn on the firewall.

 Keep the computer operating system up-to-date.

 Use updated antivirus software on the computer.

Conclusion..!!