Computer Virus

What is a Virus?

a virus is software that spreads from

program to program, or from disk to
disk, and uses each infected program
or disk to make copies of itself.
basically computer sabotage.
 The History of the Virus

 the term comes from biology. a

computer virus reproduces by making,
possibly modified, copies of itself in the
computer’s memory, storage, or over a
network. similar to the way a biological
virus would work.
 the very first virus to be created
outside the single computer or lab was
the program called "Elk Cloner.” it was
written by Rich Skrenta in 1982
 How does a Virus Spread?

first a programmer writes the virus most often

being attached to a normal program; unknown to
the user, the virus spreads to other software.
then the virus is passed by disk or network to
other users who use other computers. the virus
then remains dormant as it is passed on.

The Internet
 The types of Viruses
the way viruses are usually categorized is by what
they do.
◦ the boot virus which infects the boot sector of disk storage

◦ the program virus which infects the executable programs

◦ the multipartite virus which is a combination of the boot and program virus

◦ the stealth virus which is able avoid detection by a variety of means such as removing
itself from the system registry, or masquerading as a system file

◦ the parasitic virus which embeds itself into another file or program such that the original
file is still viable

◦ the polymorphic virus which changes its code structure to avoid detection and removal

◦ the macro virus which exploits the macro language of a program like Microsoft Word or
Excel.
 Protect Yourselves
 Run a more secure operating system like UNIX, another computer operating
system in which you never hear about viruses on these operating systems
because the of the security features

 If you are using an unsecured operating system, you can buy virus protection
software like McAfee or Norton AntiVirus

 To help avoid viruses, it’s very important that your computer is current with the
latest update and antivirus tools, try to stay informed with recent threats about
viruses and that you be careful when surfing the Internet, downloading files and
opening attachments
Worms
 Worms 101
 worms have been around since 1988.

 a computer worm is very similar to that of a normal computer virus.

 unlike a virus though, the worm is a program that can copy itself across a network and it
can run on itself.

 a worm also has a unique feature in the sense it doesn’t have to have a host program in
order to run.

 a worm works by copying itself into nodes or network terminals which does not require
any intervention from the user itself

 worms began to take off in the late ‘90s and early 2000’s.

 these modern worms ran themselves through the internet and many file sharing programs
such as KaZaa, a music file-sharing program.
Types of Worms
 The “email worm”

◦ the email worm spreads itself through email

◦ the worm can hide itself in messages as a link or an attachment that will
redirect the user to an infected website.

◦ many users become victims to this particular worm due to their

vulnerability and willingness to read and open messages that they think
could be interesting.

 The Instant Messaging worm

◦ this worm masks itself in the form of an “IM” with the contents of a link that
will redirect the user to an infected website and then try to gain full access
of the machine.
Protect Yourselves
 Even though it seems impossible to not catch a worm, it’s not.

 One of the best things a computer owner can do is install and run anti-virus
software, especially the kind that updates automatically.

◦ anti-virus software will notify the user when a virus or worm is found and
prevent it from running and/or copying itself.

 Other precautions:

◦ choosing secure passwords and changing them regularly

◦ not opening unfamiliar emails or attachments and most importantly not

running or copying software from an unsecured website.
 Viruses vs. Worms
 spreads from program to  uses computer hosts to
program, or from disk to reproduce themselves
disk  travel independently
 uses each infected
over computer networks
program or disk to make  software sabotage
copies of itself
 resides in memory
 computer sabotage
 destroys data or erases
rather on disk
 puts computers at a
disks
 operating system specific standstill
AntiVirus Software
What is AntiVirus Software?

computer programs intended to identify

and eliminate computer viruses.
The Best Defense
 This years best defense against computer viruses, spyware, hackers and
spam is an antivirus program called BitDefender.

 It has a user-friendly interface that scans all existing files on your computer,
all incoming and outgoing emails.
McAfee
 McAfee VirusScan is another popular antivirus program.
 It’s designed for home and home-office use.
 It’s used specifically on a Microsoft Windows platform.
 The latest edition includes a number of features including on
access file sharing, inbound and outbound firewall protection,
and daily definition updates.
Sophos
 Sophos AntiVirus is an antivirus and anti-spyware program
that is primarily aimed at corporate environments or
businesses.
 includes a number of security tools and advice.
 also includes 24/7 support including upgrade alerts.
Kasperski
 For the average home user and advanced users the Kasperski antivirus
software has an easy to use interface.
 The program uses 3 tabs for protection, settings and support.
 It updates itself on an hourly basis and is one of the fastest antivirus
programs available.
Antivirus software:
How it works
“Antivirus software is the equivalent to penicillin of the computer world.”

 like penicillin, antivirus applications act as a guard over your system,

scanning incoming files and applications, “quarantining” or cleaning up
unwanted viruses looking to cause harm to your system

 antivirus software is considered to be an aid that detects, fixes and even

prevents viruses and worms from spreading to your computer as well as
connecting computers.
Why is software an issue?

 Some antivirus software can considerably reduce performance

 There should not be more than one antivirus software installed on a single
computer at any given time

 It’s sometimes necessary to temporarily disable virus protection when

installing major updates

 Some argue that antivirus software often delivers more “pain than value to
end users
Two main types
 There are different types of antivirus software for different computers

 Some are designed for personal computers

 Some are for servers and others for enterprises

 There are mainly two types of antivirus software: specific and generic
Specific Scanning

 Specific scanning or signature detection

 The application scans files to look for known viruses matching definitions in a
“virus dictionary”

 When the antivirus looks at a file it refers to a dictionary of known viruses and
matches a piece of code (specific patterns of bytes) from the new file to the
dictionary.
Specific scanning cont..

 After recognizing the malicious software the antivirus software can take one
of the following actions:

(1): Attempt to repair the file by removing the virus itself from the file

(2): Quarantine the file

(3): Or delete the file completely

Specific Scanning cont…

 However, specific scanning is not always reliable because virus authors are
creating new ways of disguising their viruses so the antivirus software does
not match the virus’ signature to the virus dictionary.
Conclusion

 Computer viruses and worms can easily be placed into your work station so
you must be careful when going on the internet, opening emails from
unknown users, make sure you have some kind of anti-virus software and
always get updates so that you aren’t helping to spread viruses and worms to
other people as well as harming yourself and your pocket.