Computer Viruses

696 Words2 Pages

Computer Viruses

Explain the difference between viruses, worms and Trojan horses in the context of computer and data security. Discuss the measures that need to be taken in order to maintain security.

There is a type of computer program that is designed and written to destroy, alter or damage data stored on computers without your knowledge or permission. These are some of the problems that these programs cause

? Your computer displays annoying messages
? Your computer develops strange visual and sound effects
? Files on your computer mysteriously disappear
? Your computer starts working very slowly
? Your computer reboots unexpectedly

These programs are typically referred to as viruses although technically the computing term virus actually refers to a specific type of pest program. Other types are called Trojan horses and worms. The difference between these pest programs is how they behave when attacking a computer system and I am going to look at each type individually to explain the difference starting with viruses.

A computer virus is a program that is designed to replicate and spread itself on its own, preferably without anybody knowing it exists. They spread by attaching themselves to other programs (such as your word processing or spreadsheet programs). Then when a file with a virus attached to it is executed the virus will also be executed. Viruses can also attach themselves to system files the computer uses every time it is switched on, these are called boot sector viruses, and can cause persistent and widespread disruption to the computer. Viruses can also infest documents such as those created with a word processor. Infested documents are stored with a list of instructions called a macro, which is essentially a mini program. Then when the document is viewed the macro is activated. These viruses are called macro viruses and actually account for 67.5% of all virus damage.

Worms are very similar to viruses but are technically different in the way that they replicate and spread through the system. The difference is that programs or files don’t need to be run in order to activate the spreading of a worm. Because of this worms can be very dangerous when released on to computer networks. The Internet Worm was released on to the Internet on the 2nd November 1988 spread to over 6,000 computers in less than a day. And the total monetary costs of this infection are estimated at about $98,000,000. Which proves how much damage can be done with a worm.

Show More
Related

  • Medical Marijuana Home Delivery

    2350 Words  | 5 Pages

    Beal, V. (2011, March 29). The difference between a computer virus, worm, and Trojan horse.

    Read More

  • Trojans,Worms, and Viruses: What Are They and What Can You Do to Stop Them

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    Trojans are a type of program that can and usually will hurt a PC through software and hardware. The way it gets into the computer is by fooling the computer user into thinking that some software he/she found online is safe. When the person downloads the software, it is not actually useful software. It is actually a Trojan which has now invaded the PC. Once in, it allows the creator of the Trojan to access and control the computer from his own house. The hacker can then access passwords, important documents, and other stuff that will be mentioned later. The malware does not make ...

    Read More

  • The Hanta Virus

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    The hanta virus is not a new foe to humanity. This mysterious and sometimes fatal disease has plagued humanity for over 1000 years. This virus, most likely originating in China over 1000 years ago, is transmitted by human contact with mice. Only relatively recently has the hanta virus captured the attention of the United States. Although the hanta virus has been known for such a long time, there is little known about the virus. In the United States most cases are found in the southwestern part of the country, although cases have been reported from all four corners of the country. Recently, there have been successful tests done on prospective vaccines for the hanta virus. Despite this, strains of the hanta virus kill many people a year for lack of an effective medicine or vaccine (www.pharminfo.com).

    Read More

  • Malware : An Anti Virus Protection Software

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the Aim Higher College there have been recently discovered malware on the campus systems that are due to many recent attacks. I used an Anti-virus protection software called AVG on the computer systems on campus and ran a whole computer scan. The results came back very quick of numbers of malware being high and medium priorities that these should not be taken lightly. Furthermore, the scan found many viruses, Trojans, and malicious software and applications.

    Read More

  • Chernobyl Virus Affects Computers Are Running Windows

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1998, Chernobyl virus affects computers that are running Windows; it is one of the most viruses destructive, written by Taiwan's "Shan Ling is", the name "Chernobyl" in relation to "an incident Chernobyl" that took place in Ukraine in 1986 because of an explosion at a nuclear reactor. Chernobyl virus scans the boot drive to become the device is unable to load. At the same time it is trying to clear the BIOS," the basic Input/output System instructions that tell the computer to start", which often being protected from writing, so the people who are infected with this virus; they changed their device or rather change the motherboard of a computer. (BBC News, 1999)

    Read More

  • Book Review Of David Harley's Viruses Revealed?

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    I decided to read the book by David Harley called Viruses Revealed. This book goes into great detail about the different kinds of viruses and virus mechanisms, the solutions to these viruses, studies on different cases of viruses and then the social aspects of viruses. In the first part of the book, Harley talks about the problems with viruses. A virus is a program that infects other programs to modify them. “Infecting means that a virus will insert itself into the chain of command” (Harley). The virus structure was defined into three different parts: Infection, Payload, and Trigger. The infection is defined as the way or ways in which the virus spreads. The payload is defined as what the virus does besides duplicating itself. Trigger is defined as the procedure that decides whether or not the payload is necessary. Harley also talks about the difference between damage versus infection. The major difference between the two is that many users have infected documents or applications on their computer. Whether or not those applications are run is the difference between the two. In part one Harley also converses about Trojan Horses. Trojan horses are normally known as a virus, but he shoots that down. Harley says that Trojan Horses are normally not viruses, but just a worm that goes from computer to computer. After talking about different kinds of viruses and worms, he goes into Anti-Virus softwares. There are two different kinds of anti-viruses. One being virus-specific. Virus-specific means that every time a virus is found on your computer, it is identified but not detected. Generic scanners do the opposite. Generic scanners detect viruses but do not identify them.

    Read More

  • Cybercrime History: Computer Viruses And What Are They?

    1722 Words  | 4 Pages

    A computer program is executable software that runs on a PC or computer system (Christensson). An executable file is a type in a computer file that runs a program when it opens (Christensson). Software is the instructions tell the computer what to do (“Software”). Software is the entire set of programs, procedures, and routines associated with the operation of a computer system, including the operating syst...

    Read More

  • Technology and the Invasion of Privacy

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Computers are main technological features that allow criminals to step into unsuspecting victims lives. With a simple piggy-backing program hackers are able to track every keystroke made by the victim. One such program is called spyware, not to be confused with adware, which is often referred to interchangeably with spyware, but is potentially harmless (Louis 15). Spyware, hidden within downloaded software, implants itself deep within a computer’s hard drive, allowing it to track every move made by the user (Louis 16).

    Read More

  • Botnets

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Botnet is a collection of malicious programs bent on taking over computers and stealing information of any kind. There are multiple ways a Botnet can be a problem. Such as E-Mail spam, Spyware, Adware, and Click fraud. Botnets are the dishonest way to control already happening things on the internet. Like increasing web traffic, stealing login names, and stealing credit card numbers. Botnets are faceless but the creator still ignores the law of ethics and they continue to lurk around every corner of the internet.

    Read More

  • Computer Security in an Information Age

    2236 Words  | 5 Pages

    Computers; they are a part of or in millions of homes; they are an intricate part of just about every if not all successful businesses, the government, and the military. Computers have become common place in today’s society and the lives of the people who live in it. They have crossed every national, racial, cultural, educational, and financial barrier, which consequently ushered in the information age. A computer is a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve and process data, and they come in all shapes, and sizes. They can be used for and in just about anything. As stated before, they are used in just about every aspect of modern society. They are so fundamental to modern society that it would be disastrous to society without them. As stated before, there are many areas in modern society that are run by computers. They play an intricate part of millions of homes in the world. Office workers in business, government and the military may use them to write letters, keep rosters, create budgets, find information, manage projects, communicate with workers, and so on. They are used in education, medicine, music, law enforcement, and unfortunately crime. Because computers have become such a part of the world and how it operates, there is a tremendous responsibility for those who are in control of these computers and the vital information that they carry, to manage and protect them properly. This is management and protection is vital because any loss or damage could be disastrous for the affected entity. For example, a mistake or intentional alteration of a personal credit file could affect ones ability to buy a car or home, or can lead to legal actions against the affected person until the mistake or intentional alteration has been corrected. Therefore, with the advent of computers in the information age, and all of the intentional and unintentional violations against them, comes the need to safeguard them and the information they carry with strong systems and policies of computer security.

    Read More

  • What Is Digital Forensics And Digital Evidence?

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    What did they do ? Before we talk about it any further, we have to know some definitions that we use in digital forensics and digital evidence, not only two of them but the others too. This chapter will explain about it . Before we talk about it any further, we have to know the definition of what we are talking about. In the introduction we already know what digital forensic and digital evidence shortly are. In this chapter, we will more explore what they are, and some state that we found when we search about digital forensic and digital evidence. Computer forensics is a broad field and applied to the handling of crimes related to information technology. The goal of computer forensic is to securing and analyzing digital

    Read More

  • Protecting Against Malware Essay

    2372 Words  | 5 Pages

    Malicious software in short known as Malware. It is also known as computer Contaminant. Similar to biological parasite, malware also reside in a Host. Malware will get installed on host without user’s consent. Generally a software is considered malware based on the intent of the creator...

    Read More

  • Malicious Code

    1628 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...he Trojan horse, users should be familiar with all the programs that should normally run on their systems. Once there is an addition or alteration, it is easy to notice and investigate. Another technique that is often used by attackers involves using wrapping programs, that are combining both malicious and original code. Once run on the victim’s computer the program first installs malicious code, and then executes the original code.

    Read More

  • Malware Essay

    1762 Words  | 4 Pages

    Malicious software, or simply malware, can be described as software that a computer user never authorized to be loaded. This means that the software can be found on user’s computer without his or her knowledge. Furthermore, a malware can be described as software that collects private information from any computer without user’s knowledge and authorization. As the name suggests, this software is malicious and can do great damage to a computer, mobile device, or other related devices. This damage can range from something as slight as altering the author’s name on a document to massive damage like making an entire device fail to function properly (Töyssy and Marko 109). The good news is that malwares can be controlled or prevented. As a matter of fact, it does not cost a fortune to keep a device safe from malware attacks. It also needs enough knowledge about them. In order to be able to do this, however, it is important to understand the various terminologies used to describe malicious software.

    Read More

  • Malware Essay

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    Malware can survive in a number of ways say different sizes, shapes and also the purpose ranging from viruses to spyware and to bots. Malware in general is classified into two types. They are the concealing malware and infectious malware. In case of infectious malware, the malware code is said to spread all over which means that the software code shall replicate from one user to another and this goes on. In infectious malware, we need to consider two cases, which are called the viruses and the worms. Viruses are termed as the software that has executables within itself and causes the executables to spread when it is run. The second case called worms is a software which infects a computer and then spreads to others.

    Read More

More about Computer Viruses

Open Document