Over recent years, computers have become synonymous with viruses and viruses don’t show any signs of disappearing any time soon. In recent news, LiveScience.com reported that “Before the month is even done, April has set a record for virus e-mails.” In the past, we would be comfortable in telling new computer users not to worry about viruses and that catching a computer virus is rare. Today, that would be some of the worst advice we could give anyone. As reported in countless news reports, computer viruses are rampant and they’re extremely worrisome. This article will describe what viruses are and then point you in the direction of some rather unique protection and prevention.

In short, a computer virus is a software program designed to destroy or steal data. It attacks computers via distribution – often unknowingly – through email attachments, software downloads, and even some types of advanced web scripting. Viruses that destroy data are known as Trojan horses, viruses that explode their attacks are called bombs, and viruses that duplicate themselves are called worms. Some viruses are a combination of each, however they can be further identified according to where they’re located on a computer.

A virus originating from the boot sector of a computer is a boot-sector virus and this nasty devil does its dirty work the moment a computer is turned on. A virus that attaches itself to (infects) other programs is a file virus and activates the moment that an infected program starts. File viruses may also be referred to as parasitic viruses, however should a virus work from both the boot-sector and from an infected program, the virus is then known as a multipartite virus.

Why viruses exist remains a mystery, however we had privy access to the mind behind a virus programmer who explained his motivation behind his destructive inclinations. Apparently, this person had a deep grudge against a popular online service which shall remain unnamed. In this hacker’s mind, the online service failed to do a quality job in protecting children from online smut and as retaliation, he created and distributed a virus to as many file libraries of this service as he could. His intentions were to disable the computers of the online service’s users so much that they wouldn’t be able to connect for days. In his mind, the loss of connection meant loss of revenue for the online service.

Although the malicious code that this person generated may have worked for a small percentage of users, sufficed to say, the online service continued on and still exists today. Despite his motivation or intention, his efforts were null.

We wouldn’t be surprised to learn if other motivations behind spreading viruses were similar to this person’s, but that doesn’t justify the damage that viruses do. Innocent people become pawns for the evil plans of others who’ve convinced themselves they’re doing the “right” thing.

To protect a computer from getting a virus, or clean a virus from a computer system once infected requires the use of an antivirus utility. But may be something else we can do. Perhaps we could make an effort to educate the people who want put viruses into the public about ways to display dissatisfaction with a service or product that don’t involve harming innocent parties. In doing so, we just might reduce the number of virus news stories and protect our own investments at the same time.

There is a great deal of debate about this history and evolution of computer viruses. Although many experts may disagree on the origins of viruses, their history is an interesting one. Computer viruses have evolved over the years as the measures taken to detect and disable viruses have become more effective. There is a constant struggle between programmers who write viruses and the programmers who create anti-virus software, with one group trying to stay a step ahead of the other. Computer users can more effectively defend themselves against viruses when they have an understanding of how viruses work and their origins.

In 1949, a mathematician named John Von Neumann introduced the concept of programs that could be taught to replicate themselves. Although this thinking was way ahead of its time, the roots of computer viruses can be traced to the principles Von Neumann was describing. Nearly 20 years later, in the late 1960s, computer users created a game called “Core Wars,” where they would attempt to occupy all of the existing memory on other player’s computers. Programmers at the time had no idea that they were writing computer viruses.

The first known personal computer virus was called the brain virus, and it began infecting PCs in 1986. The Brain Virus was created in Pakistan and was a boot sector virus that affected disk space as opposed to hard drives. The virus would render floppy disks unusable by eliminating their available space. The Brain Virus was a “Stealth” virus, or in other words a virus that tried to affect machines without being noticed by the user. The first anti-virus program was created in 1988. The program was designed specifically to deal with the Brain Virus, detecting, removing, and protecting disks from future problems with the virus. The first Trojan horse virus was also created in the mid 1980’s.

In late 1987, the first “memory resident file infector” was createdóa virus that was embedded in a file and attacked only once the program was ordered to execute by the user. The first of these viruses was called the Lehigh Virus, as the first computers it attacked were at Lehigh University. A month later, a similar virus, called the Jerusalem Virus, attacked in Israel, becoming the first virus that replicated itself within infected files.

In 1990, several companies started selling anti-virus software, including IBM and McAfee, with Symantec introducing Norton Anti-Virus software in 1991. Viruses were become more stealth and more effective than ever before and the need for anti-virus software was growing for PC owners. Ironically, only a few years later, most computer experts felt that anti-virus software would no longer be necessary once Microsoft released its 1995 version of Windows, a fact that is hard to believe in retrospect.

Nearly every year since the mid 90’s, another new virus has been created, detected, and rendered ineffective by anti-virus software. The tug of war between programmers who write viruses and anti-virus software programmers will likely continue for years to come.

One of the most frustrating experiences that a computer owner can go through is to see files lost or damaged by a computer virus. Hackers are continuously creating new virus threats and it’s important to protect your files and computer hardware by having virus protection in place. Many of the newer viruses are designed specifically to circumvent to virus protection that currently exists in the marketplace. Although no anti-virus software can guarantee to keep 100% of viruses from affecting your system, there are two very important things that computer users can do to make being affected by a computer virus less likely.

First, computer users should have reliable anti-virus software and update that software whenever updates are available. There are several anti-virus software options available for all types of computer users and in all price ranges. A free anti-virus program that you download usually won’t provide the same level of protection as an anti-virus software package purchased specifically for your computer, but it will still be better than nothing. The typical activities that you participate in online should also have a bearing on what type of anti-virus software you use. For instance, a user who downloads music, movies, or games is at greater risk of being exposed to a computer virus than one who uses the Internet strictly for E-mail, but neither user is 100% safe.

Along with using effective anti-virus software, it’s important to update your computer with security patches and other updates as they become available. As new viruses and hacker techniques become more common, providers of anti-virus software work to stay ahead of the curve in preventing damaging virus attacks. Most computer viruses are fairly slow moving and makers of anti-virus software are generally able to get remedies out to their users fairly quickly, but it’s up to the users to install and use these software updates.

The other important way to protect yourself from computer viruses is to practice safe habits when using the computer. There are several sites that allow users to download music for instance, but some are much more reliable than others. Sites that charge more for music downloads also provide a much higher level of security than sites that provide cheap or even free downloads. If your Internet activities open you to more risk of accidentally downloading a virus, it’s a good idea to spend a little extra money for better protection. In addition, never download anything that comes from an unknown source or click on links embedded in e-mails when you don’t know the sender. Part of protecting yourself from viruses is being smart enough to avoid situations where a virus could endanger your system.

Computer viruses come in all shapes and sizes and can do various extents of damage, from damaging files to physically damaging hard drives and other equipment. Virus protection can be costly, but not nearly as costly as the process of trying to recover lost or damaged files. Staying up to date with anti-virus software and practicing smart computer habits can keep most users out of trouble.

There are several types of computer viruses that Internet users need to be aware of. These viruses can be contracted and infect a computer in a variety of ways, ranging from mild annoyances to destructive forces to computer files and hardware. Viruses can enter your computer in a number of ways, but are generally avoidable with a combination of effective anti-virus software and safe surfing habits when online. However, it’s good to know of what types of viruses and other threats could impact your computer.

Viruses

A virus is a computer program that is written to enter your computer, overwrite existing program data, and replicate itself without the knowledge of the owner of the computer. There are several varieties of viruses, including boot sector viruses, companion viruses, link viruses, and macro viruses. Viruses can enter a computer in various ways but they all have one thing in common: they must be executed by the computer user to affect a computer. The amount of damage done by a virus varies greatly, some viruses are never even detected while others erase program data, destroy information on hard drives and disks, and are a hassle to detect and remove.

Worms

A worm is similar to a virus, but it spreads from computer to computer over a network connection. A worm is not likely to afflict a single computer, but is a common and troublesome problem in some computer networks. Worms are designed to enter computers and then scan systems for security flaws and look for areas that are unprotected. A classic example is the ILOVEYOU worm, an E-mail that had a subject of “I love you” and an attachment inside. When the attachment was opened, the worm entered the computer and destroyed several different types of files. The worm also sent itself to the user’s entire Outlook address book, afflicting computers all along the way. In 2004, an estimated 45 million computer were hit with the ILOVEYOU worm in just one day.

Trojan Horses

A Trojan horse is a program that is downloaded by a computer user that does not destroy data or files. Instead, a Trojan horse allows files to be accessed by outside parties. The problem begins with a download of a file that seems innocent – perhaps a song or small program file. Trojan horses are a serious concern because of the rising seriousness of identity theft and the importance of protecting the privacy of sensitive information. The key to avoiding a Trojan horse is to download only content that you are 100% certain is from a credible and safe source.

The best way to avoid viruses, worms, and Trojan horses is to make sure anti-virus software is reliable and up to date. Many computer owners take the first step of purchasing good anti-virus software, but they fail to install patches and updates as they become available. Because the creators are viruses are getting more and more creative, it’s essential to keep security measures up to date on your computer.

One of the problems with the detection and elimination of computer viruses is that there are many hoax viruses that exist that make computer users believe that legitimate virus threats are also hoaxes. Thousands of e-mails are sent from one person to another everyday warning of new computer viruses and how they are contracted. Many of these warnings are the equivalent of “crying wolf” to computer users, and the problem is that once enough hoaxes have been passed along, users begin to automatically dismiss all warnings of viruses as hoaxes.

Part of the problem with virus hoaxes is that many computer users pass them to their entire contact list before checking the legitimacy of the message. There are several websites devoted to exposing hoax viruses in an effort to stop the spread of false information and help people to focus on viruses that are real threats.

Another problem with hoax virus alerts is that many computer users spend a great deal of time checking their system and deleting questionable files for a virus that is nothing more than a rumor. Network administrators may shut down entire networks, rendering thousands of computers useless while they check the validity of a virus hoax. Again, a quick check of one of several websites can quickly determine whether or not a virus warning is legitimate.

There are several well known virus hoaxes that have been circulating for years. Chances are, you may have received messages with warnings related to these hoaxes at one time or another.

One famous hoax is the Budweiser Frogs Screensaver Hoax, an e-mail claiming that downloading the screensaver would steal all usernames and passwords and erase the user’s entire hard drive.

One of the oldest and most well known virus hoaxes originated in 1994 and is called the “Good Times” Virus Hoax. The e-mail would warn recipients that any e-mail with the phrase “good times” in the subject line would expose the computer to a virus if the e-mail was opened. Users were told to delete the e-mail without opening it.

There are a few ways to make sure that users don’t waste time and energy on virus hoaxes. First, common sense and reason should be enough for a computer user not to worry about outrageous warnings. Some virus hoaxes claim that opening certain E-mails will, for example, cause a computer to “explode.” There is no known virus that will cause a computer explosion, but some users waste their own time and their recipient’s time spreading concerns such as this.

Many of the virus hoaxes that are sent to E-mail boxes are sent by spammers who are simply flooding the Internet with as much useless garbage as possible. Hackers are getting more creative every day, and an effective virus hoax can be nearly as crippling to a computer network as a legitimate virus. The best policy is to have effective anti-virus software, trust that software, and do your part to stop the spread hoax virus E-mails.

Most antivirus software has the ability to schedule a scan to run automatically so you don’t need to think about doing it yourself. But far too many of these never actually run, leaving the computer unchecked for viruses.

The reason for this? Most of the virus scanners schedule the scan for the middle of the night, when you wouldn’t normally be using your computer.

If you turn your computer off at night, the scan may never actually take place.

Some of the programs will run the scan after you turn the computer on again, even if it missed the scheduled time. But many of them don’t – they just wait until the next scheduled scan, which of course doesn’t happen again if the computer is off.

If you don’t leave your computer on 24 hours a day, make sure you check to see what time your virus scan is scheduled to run. If it’s set for a time that your computer is more than likely turned off, change it to a time when it’s probably on but you’re not likely to be using it (during dinnertime, for example).

If you use an antivirus program that doesn’t let you change the scheduled scan and it’s set for a time that your computer is more than likely going to be off, you have two options.

First, get a new antivirus program. There are lots of good ones, so if you’re not happy with the features on the one you use, you can always replace it.

Second, leave your computer on overnight once a week. It won’t get scanned every day, but a weekly scan is better than no scan at all.

The computer virus gets its name because of its similarities with biological viruses that infect our bodies.

When you get a virus in your body, it spreads through your system and can be passed on to other people. It almost always results in side effects that you won’t like.

Computer viruses are very similar:

• They have the ability to copy themselves
• They can spread to other computers
• They generally carry some kind of “payload” that will have undesirable effects

Like many other things in the world of computers, the term “virus” has become the standard term applied to a number of different types of malware, or malicious software. Technically, the following three things are each unique, but they’re generally all considered viruses.

1. Viruses

An honest-to-goodness virus has to have the ability to copy itself and run itself as well.

2. Worms

A work spreads through computer networks, such as the internet, through email or other means as well as being able to make copies of themselves.

3. Trojan Horses

A trojan horse takes its name from the mythological horse presented to the Trojans. It masquerades itself as a useful, legitimate piece of software, but when run it installs malicious code along with the good.

Most computer users know that they need to use antivirus software on their home PC. However, many times the software and hardware that they use has other issues. Exactly what are these issues and what can you do to protect yourself from unwanted viruses?

Different types of servers are attacked by computer viruses including e-mail, ftp, file, and web servers. Other computer devices that are attacked are home PCs, network files and hardware, and routers.

A server is much the same as a home PC except that it has more disk room, more memory, and more processors. A web server will contain programs and web pages that are used by Internet users while an e-mail server will send, receive, and store e-mail. Ftp and file servers allow the distribution and storage of all types of files for other computer systems. A router is a computer that is specifically used with operating systems that are proprietary and for moving the traffic on a network.

Most servers will operate in a way similar to a PC system and are also prone to the same types of virus attacks. This means that most servers can be protected in the same way through the use of reliable and regular antivirus software. They can also be guarded with a firewall to limit entry from some sites on the Internet.

So what else can you do for virus protection?

Routers and servers are attacked often simply because they bring service to many user systems. Administrators can get help from users who keep their own computer system as clean as possible and who avoid passing viruses on to other users. Administrators should avoid using servers for personal uses such as word processing programs, e-mail clients, and as browsers for the Internet.

Users can be helpful in combating virus attacks by being more cautious when it comes to which browser they use and how they configure it. Some users could benefit from education about how they can lessen the target area for computer hackers through the simple task of changing the setting of their browser. Computer experts and PC users have made big strides when it comes to expressing concern over Internet Explorer security. When users start to use other browsers the message will be heard much louder.

Both administrators and users should stop using DVDs and CDs that are bootable and that haven’t been scanned for viruses after they have been burned with certain files and software. Just as floppy disks disk did a few years ago, DVDs and CDs can be propagated with viruses during the burning process.

FTP servers, which are used to receive, send, and store files across networks, need to become extinct. Passwords for ftp aren’t secure since they are sent unencrypted over networks where they can be detected by sniffers. A sniffer is a software or hardware program that can be used to spy on networks. Users should use ftp versions that are secure.

Users need to be proactive in asking administrators to keep their computer system locked down. Security is often way down on the priority list for administrators who usually do a good job when it comes to the resources and time they have. Users who show that they are interested in security can change their security measures. Not many servers have a complete check by a security expert in their lifetime. This would be different if users weren’t passive and assume that default settings will keep them secure.

In the Future

Microsoft and other distributors are making leaps and bounds when it comes to software and hardware development that offers better security protection. For example, a virus exploit that is common is known as a “buffer overrun”. Programs use memory that is divided into smaller portions that are called “buffers”.

Some hackers use a technique that creates harmful programming instructions for what is called the “overflow” for the buffers. The technique provides the buffers with more accessibility than the program originally intended. Many fixes for security involving the securing of the buffers. Some developers of operating systems and hardware are managing this problem by creating the buffer overrun and redesigning it.

There are other security ideas in the development stage which will soon benefit all computer users.

[tags]Antivirus,Internet Security,PC Security[/tags]