Computer Worms & Viruses Edited by MOBIN

Viruses

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.

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

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 Instant Messaging 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.

Viruses vs. Worms spreads from program to program, or from disk to disk uses each infected program or disk to make copies of itself computer sabotage destroys data or erases disks operating system specific uses computer hosts to reproduce themselves travel independently over computer networks software sabotage resides in memory rather on disk puts computers at a 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. has a user-friendly interface that scans all existing files on your computer, all incoming and outgoing emails, and even IM transfers. features include privacy protection and web scanning for internet use. a years subscription is about $24.99.

NAV the most widely used software is the Norton AntiVirus. (NAV) since its release in 1990, over 100 million people around the world have used it. it’s a free program but in order to receive live updates, a valid subscription is needed. a yearly subscription is only $29.99.

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 2007 edition includes a number of features including on access file sharing, inbound and outbound firewall protection, and daily definition updates.

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. however, quality comes at a price and year subscription is $49.99.

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