By Ron Sadovsky, Alex Shen, Jacob Levy, and Ethan Kalisky Computer Virus By Ron Sadovsky, Alex Shen, Jacob Levy, and Ethan Kalisky

What is a computer virus? A computer virus is a program that when operated: duplicates itself infects the computer’s other programs, files, or hard drive. A computer virus typically harms the computer: It corrupts or deletes data. It accesses private information. Viruses can also be spread to other computers: Through an email attachment containing a virus. Through a USB or floppy disk. Going on an unsecure website. Ron Sadovsky

What else can computer viruses do? They can recover your internet history and post them on your facebook They can implode your computer They can make your computer slower than a cripple turtle crawling in mud They can take up space in the RAM ALEX SHEN

How to prevent a computer virus Be cautious of what you download. Do not open email attachments sent from emails that you do not know. Download a reputable anti-virus software Use a secure browser, such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, as opposed to Internet Explorer or Safari. Ron Sadovsky

How and why viruses are created Viruses are usually created and used by cyber-criminals. Viruses are coded by programmers. Criminals can use the viruses for personal gain discovering credit card and other account information being able to delete important data of the victim to simply cause problems for the victim Ron Sadovsky

Common types of viruses that attack our computers Memory Resident Virus These viruses live in the computer memory & get activated whenever the system runs, infecting all the files that are then opened. Overwrite Virus This virus deletes the information in the files that it infects, making them useless once they have been infected. Boot Sector Virus This virus affects the start up or boot of the hard drive. Polymorphic Virus Polymorphic viruses encrypt themselves in a different way every time they infect a system, making it impossible for antivirus software to find them. Ethan Kalisky

A List of the Greatest of the Viruses The Storm The Sasser The Nimba The Melissa The Code I and II The Morris The ILOVEYOU The Brain Computer Virusr Conficker ALEX SHEN

How to remove a computer virus If you are using windows, enter safe mode Backup all your important data Disconnect from the internet Delete temporary files Run a virus scan Use Autorun Get a new computer Get a new hard drive Throw your computer into the ocean ALEX SHEN

How Does a Computer Virus Infect Me? Not having virus protection Not running the latest updates Downloading media of the internet (music, games, software etc.) Opening spam email, or an email attachment Sharing music, files or photos with other computer users Visiting a website infected with a virus Jacob Levy

Symptoms Of a Computer Virus. Computer is frequently crashing Loss of data or new data that is unexplained Weird or erratic computer behavior (flashing through your tabs) Computer is slow when loading Inaccessible disks or drives Printer issues Jacob Levy

Can I Get a Virus From Facebook, My-Space or Twitter? YES!! POTENTIAL WAYS VIRUSES SPREAD THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA Phishing: Scammers create fake profiles/pages asking for your username and password to gain access to your account. Worms: Worms can spread through social networks by your friends. For example, a worm can promise to show a video through friend invites and the video would infect your computer if you agreed to download it. Passwords: Passwords that are easy to guess or telling people your password. Privacy settings: If privacy settings are not set to Friends of Friends or Friends Only in your Privacy settings under your account. AND OF COURSE...SPAM!!! Ethan Kalisky

Computer Virus Stats Jacob Levy 1. 24 million households experience heavy spam. 2. 16 million households have experienced a serious virus problem in the past two years. 3. 8 million of households have had spyware in the past 6 months. 4. 1 million households lost money or compromised accounts from misused phishing. 5. The estimated cost of all households impacted by viruses, spyware, and phishing is $4.55 billion. 6. 40% of household are affected by viruses. Jacob Levy

Why do Macs get very few viruses compared to PCs? Newer Macintosh operating systems, such as the Mac OS X, is built on one of the oldest and most secure operating systems available. Microsoft Windows is used by a lot more people than the Apple Mac OS so because more people use Microsoft Windows, it is a better target and makes it easier for viruses to spread. Most of the computer virus writers are more familiar with Microsoft Windows, which means it's easier for them create a virus for it. Many of the tools, scripts, and code used to create viruses are designed for Microsoft Windows. Ethan Kalisky

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