Terms 8 Definitions and Questions

Virus A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make a copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. codecomputercopymemorysystemcodecomputercopymemorysystem Viruses were first invented in the early 1980s, but it wasn’t until that they actually became dangerous ‘in the wild’

Worm A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program, similar to a computer virus. A virus attaches itself to, and becomes part of, another executable program; however, a worm is self-contained and does not need to be part of another program to propagate itself. computer program computer viruscomputer program computer virus They are often designed to exploit the file transmission capabilities found on many computers. transmission The main difference between a computer virus and a worm is that a virus can not propagate by itself whereas worms can. computer viruscomputer virus A worm uses a network to send copies of itself to other systems and it does so without any intervention. In general, worms harm the network and consume bandwidth, whereas viruses infect or corrupt files on a targeted computer. Viruses generally do not affect network performance, as their malicious activities are mostly confined within the target computer itself.

Trojan A Trojan is a network software application designed to remain hidden on an installed computer. Trojans sometimes, for example, access personal information stored locally on home or business computers, then send these data to a remote party via the Internet. Alternatively, trojans may serve merely as a "backdoor" application, opening network ports to allow other network applications access to that computer. ports The term comes from the a Greek story of the Trojan War, in which the Greeks give a giant wooden horse to their foes, the Trojans, ostensibly as a peace offering. But after the Trojans drag the horse inside their city walls, Greek soldiers sneak out of the horse's hollow belly and open the city gates, allowing their compatriots to pour in and capture Troy.

Virus / Worm / Trojan Q/A Q: One of the most famous of these is called “I Love You”, also known as “Love Letter” and “the Love Bug”. It cost business an estimated $8 billion. Was it a virus, worm, or trojan? A: It was a virus that spread through s labeled “I Love You”.

Anti-Virus Anti-virus software consists of computer programs that attempt to identify, thwart and eliminate computer viruses and other malicious software (malware). Anti-virus software typically uses two different techniques to accomplish this: Examining (scanning) files to look for known viruses matching definitions in a virus dictionary Examining (scanning) files to look for known viruses matching definitions in a virus dictionary Identifying suspicious behavior from any computer program which might indicate infection. Identifying suspicious behavior from any computer program which might indicate infection. Such analysis may include data captures, port monitoring and other methods. Such analysis may include data captures, port monitoring and other methods. Most commercial anti-virus software uses both of these approaches, with an emphasis on the virus dictionary approach.

Virus Definition File Anti-virus software needs virus definition files to work These files hold the digital “signatures” of all the known viruses Virus definitions are what tell your antivirus product about the viruses that are out at this point in time. For example, if you have definitions from last week, but a new virus came out this week, then your AV product would not be able to find that new virus with your "old" definitions.

Palladium a set of hardware and software features which Microsoft and Intel (and AMD) intend to jointly add to future versions of the Windows operating system, probably in the timeframe. Palladium’s goal is to make computers more secure by a combination of hardware and software that identifies and authenticates machines to one another (not applications, data, or individuals) and prevents connections or transmissions that the enabled policy rules don’t allow. Much of the furor is about Microsoft (or Intel or another big software or content company) Controlling what may come onto your computer, rejecting anything that doesn’t fit its definition of trustworthy. Controlling what may come onto your computer, rejecting anything that doesn’t fit its definition of trustworthy. Associating individuals to detailed personal information. Associating individuals to detailed personal information.

DRM DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) is the only universal, open standard digital AM radio system with near-FM quality sound available to markets worldwide. While DRM currently covers the broadcasting bands below 30 MHz, the DRM consortium voted in March 2005 to begin the process of extending the system to the broadcasting bands up to 120 MHz. The design, development and testing phases are expected to be completed by

DRM Digital Rights Management A system for protecting the copyrights of data circulated via the Internet or other digital media by enabling secure distribution and/or disabling illegal distribution of the data. copyrightsInternetcopyrightsInternet Typically, a DRM system protects intellectual property by either encrypting the data so that it can only be accessed by authorized users or marking the content with a digital watermark or similar method so that the content can not be freely distributed. encryptingdigital watermarkencryptingdigital watermark

Palladium / DRM Q/A Q: What is the Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) ? A: The "Next-Generation Secure Computing Base" (NGSCB), formerly known as Palladium, is Microsoft’s new trusted computing architecture. (The name was changed in Microsoft claimed it was because a book publisher of the same name wouldn't allow them to use "Palladium"; Critics charge that the change was a reaction to the negative publicity surrounding the Palladium operating system.)

Digital Watermarking Also referred to as simply watermarking, a pattern of bits inserted into a digital image, audio or video file that identifies the file's copyright information (author, rights, etc.). The name comes from the faintly visible watermarks imprinted on stationery that identify the manufacturer of the stationery. The purpose of digital watermarks is to provide copyright protection for intellectual property that's in digital format. bitsdigitalbitsdigital Unlike printed watermarks, which are intended to be somewhat visible, digital watermarks are designed to be completely invisible, or in the case of audio clips, inaudible. Moreover, the actual bits representing the watermark must be scattered throughout the file in such a way that they cannot be identified and manipulated. And finally, the digital watermark must be robust enough so that it can withstand normal changes to the file, such as reductions from lossy compression algorithms. lossy compressionlossy compression

Digital Watermarking Q/A Q: Who was caught in early 2004 releasing movie screeners, using digital watermarking ? A: Carmine Caridi. He distributed movie copies sent to him as an Academy Awards screener. opranos.html opranos.html

DMCA The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a controversial United States copyright law which criminalizes production and dissemination of technology that can circumvent measures taken to protect copyright, not merely infringement of copyright itself, and heightens the penalties for copyright infringement on the Internet. CopyrightUnited StatescopyrightlawcircumventCopyrightUnited Statescopyrightlawcircumvent Passed on May 14, 1998 by a unanimous vote in the United States Senate and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 28, 1998, the DMCA amended title 17 of the US Code to extend the reach of copyright, while limiting the liability of Online Providers from copyright infringement by their users. May Bill ClintonOctober US Code copyright infringementMay Bill ClintonOctober US Code copyright infringement

DMCA Q/A Q: What is deCSS, and how does it relate to the DMCA ? A: s-99-00/dmca-2k/css.html s-99-00/dmca-2k/css.html s-99-00/dmca-2k/css.html See also: management management management