popular viruses

popular viruses



Nowadays, the rapidly changing shape of the world is making way to various
breakthroughs that can either help or destroy the world. In the cyber world,
a different battle is continually being fought against mutations in certain programs
that become a threat to most computer systems.

Trojans, worms and other viruses are present most of the time, at varying degrees
or damage levels. Even if coders or programmers have developed certain counter
programs such as shields and firewalls to safeguard their computers against
cyber attacks and other similar threats, sometimes these are just not enough
to handle all the stress.

Computer viruses still managed to pack in some considerable amount of damage
despite all the futile efforts to stop them. Like biological viruses, the cyber PC
viruses behave in the same way for they cause some negative outcomes that is
detrimental to the overall health of cyberspace. The damages that all these
viruses caused may have reached a cumulative cost of over a hundred billion
dollars. Hence, it is but fitting to enumerate two of the most well known
computer viruses that shook the world by storm.

CIH, Melissa, ILOVEYOU, Code Red, SQL Slammer, Blaster, Sobig.F, Bagle,
MyDoom, and Sasser are among the most popular computer viruses of all time.
But according to the extent of damage that was made, these two are the most
worthy of being mentioned.

Melissa back in 1999 amounted 600 million dollars worth of damage. The spread
of this virus is so great that some giant companies such as Microsoft was forced
to contain the virus infection by switching all systems off and all email capabilities
shut down. It is because the virus made use of the mailing interconnectivity of
the MS Outlook wherein all infected mails will receive a document email attachment
that enables the replication of the virus once it is opened. The problem is it will
email itself to 50 other names in the email directory.

On the contrary, if you want to know about a peculiar virus that gave a whooping
15 billion dollars worth of damages then the ILOVEYOU Virus is the one to talk
about. This Love Bug is actually a visual basic script. Many became infected with this
virus due to the very catchy 'emotional' or 'affectionate' feel to the e-mails
transmitting the said virus. These emails come with the mysterious attachment
of Love-Letter-For-You.TXT.vbs. Like its Melissa predecessor, the virus self
transmits itself to the names found in the Outlook's contact list but this time, the
ILOVEYOU computer virus is transmitting the infection to everyone and not just 50.
To further its damage, it even had the capability to overwrite music, picture files and automatically hunt for user name or passwords that will be sent back to the virus author.

WHAT IS VIRUSES?

WHAT IS VIRUSES?




Computer viruses are small software programs that are designed to
spread from one computer to another and to interfere with computer
operation.

.
A virus might corrupt or delete data on your computer,
use your e-mail program to spread itself to other computers,
or even erase everything on your hard disk.


Viruses are most easily spread by attachments in e-mail messages
or instant messaging messages. That is why it is essential that
you never open e-mail attachments unless you know who it's
from and you are expecting it.


Viruses can be disguised as attachments of funny images,
greeting cards, or audio and video files.


Viruses also spread through downloads on the Internet.
They can be hidden in illicit software or other files or programs
you might download.


To help avoid viruses, it's essential that you keep your computer
current with the latest updates and antivirus tools, stay informed
about recent threats, and that you follow a few basic rules when
you surf the Internet, download files, and open attachments.


Once a virus is on your computer, its type or the method it used
to get there is not as important as removing it and preventing further
infection.

computer's security

VIRUSES


continue to improve your computer's security and decrease the possibility of infection by using a firewall, keeping your computer up-to-date, maintaining a current antivirus software subscription (such as Microsoft Security Essentials), and following a few best practices.


Tip: Because no security method is guaranteed, it's important to
back up critical files on a regular basis before you encounter a
virus or other problems.
Steps to help avoid viruses:

1. Use an Internet firewall.
Note: Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP with SP2 have a firewall already
built-in and turned on by default.

2. Visit Microsoft Update to verify your settings and check for updates.
Note: If you've installed the most recent version of Microsoft Office,
Microsoft Update will also update your Microsoft Office programs.

3. Subscribe to antivirus software and keep it current. Microsoft Security
Essentials is a free download for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.
For more information, see Help protect your PC with Microsoft Security Essentials.
Or go directly to the download page.

4. Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you don't know.

5. Avoid opening an e-mail attachment from someone you know, unless you
know exactly what the attachment is. The sender may be unaware that it contains a virus.

6. Use a standard user account unless you need to use an administrator account.
For more information, see Why use a standard user account
instead of an administrator account.

Computer & Virus

Computer & Viruses

The last couple of months have seen a large rise in the number of
computer viruses that are out there and spreading via e-mail.
The following guidelines may give you a fighting chance.

I have divided this page into two sections - a quick guide for
those who are experienced, or are short on time, and a more
detailed section for anyone wanting more details.

Please do not ignore computer viruses - they can range from
nuisance or joke programs to ones that erase the entire hard disk.

Quick Guide:

1. Keep a regular backup of your important files (on floppy, zip disk, writeable CD, tape, another hard disk, etc.) 2. Be aware that most current viruses arrive as e-mail attachments. Be very suspicious of any attachment that has any of the following file extensions: .exe .vbs .scr .vbe .com .bat .shs .cpl .dll .ocx .pif .drv .lnk .bin .sys .eml .nws (do not click on attachment files whose names end with any of the above) These attachments almost always arrive from someone you know (without that person's knowledge), so attachments are not safe just because you know the sender. Note: Opening the mail itself is safe, but clicking on any attachment can spread the virus instantly. 3. Update your virus scan program now if you haven't done it for over a month. For PC users, I recommend the following: Use a web browser to connect to http://www.neurophys.wisc.edu/ftp_arch/virus/ and download and install the latest version of the Command Antivirus program. Macintosh users, please either use the anti-virus program that came with your Mac, or consider purchasing Netware Associates Virex CD from DoIT (approx. $38). 4. Update the virus definition files regulary, typically once a week but no fewer than once a month. See the detailed section below for how to do this. 5. It is impossible for any anti-virus program to protect against all new viruses, so your best protection is to be very cautious about opening e-mail attachments. See below for more details. 6. Finally, if you do detect (or suspect) a virus, please let me (Ravi) know so we can keep track of the incidence of outbreaks. I can also help you clean up the virus.

Detailed Guide:

* To update virus definition files: (These instructions are for Command
Anti-virus for Windows only) Start the Command anti-virus program
by double-clicking on the yellow "C" icon in the lower right corner
of your desktop (near the time). A window titled "Command AntiVirus"
should appear on your desktop within 10 seconds.

1. If you have never done this before then you need to enter
the server address for automatic updates. (If you have already
entered the server address previously then skip to step (2) below).
*Click on "Preferences" then select "Advanced..."
o Click on the tab labeled "Update Deffiles now"
o Select each entry in that Window and click on delete
each time to remove them all.
o Click on the "Add" button.
o In the Site Path field, enter
http://www.uwex.edu/software/uw-only/f-prot/CSSCntrl/
(note: address is case-sensitive).
o Leave the Username and Password fields blank,
and click on OK.
o Click OK again to return to the main Command
AntiVirus window.
o Proceed to (2) below and update the Definition Files.
2. Update Definition Files as follows:
o Open the main "Command AntiVirus" window.
o Click once only on the button labeled "Update Deffiles"
and watch the Definition Files being updated. A series of
message boxes should appear on the screen showing
the progress of the update. Finally, after a variable time that
depends on network speed, a window appears asking
whether you want to view the results of the update process.
o Click on the "No" button.
o From the menu, select "Help" and "About Command....
" to view the dates upto which the definition files
(SIGN.DEF and MACRO.DEF) have been updated.
o Click on OK and then close the Command AntiVirus window.


You should update your definition files about once a month.

* What is a Computer Virus: A Computer Virus is simply a
computer program with malicious intent. These programs
are usually small in size, and the more clever ones hide
themselves within other innocent programs (e.g. within NOTEPAD),
hence the "virus" in their name. In fact the technical difference
between a Computer Virus and a Computer Worm is that the
virus inserts itself within some other legitimate program, while
the Worm exists as a standalone program. From a user's
perspective this distiction is somewhat moot, and a worm or
a virus can do equal damage. In fact the word "worm" is used
less these days, and virus is often applied to both types of programs.

Viruses are usually written by students with time on their hands,
though a few are very sophisticated and obviously written by
professionals (disgruntled employees, frustrated programmers etc.).
While there are over 30,000 known computer viruses, the number
of truly original viruses is actually quite limited, as seen by the number
of copy-cat viruses that proliferate after any well-publicized virus
incident. For example, there are apparently several hundered