Computer Viruses: How To Avoid Infection
Computer Viruses: How To Avoid Infection
Computer Viruses: How To Avoid Infection
Viruses
From viruses to worms to Trojan Horses, the catchall term virus describes a threat that's been around almost as long as computers. These rogue programs exist for the simple reason to cause you problems. Once you understand what viruses are and how they can work, you can build a defense. Whats a Virus? A computer virus is similar to the biological viruses that cause disease on a daily basis. Just as a biological virus is a small strand of packaged DNA thats sole purpose is to invade a host body and use it to replicate itself, so too a computer virus invades a host computer and then replicates itself. Often viruses do damage, slowing down a computer, erasing files, and even damaging computer hardware. The term virus is a catchall term that actually applies to three different kinds of malicious programs: Viruses Worms Trojan Horses How Can I Get a Virus? Even though there are tens of thousands of viruses floating around the Internet, there are only a few ways that a virus can infect your system. You can catch a virus by doing something, such as installing a program, or by not doing something, such as not keeping your system patched properly. Many viruses infect systems if you download and install an infected program. You can obtain the virus-infected file by either downloading it from the Internet, opening an infected e-mail attachment, or using a file-sharing network. You dont always have to open an infected attachment from an e-mail to obtain a virus. Some viruses can infect early versions of Outlook by merely opening an infected e-mail. Unscrupulous Web sites will use Java or ActiveX controls to infect machines, often planting viruses on them without warning through a browser and turning them into zombies. One key way to get a virus, especially a worm, is by not keeping your system patched against the latest security threats. Hackers discover new vulnerabilities in systems, which vendors, such as Microsoft, constantly patch against. Without the latest updates, your system can be vulnerable to old attacks. Various Virus Types Not all viruses are created equal. Whats commonly referred to as a virus actually can fall into one of three categories. All of them essentially do the same thing. The main difference between the types is the way they infect a system. Knowing the difference between the types of viruses can give you an idea about how they replicate and how to battle them.
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Viruses Viruses are the names given to small programs that dont usually replicate on their own. You obtain a virus by running an infected program or opening an infected data file. Viruses normally infect program files, which are identifiable by the COM or EXE program extension. Some viruses can also infect batch files such as BAT and CMD files. Occasionally, viruses infect data files. Usually affected data files are Microsoft Office files such as Word DOCs and Excel XLS files. MP3 files have also been mentioned as possible virus sources, although few viruses that exploit MP3 files exist. Viruses are spread by passing files from one user to another. You can obtain them via e-mail, by downloading files from the Internet, or by sharing files over the network or via removable storage devices such as floppy disks. Some viruses dont carry any payload, meaning they dont cause damage. Most, however, will delete, damage, or alter files. News.com recently reported about a class of viruses that would encrypt important data files and hold the decryption key ransom until the affected company paid the hacker who launched the virus. Worms Worms are more sophisticated programs than simple viruses. Rather than relying on a user to do something, such as open an attachment, to cause an infection, a worm will run and replicate on its own. Very sophisticated worms can also seek out other computers to infect. Worms usually exploit security holes inside of computers. Software vendors routinely issue patches to software when such holes are discovered. If you dont keep a system properly updated, you can easily leave your system open to attack. Firewalls also make good defenses against worms because worms will often seek out little-used TCP/IP ports as entry points into a system. The Code Red worm is an example of one that exploited a hole in Microsofts IIS Web server, allowing it to infect Web servers and seek out other unprotected Web servers. Other worms affect Microsoft Outlook and can read your address book and then re-email themselves to everyone on your list. Trojan Horses Like the wooden horse that inspired the name, Trojan Horses trick users into installing them by appearing to be legitimate programs. Once installed on a system, they reveal their true nature and cause damage. Some Trojan Horses will contact a central server and report back information such as passwords, user IDs, and captured keystrokes. One common Trojan Horse is called SpyBot. Dont confuse this with the antispyware tool of the same name. The Spybot Trojan Horse will infect important configuration and TCP/IP utilities on your system and leave a backdoor for hackers to enter your system from the Internet.
Top Ten Virus Protection Tips When Using Windows XP Install antivirus software. Make sure updates are current: No more than one week old. Scan your system regularly. Dont install new programs without first notifying IT. Dont visit unauthorized Web sites. Dont open e-mail attachments. Dont use file-sharing software. Install a firewall on your workstation. (XPs firewall blocks intruders but doesnt block already installed viruses from going out. Good software firewall: Zone Alarm has a free version) Keep your Windows XP system files up to date with all of the current security updates. Check with IT when error messages or warning windows pop up.