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Malware:
Wading Through the Jargon
Are you at
a loss or intimidated by the complexity of computer security
and viruses?
Knowing the jargon is the first step to protecting
your data and your computer system so that you can concentrate
on more important work or play. This is the definitive guide
to all you need to know about malicious code.
Malware (malicious code) has been
with us since 1981. One of the earliest prophetic examples,
however, of the susbstantial damage that viruses could (and
would ) generate was recorded in 1987 when a large network (ARPANET)
used by universities and the US government was infected and
disrupted by a virus.
Robert Morris, son of a computer security expert
for the National Security Agency, sent malicious code through
ARPANET, affecting about 10% of the connected computer hosts.
The code reproduced itself and filtered through network computers;
consequently, the size of the files filled computers' memories,
thus disabling numerous machines.
Today 90% of computers with an Internet connection
are infected by viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware and adware.
But what are these? What do they do exactly? What are the risks
to you and to everyone else? What can non-tech users do to learn
the jargon and be armed with critical information to beat the
odds and keep their computers as clean as possible?
This article is the definitive guide to learning
the types of threats, their consequences and how you can combat
them.
What are Viruses?
Viruses are programs or pieces of code that are designed to
perform a negative operation without your permission.
Viruses are usually loaded, without your knowledge, through
Floppy, CD or similar devices, through networks and through
the Internet. Some of these illegal operations may be harmless
while others are extremely malicious and often wreak havoc across
thousands of computers. Computer viruses attach themselves to
other programs (usually executables) or files so they can spread
from one system to another through human intervention (e.g.,
sending an attachment via email). At times these files may be
dormant until you actually run the particular program
executable.
What are Worms?
Even a simple virus may bring a system to a halt by using up
all the memory on your computer. The more dangerous viruses
usually transmit themselves across networks and bypass security
systems. Viruses that replicate themselves and use memory
but that do not attach themselves to another program are
called Worms. These are a sub class of virus with the dangerous
property of being able to travel without human intervention.
These viruses infect other computers through a variety of ways
including email. Peer-to-Peer programs (like Kazaa or e-mule)
and Internet Relay Chat.
The worm Oscarbot.AY, for example, according
to Panda Software, "connects to the IRC server b0dy3r.q8hell.org,
joins a certain channel and waits for remote control commands
to be carried out on the affected computer. These control commands
include downloading and running files, update its own code and
delete itself, for example". The worm can also be instructed
to spread by using AOL Instant Messenger.
The biggest danger with worms is their
ability to replicate themselves within your system. The
net result is that rather than your computer sending out a single
virus, it could send out hundreds or thousands copies. First
detected last year and still in circulation, Netsky.P,
according to Panda Software, is a worm that is automatically
activated when the infected email is viewed through Outlook's
Preview Pane. Netsky.P is a severe threat and exploits vulnerability
in Internet Explorer which allows e-mail attachments to be run
automatically. It propagates through email and peer-to-peer
programs so it is considered to be highly and easily infectious.
In this way your computer can infect several tens or hundreds
of others.
In many cases worms consume so much system memory
and/or network bandwidth causing web servers, network servers
and individual systems to crash or stop responding.
What are Trojans Horses?
As the name suggests, Trojans are malicious programs that disguise
themselves as a useful or benign software "tricking"
recipients into opening or installing them on their systems.
At first glance, Trojans appear to be legitimate
software or files from a legitimate source but some actually
can wreak serious damage to infected systems. The less harmless
Trojans change your desktop by adding icons or changing your
browser's home page. The more harmful ones actually delete
files and destroy data or information on your computer.
There are Trojans that create a "backdoor"
or a "trapdoor" - this is an undocumented way
that hackers use to gain access to a program, an online service
or an entire computer system. This gives hackers free reign
on your computer and allows them to compromise your confidential
or personal information (including credit card details if stored
digitally). Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other
files nor do they self-replicate.
This article is continued in Part
2: What are Spyware, Adware, Keyloggers, Diallers and Root Kits?
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