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Computer Virus & types.

Started by Dante, January 10, 2004, 04:04:44 PM

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Dante

Computer Virus.

Viruses are computer programmes written to retrieve or erase some data from another computer.

A virus can enter your computer by downloading a file which has the virus in it or when you install a software with the virus.

A properly engineered virus can have an amazing effect on the worldwide Internet. On the other hand, they show how sophisticated and interconnected human beings have become.

For example, the things making big news right now are the MSBlaster worm and the SoBig virus. The Melissa virus -- which became a global phenomenon in March 1999 -- was so powerful that it forced Microsoft and a number of other very large companies to completely turn off their e-mail systems until the virus could be contained. The ILOVEYOU virus in 2000 had a similarly devastating effect. That's pretty impressive when you consider that the Melissa and ILOVEYOU viruses are incredibly simple.

Types of Infection
When you listen to the news, you hear about many different forms of electronic infection. The most common are:

Viruses - A virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs. For example, a virus might attach itself to a program such as a spreadsheet program. Each time the spreadsheet program runs, the virus runs, too, and it has the chance to reproduce (by attaching to other programs) or wreak havoc.

E-mail viruses - An e-mail virus moves around in e-mail messages, and usually replicates itself by automatically mailing itself to dozens of people in the victim's e-mail address book.

Worms - A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that has a specific security hole. It copies itself to the new machine using the security hole, and then starts replicating from there, as well.
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Gaskiya tafi komai..........هو الذي

gogannaka


Bagle virus hides as calculator
Warnings are being issued about the rapidly spreading Bagle Windows worm.
The virus poses as a test message and so far has tricked people in 87 countries into opening it and helping it spread.

Bagle plunders address books for e-mail addresses and uses an in-built mail program to send itself to new victims.

It also tells its creator about an infected computer and tries to open a backdoor that a malicious hacker could use to take control of the machine.


Blizzard from Oz

"We have seen over 60,000 copies of Bagle, and this number is rising at an alarming rate," said Paul Wood, chief security analyst at MessageLabs.

MessageLabs said that currently 1 in every 136 e-mails it was stopping was bearing the virus.

Mr Wood said the Windows virus was spreading quickly despite using crude techniques to manipulate people into opening it.


The Bagle worm can be spotted in e-mail inboxes as it always has a subject line that reads simply: "Hi"
The text of the message makes the message look like it is a test from technical support. Sometimes the attached file bears an icon that makes it look like it is a calculator.

Users' machines will only be infected if they open and run the attachment bearing the worm.

Like many other recent viruses, Bagle travels with its own e-mail software that help it despatch itself to all the addresses it steals from an infected machine.

Many people in Australia look like they have been caught out by the virus as many of the copies of Bagle caught by MessageLabs have originated there.

Security experts believe that Bagle is modelled on the notorious Sobig series of viruses as it bears many similarities with those malicious programs.

Like those viruses Bagle has an in-built timer that, in this case, will stop the worm spreading on 28 January.

As well stealing e-mail addresses Bagle also attempts to let its creator know when it has managed to infect a new victim. It also opens up a backdoor on infected machines that hands over control of that machine to the virus' creator.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/3410209.stm
Surely after suffering comes enjoyment

kofa

n GOD i trust

gogannaka

PANIC PANIC PANIC :o
Where is that dogari kanoliciouis?
Surely after suffering comes enjoyment

ajingi

Dante,

Which anti-virus software did you recommend for aformentioned virus types.
I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

ajingi

For E-mail virus, avoid openning the attachment files, if you dont have strong anti-virus software.
I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.