AnatomyofComputerViruses-CPHSolutions.pdfVIP

Anatomy of Computer Viruses Even after you have read this, there will be a few who must open that email attachment to see what it is, or go to that enticing web site to get that “Free” thing! Youre the clickers that have a need to see what it is. You cant help it! And when you left-click - telling it to do whatever damage it was designed to do - please dont be dismayed when youve lost programs, important data, your Quicken files, all your banking info, pictures of your loved ones, and all the saved stuff in My Documents. After all, you were the one who told it to do the damage, so you pay the price. The software or technician will do their best to restore what they can. See also HowStuffWorks ! Computer viruses are mysterious and grab our attention. On the one hand, viruses show us how vulnerable we are. 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 email systems until the virus could be contained. The ILOVEYOU virus in 2000 had a similarly devastating effect. Thats pretty impressive when you consider that the Melissa and ILOVEYOU viruses are incredibly simple. In this article, we will discuss viruses - both traditional viruses and the newer e-mail viruses - so that you can learn how they work and also understand how to protect yourself. Viruses in general are on the wane, but occasionally a person finds a new way to create one, and thats when they make the news. Types of Infection - When you listen to the news, you hear about many different forms of electronic infection. The most common are: 1. Viruses - A virus is a smal