Information on VIRUSES...

pratikbharti

MP Guru
Dangerous elements ahead! -- this sign is plastered all over the information highway, or at least it should be. The internet has no checks to oversee and control online goings-on, which makes it a veritable playground for troublemakers. And so, along with its uncountable benefits, the internet also brings a multitude of potential threats -- virus attacks, spyware, pornography, identity theft etc.

In this, the first part of our series on online threats, we take a look at viruses and how you can protect your computer and important data from virus attacks.


What is a virus?

Most computer users are aware of the damage a virus can inflict on their system, but aren't too clear on what exactly a virus is.

The main criterion for classifying a piece of executable code as a virus is that it spreads from one computer to another when its source of origination is taken to an uninfected computer without the knowledge or permission of the user. This happens mostly by users over a network or if a user has transferred it to a CD, floppy etc and uses the medium on a uninfected machine. Viruses commonly target executable files on the computer, which contain application software (MS Word etc) or parts of operating systems (Windows etc).

Not all viruses are designed to damage data, some are just created to make their presence known or to cause your PC to act up. Viruses can be divided into two types -- resident and non-resident viruses -- on the basis of their behaviour when executed.

Non-resident viruses immediately search for other mediums (computers, applications) that can be infected. They then infect these targets and finally transfer control to the application program that has been infected, thus allowing further transfer.

Resident viruses do not search for the other mediums when they run. Instead, a resident virus loads itself onto the computer's memory and transfers control to the host program. The virus stays active in the background and infects new hosts when relevant files are accessed by other programs or the operating system itself. The viruses are designed to be smart enough to employ various ways of hiding or camouflaging themselves.

Newer viruses can even avoid detection by fooling anti-virus software. A virus can hide itself by ensuring that a request of anti-virus software to read an infected file is passed to a virus, instead of to the operating system. The virus can then return an uninfected version of the file to the anti-virus software, so that it seems that the file is clean. Modern anti-virus software employ various techniques to counter this mechanism.


How can I protect my PC?


There's no way of being truly 100-per cent protected from viruses, especially when your computer is always connected to some form of network -- internet or local. But there are ways to avoid infection by following a set of simple guidelines:

~ Make sure that you have a clean bootable CD of the operating system at all the times.

~ If your operating system has an option of making a bootable CD, take the time to make one. You will appreciate the time spent if the need ever arises.

~ Use a reputed anti-virus solution and update it daily.

~ Make sure your anti-virus automatically scans any newly inserted discs for viruses, especially if you exchange data between your home computer and a publicly accessible PC.

~ Avoid opening e-mail with attachments unless you are absolutely sure they are from a trusted source.

~ If you are using an e-mail client on your computer such as Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird, disable the message preview pane. This way you can filter the messages you open by the sender's name without letting the mail use any resources on your computer.

While the above steps cannot guarantee that your PC stays virus-free, they will ensure that your computer is better protected and better prepared for a virus attack.


Is my PC infected?

The problem with virus attacks is that unless your anti-virus rings the alarm bell, you do not have any way of being sure that your computer is not infected. Still, there are a few symptoms to look out for:

* Your computer repeatedly stops responding when you try to use certain software. This could also take place due to corruption of an essential file required by that software.
* You received an e-mail message that has a strange attachment. When you open the attachment, suddenly your system performance degrades.
* Your anti-virus program is disabled for no reason and cannot be restarted. The computer may also block the re-installation of the anti-virus software.
* Strange dialog boxes or message boxes appear on the screen.
* Someone tells you that they have recently received e-mail messages from you containing infected files as attachments, while you are sure that you haven't sent any mail.
* A program disappears from the computer, but you haven't uninstalled it.
* The computer starts as expected some of the time, but at other times, stops responding before the desktop icons and taskbar appear.
* The computer runs very slowly and it takes a long time to start.
* Out of memory error message appears, even though your computer has plenty of RAM.
* Windows restarts unexpectedly.
* A partition on your PC completely disappears.

None of the above signs is a sure-shot sign of a virus infection, but if you do happen to notice one or more of these, get in touch with your software engineer immediately.


Which is the best anti-virus software?

Norton Antivirus, McAfee Virus Scan and Avast are the most popular anti-virus solution available today. Most computers come with an anti virus software installed, but you need to update it regularly by downloading the same from the website. If you think your PC might be infected or that the software isn't functioning as it should, get in touch with your software engineer immediately.

SOURCE: http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2007/aug/06virus.htm
 

ed1968

Par 100 posts (V.I.P)
Re: All you need to KNOW about PC viruses...

nice post......................... dude nice work
 

abhishreshthaa

New member
List of Computer Viruses.

OPRAH WINFREY VIRUS: Your 200MB hard drive suddenly shrinks to 80MB, and then slowly expands back to 200MB.

AT&T VIRUS: Every three minutes it tells you what great service you are getting.

MCI VIRUS: Every three minutes it reminds you that you're paying too much for the AT&T virus.

PAUL REVERE VIRUS: This revolutionary virus does not horse around. It warns you of impending hard disk attack---once if by LAN, twice if by C:>.

POLITICALLY CORRECT VIRUS: Never calls itself a "virus", but instead refers to itself as an "electronic microorganism."

RIGHT TO LIFE VIRUS: Won't allow you to delete a file, regardless of how old it is. If you attempt to erase a file, it requires you to first see a counselor about possible alternatives.

ROSS PEROT VIRUS: Activates every component in your system, just before the whole darn thing quits.

MARIO CUOMO VIRUS: It would be a great virus, but it refuses to run.

TED TURNER VIRUS: Colorizes your monochrome monitor.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER VIRUS: Terminates and stays resident. It'll be back.

DAN QUAYLE VIRUS #2: Their is sumthing rong wit your komputer, ewe jsut cant figyour out watt!

GOVERNMENT ECONOMIST VIRUS: Nothing works, but all your diagnostic software says everything is fine.

NEW WORLD ORDER VIRUS: Probably harmless, but it makes a lot of people really mad just thinking about it.

FEDERAL BUREAUCRAT VIRUS: Divides your hard disk into hundreds of little units, each of which does practically nothing, but all of which claim to be the most important part of your computer.

GALLUP VIRUS: Sixty percent of the PCs infected will lose 38 percent of their data 14 percent of the time. (plus or minus a 3.5 percent margin of error.)

TERRY RANDALL VIRUS: Prints "Oh no you don't" whenever you choose "Abort" from the "Abort" "Retry" "Fail" message.

TEXAS VIRUS: Makes sure that it's bigger than any other file.

ADAM AND EVE VIRUS: Takes a couple of bytes out of your Apple.

CONGRESSIONAL VIRUS: The computer locks up, screen splits erratically with a message appearing on each half blaming the other side for the problem.

AIRLINE VIRUS: You're in Dallas, but your data is in Singapore.

FREUDIAN VIRUS: Your computer becomes obsessed with marrying its own motherboard.

PBS VIRUS: Your programs stop every few minutes to ask for money.

ELVIS VIRUS: Your computer gets fat, slow and lazy, then self destructs; only to resurface at shopping malls and service stations across rural America.

OLLIE NORTH VIRUS: Causes your printer to become a paper shredder.

NIKE VIRUS: Just does it.

SEARS VIRUS: Your data won't appear unless you buy new cables, power supply and a set of shocks.

JIMMY HOFFA VIRUS: Your programs can never be found again.

CONGRESSIONAL VIRUS #2: Runs every program on the hard drive simultaneously, but doesn't allow the user to accomplish anything.

KEVORKIAN VIRUS: Helps your computer shut down as an act of mercy.

IMELDA MARCOS VIRUS: Sings you a song (slightly off key) on boot up, then subtracts money from your Quicken account and spends it all on expensive shoes it purchases through Prodigy.

STAR TREK VIRUS: Invades your system in places where no virus has gone before.

HEALTH CARE VIRUS: Tests your system for a day, finds nothing wrong, and sends you a bill for $4,500.

GEORGE BUSH VIRUS: It starts by boldly stating, "Read my docs....No new files!" on the screen. It proceeds to fill up all the free space on your hard drive with new files, then blames it on the Congressional Virus.

CLEVELAND INDIANS VIRUS: Makes your 486/50 machine perform like a 286/AT.

LAPD VIRUS: It claims it feels threatened by the other files on your PC and erases them in "self defense".

CHICAGO CUBS VIRUS: Your PC makes frequent mistakes and comes in last in the reviews, but you still love it.

ORAL ROBERTS VIRUS: Claims that if you don't send it a million dollars, it's programmer will take it back. >>
 
Dangerous elements ahead! -- this sign is plastered all over the information highway, or at least it should be. The internet has no checks to oversee and control online goings-on, which makes it a veritable playground for troublemakers. And so, along with its uncountable benefits, the internet also brings a multitude of potential threats -- virus attacks, spyware, pornography, identity theft etc.

In this, the first part of our series on online threats, we take a look at viruses and how you can protect your computer and important data from virus attacks.


What is a virus?

Most computer users are aware of the damage a virus can inflict on their system, but aren't too clear on what exactly a virus is.

The main criterion for classifying a piece of executable code as a virus is that it spreads from one computer to another when its source of origination is taken to an uninfected computer without the knowledge or permission of the user. This happens mostly by users over a network or if a user has transferred it to a CD, floppy etc and uses the medium on a uninfected machine. Viruses commonly target executable files on the computer, which contain application software (MS Word etc) or parts of operating systems (Windows etc).

Not all viruses are designed to damage data, some are just created to make their presence known or to cause your PC to act up. Viruses can be divided into two types -- resident and non-resident viruses -- on the basis of their behaviour when executed.

Non-resident viruses immediately search for other mediums (computers, applications) that can be infected. They then infect these targets and finally transfer control to the application program that has been infected, thus allowing further transfer.

Resident viruses do not search for the other mediums when they run. Instead, a resident virus loads itself onto the computer's memory and transfers control to the host program. The virus stays active in the background and infects new hosts when relevant files are accessed by other programs or the operating system itself. The viruses are designed to be smart enough to employ various ways of hiding or camouflaging themselves.

Newer viruses can even avoid detection by fooling anti-virus software. A virus can hide itself by ensuring that a request of anti-virus software to read an infected file is passed to a virus, instead of to the operating system. The virus can then return an uninfected version of the file to the anti-virus software, so that it seems that the file is clean. Modern anti-virus software employ various techniques to counter this mechanism.


How can I protect my PC?


There's no way of being truly 100-per cent protected from viruses, especially when your computer is always connected to some form of network -- internet or local. But there are ways to avoid infection by following a set of simple guidelines:

~ Make sure that you have a clean bootable CD of the operating system at all the times.

~ If your operating system has an option of making a bootable CD, take the time to make one. You will appreciate the time spent if the need ever arises.

~ Use a reputed anti-virus solution and update it daily.

~ Make sure your anti-virus automatically scans any newly inserted discs for viruses, especially if you exchange data between your home computer and a publicly accessible PC.

~ Avoid opening e-mail with attachments unless you are absolutely sure they are from a trusted source.

~ If you are using an e-mail client on your computer such as Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird, disable the message preview pane. This way you can filter the messages you open by the sender's name without letting the mail use any resources on your computer.

While the above steps cannot guarantee that your PC stays virus-free, they will ensure that your computer is better protected and better prepared for a virus attack.


Is my PC infected?

The problem with virus attacks is that unless your anti-virus rings the alarm bell, you do not have any way of being sure that your computer is not infected. Still, there are a few symptoms to look out for:

* Your computer repeatedly stops responding when you try to use certain software. This could also take place due to corruption of an essential file required by that software.
* You received an e-mail message that has a strange attachment. When you open the attachment, suddenly your system performance degrades.
* Your anti-virus program is disabled for no reason and cannot be restarted. The computer may also block the re-installation of the anti-virus software.
* Strange dialog boxes or message boxes appear on the screen.
* Someone tells you that they have recently received e-mail messages from you containing infected files as attachments, while you are sure that you haven't sent any mail.
* A program disappears from the computer, but you haven't uninstalled it.
* The computer starts as expected some of the time, but at other times, stops responding before the desktop icons and taskbar appear.
* The computer runs very slowly and it takes a long time to start.
* Out of memory error message appears, even though your computer has plenty of RAM.
* Windows restarts unexpectedly.
* A partition on your PC completely disappears.

None of the above signs is a sure-shot sign of a virus infection, but if you do happen to notice one or more of these, get in touch with your software engineer immediately.


Which is the best anti-virus software?

Norton Antivirus, McAfee Virus Scan and Avast are the most popular anti-virus solution available today. Most computers come with an anti virus software installed, but you need to update it regularly by downloading the same from the website. If you think your PC might be infected or that the software isn't functioning as it should, get in touch with your software engineer immediately.

SOURCE: http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2007/aug/06virus.htm

Hey pratik, as we all know that computer virus is very dangerous and can make serious damage to our system. That is why it is advisable to use latest antivirus for protection and should update on regular basis. I am uploading a presentation which will tell detailed explanation about virus and ways of protection.
 

Attachments

  • Information on VIRUSES.ppt
    178.5 KB · Views: 0
Top