DIFFERENT TYPES OF VIRUSES

Computer viruses are computer software that is harmful to computers; it enters a computer without the permission of the owner and without its knowledge. Most of these viruses have the ability to replicate themselves and spread, but some other viruses can cause more serious damages to computers.  They can affect the programs and performance systems.  Computer viruses and worms are similar to human viruses, because they are “alive,” they have to have a host and a weak link like any biological virus. A weak link in a human may be a weak immune system and in a computer a not updated antivirus, they replicate until they reach their target or gain control of the host.

They are several kinds of viruses that can be classified in different areas:

1-Memory Resident Virus:

These types of viruses establish in the computer memory, they infect all the computers fill when the operating system, they can corrupt files that are in the computer. They hide in the ram and they are very efficient because after eliminating the viruses they can stay in the ram and get control of the memory and it can run its own code.

            Some Examples are:

1.      Randex

2.      CMJ

3.      MEVE

4.      MrMklunky

2-Direct Action Viruses:

These viruses are usually found in the hard disk’s root directory. The main purpose is to replicate, and it takes action when the virus is executed.  They are file-infesters, because the corrupt files in the device.  You can find them in computers, pen drives or hard disks.  These types of viruses are hard to get rid of because they change their location into new files.

            Example:

                                    1.Vinenna virus

3-Overwrite viruses:

These kinds of viruses can be very harmful to computers and personal information’s because it deletes the information contained in files that it infects. The virus leaves the field useless once it infected that file. They are located in the file they infected but they are tricky to find because they do not change the size of the file, and the only way to clean the file infected is to delete the entire file, resulting in loosing the original content in that file.

            Example:

1.      WAY

2.      Trj.Reboot

3.      Trivial.88.D

4-Boot Sector Virus

            The boot sector of a hard disk is very important because information of the disk is located there and along with a program it makes possible to start the computer from the disk. The boot sector virus affects the Boot and it makes it difficult for the computer to start.

5-Macro Virus

            These types of virus were created with applications or programs that contained .doc, .xls, .pps, .md. Macro viruses infect these files and also infect templates and many documents that have macro.

Example:

1.RELAX

2.Melissa. A

3.Bablas

6-Directory Virus

            These viruses infect the directory of your computer by changing the location of a file. These viruses are very harmful because once the virus infects your computer it is impossible to locate the original file you are trying to run.

            Example:

                        Dir-2 Virus

2012s worst Viruses

Flame

The first viruses to spread medium Bluetooth, and it was detected in a Russian lab

Belgian Computer Crime Virus

Spread all over the world and charge people a fee saying that this fee was for the police and ask people for personal information.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/different-types-of-computer-viruses.html

http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer/articles/computer-security-threats-computer-viruses

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/V/virus.html

Francisco Salazar  

Computer Worms

Computer worms are different from viruses because they reproduce and spread differently, they are independent at the time they spread and also they reproduce independently and can invade more computers than viruses. Worms can travel in networks; by this they can reach more computers faster.

Email Worms
This type of worm is one of the most famous because it spreads through emails, infecting millions of computers.  It moves from attachment to attachment or different links.  These are the most common ways they spread:

• MS Outlook Services
• Direct connection to SMTP servers using their own SMTP API
• Windows MAPI functions

Internet Worms 

This worms move through networks, they infiltrate your networks using local operating systems, they look for weak networks or vulnerable ones.  When they get to your network they gain full access of your computer and can cause some severe damage and they get the opportunity to spread to other networks easily.

Examples

-not patched

-Data packets

Francisco Salazar

http://www.howstuffworks.com/virus5.htm

http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/worldwideweb/g/bldef_worm.htm

Cyber Warfare

 

So we all have heard about the nuclear threats from North Korea, but nobody is worried about the possible cyber-attacks.  Currently North Korea does not have the technology to reach the United States with their nuclear weapons.  They do, however, have the technology to shut down South Korea’s computer networks.  Recently North Korea launched cyber-attacks that shut down banks and broadcasters of South Korea.  The United States has partnered with South Korea to try to prevent future attacks from North Korea.  Since there is the looming threat of nuclear weapons it has become more prominent on everyone’s mind.  The threat of cyber-attacks may need to be more prominent in everyone’s mind.  Since all of our information is kept on computer’s there is a possibility of information being hacked by countries that we consider our enemies.  This is why it is great that the United States is taking precautions to protect their information.  

Cyber warfare can potentially become a huge threat to the United States and other developed countries who keep their information predominately online.  Think of all the personal information and government information that is stored online.  This information could be obtained by an enemy and used for their gain.  A hacker could also just shut down our systems.  In the United States everything is now being ran by technology and if someone hacked this information and shut down the system it would put our country on an unavoidable lock down.  It is important that the government and businesses work to protect their information from being hacked by malicious enemies.  

Haley Hunt

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2032918/us-south-korea-join-forces-to-prevent-cyberattacks-by-north-korea.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/2013/04/south-korea-hit-hard-by-massive-cyber-attack/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21855051

Hacking the Stars!

Good day all,


   I came across an article this morning that stated that power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z was hacked!  Their bank account information was leaked onto the web by hackers.  Michelle Obama has also recently been in the news because her social security number was compromised.  These hackers are using various worms/viruses in order to get this information.  Now, tell me, If it was they could get a little private information from the First Lady, then stealing mine or your identity should be a cake walk.  The First Lady, the secret service could not protect her from this virtual attack.  This friends proves that we are becoming ever more vulnerable to viruses, malware and all the sorts.  How can we average Joes be safe when the high status individuals can not even be protected? Yes, they may be of a greater target towards hackers. Although that still does not release us from the threat of identity theft.  I suggest we follow the guidelines set by my colleague Almendina and be safe on the internet.







LONG LIVE THE WEB!


-Hector Hernandez

http://urbanislandz.com/2013/03/12/beyonce-jay-z-amond-celebrities-bank-accounts-hacked/

These days’ people are downloading and exchanging more information over the Internet then ever before. People who are sharing files over the Internet are in such a rush, they forget about those nasty little bugs that can add up over time and make your files act oddly, crash your computer, pop up bizarre messages, or worst of all, destroy your operating system. A computer virus is one of the main problems people have with their computers. It usually loads itself into your computer system when you run a program with an attachment. From then on, it’ll reproduce itself by attaching copies of itself to other programs on your hard drive. When a virus opens up and exposes itself, it is set up to look like something you might want to download on your computer. This is why you have to be careful when opening certain programs and always make sure you take the time to look around for signs. When you want to see if a virus is attached somewhere in your operating system you have to launch the program and if something unexpected happened, then you will know it is too late.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, the most important actions you can take to protect your operating system against viruses is to:
•       Install antivirus
•       Do not open e-mail attachments
•       Keep your operating system updated

After doing some more research on how to protect your computer from viruses, I came across some other way to protect your operating system from these annoying little bugs.
•       Be sure to do a full back up of your system on regular basis
•       Be aware of hoaxes
•       Don’t allow your web browser to automatically run programs.

I hope my blog has informed all of you how to protect your operating systems. But wait, were not done yet.  Viruses are not the only type of programs that are written solely to destroy your computer or use it in an unauthorized way. Other programs are Logic Bombs, Trojan Horses, and Worms. Do some of your own research on these programs and help your computer before these monsters destroy it!


Almedina Suljicic


http://www.howstuffworks.com/virus7.htm

http://www.sovereignbank.com/business/security_center/protect_computer_against_virus.asp

Malware and Society

   
      In my last blog I discussed how big of an impact a virus or worm can have on society. The reality is quite sobering and hopefully shed some light on the necessity of being careful to whom and where you release personal information to. This blog will talk more about how someone would use malware to gain access to this kind of information. Hopefully by understanding the process, one might be able to prevent their personal information from falling into the wrong hands. Then I will also discuss more ways in which a simple virus can compromise a whole society.

    The first thing to understand is the distinction between Malware, viruses, worms, and etc. Malware is a general term that describes malicious software. This software is generally what will contain the actual virus itself. A virus will attach itself to an executable file so it can spread itself, whereas a worm replicates itself by sending copies of itself over a network. A Trojan horse is a term used to describe a certain kind of coding that will allow a virus to operate without detection under the guise that the actually software is supposed to be doing something else. Key logging application records keystrokes and sends them back to someone who can then decipher it and use it to gain access to whatever they were looking for. All of these tools are utilized by hackers today allowing them to gain access to massive amounts of data.

    In the last blog I discussed the PSN hack, while it is unclear how they actually got into the network, it is clear they utilized a system of physical and computer based means to accomplish this task. This allowed them access to the information of over 70 million users which are now at risk for phishing scams or similar kinds of issues. A nuclear facility also had a breach when a tainted USB device carrying an unknown virus infected the mainframe of one of their plants. While nothing extremely urgent was reported it did expose the flaws in their security protocols on these devices. If the virus had been used in such a way it would not be very difficult to infect the plants and cause a Chernobyl anywhere in the world. This again shows the dangers of our increasingly heavy reliance on computers, but yet at this crossroad it is also a necessity to do so.



Jonathan Alsop


Sources

http://thehackernews.com/2013/01/malware-infects-us-powers-through-usb.html#_
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware#Infectious_malware:_viruses_and_worms

Effects of Viruses or Worms on Personal Computers

Viruses or worms can have a significant impact on your personal computer.  Before you can understand the effects that a virus might have on you as a user, you need to understand the definition of a virus.  A virus is “a self replicating application that spreads by making copies of itself by inserting into other programs.”  There are multiple ways that a virus could affect you personally.  

The most obvious problem that a virus can cause is to destroy your computer.  Because viruses can target data stored in your hard drive, a virus may completely crash your computer.  At this point, you may not even be able to reboot your computer.  This can cause inconveniences for you, as well as the financial burden of having to purchase a new computer. 

Not all viruses are so significant that they would completely destroy a computer.  Some attack the memory of the PC, which may result in significantly slower performance from the computer.   

Keeping photos and copies of contracts, or receipts on your computer is relatively common.  Having your computer crash from a virus may result in you losing these irreplaceable files if they are not also stored on an external disc or hard drive.  That is why backing up your data on an external drive is so important. 

        Bryce Morgan

http://www.pctechguide.com/virus-removal/how-does-a-virus-impact-my-computer

http://www.streetdirectory.com/etoday/effects-of-computer-viruses-lljef.html

Problems with worms and viruses

Hello all,

     We all know of worms and viruses and the capabilities that they may have. The purposes may differ from each different virus or worm depending on the creator. As we learn through the video from Mikko Hypponen in the beginning of the malicious software it was for hobbyist. The malicious software would just be annoying and done for fun. As the world integrates its everyday activities with the Internet, we also become more vulnerable to the evils of viruses and worms.
      A virus is described as a computer program that copies itself from one computer to another. A virus needs someone to tell it to go from one computer to the next, a worm on the other hands simply moves from network to network on its on behalf, needing no one. A big thing that Mikko discusses in his speech is that criminal organizations have taken control of coding these viruses. Codes such as acquiring the information that you key in on your computer. Imagine someone watching everything you type on your computer, this includes bank information, name, address, phone, social security. If someone with bad intent were to gain access to this information you would be in a heep of trouble. Organizations also program viruses into computer making the device unusable, in turn the criminal organization would buy the computer from the owner. Not only would they have all your information but now they may remove the software and sell it again for a profit.
      The general purpose of viruses and worms is to make life that much harder. The Internet is a great thing but if not careful can be extremely dangerous and financially crippling. As the Internet advances as do the minds of the hackers and programmers that write these codes that take all our vital information. The only thing i can say is be carefull where you online shop and don't open unfamiliar emails.


Hector Hernandez,

Over and out










http://mscns.wustl.edu/medlib/becker.nsf/WV/2665BE08842BBAF986256FB2006851C6?OpenDocument

http://www.ted.com/talks/mikko_hypponen_fighting_viruses_defending_the_net.html

The REAL Cost of doing Business with Computer Viruses

We all know that computer viruses that happen on our personal computers can be costly, so imagine the economic impact on businesses that viruses can have.  Several years ago Google reported a cost of $500,000 after an attack on their information.  The cost was calculated by looking at revenue lost by fighting a malicious virus and the hours spent used to fight off the virus.  $500,000 compared to the amount of revenue Google earns may not seem like much money, but when it comes to smaller businesses, the impact can be much larger.  Computer viruses can cause more financial trouble for businesses then they may realize. 

There are many aspects that can cause the financial troubles a company faces when they are attacked by computer viruses, malicious software, or worms.  First of all if there is a computer virus sent by a hacker it could release important financial information about the company.  If financial information about the company is leaked the hacker could have access to assets of the company.  Customer information could also be leaked which could lead to the loss of sales or revenue being brought into the business.  

Many costs that come with a business being attacked by a computer virus is the money spent trying to fight off the attackers that deployed the virus.  Google was a prime example of a company who had to pay out a hefty amount of money to try to fight off a virus that was attacking their system.  Many hours and people will have to be used to try and keep the virus from infiltrating the companies system.  

Finally the money that needs to be paid to replace firewalls that are attacked after the virus has been subdued.  Many of the viruses that hit companies can destroy information that is in the company so cleaning up after the virus can be costly.  It may take time and effort to read and check all the documents and information that is currently in the system and that may have been compromised.  

For companies it is definitely best to try to put up protection against the viruses, although with hackers wanting to obtain important information makes it difficult.  Companies will be better off by putting a small amount of money down to try and prevent many of the attacks that could become problematic in the long run.  Even though anti-virus software and many precautions that often suggested will not always work, it is still worth the money that it could save in the long run.  

http://www.crn.com/news/channel-programs/18816957/computer-virus-costs-reach-10-7-billion-this-year.htm 

http://news.cnet.com/Computer-crime-costs-67-billion,-FBI-says/2100-7349_3-6028946.html 

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/f-b-i-memos-reveal-cost-of-a-hacking-attack/

Haley Hunt