ByRAVITEJA

the most high-profile threats to information integrity is the computer virus.

The most sophisticated threats to computer systems are presented by programs that exploit the vulnerabilities in computing systems

Malware has a mechanism to replicate and propagate itself. The different types of malware are: Trap doors, logic bombs, trojan horses, viruses, worms and zombies.

WormsSpamVirus HoaxesTrojan HorsesAdwareSpywareMalware

Boot viruses

Program viruses

Polymorphic viruses

Stealth viruses

Macro viruses

Network viruses

Multipartite Viruses

Boot viruses:

These viruses infect floppy disk.

These viruses load into memory if the computer tries to read the disk while it is booting.

Boot sector viruses can be created without much difficulty and infect either the Master boot record of the hard disk or the floppy drive.

program viruses:

They infect program files like files with extensions like .EXE, .COM , .BIN , .DRV and .SYS. Some file viruses just replicate while others destroy the program being used at that time.

when executed they load the virus in the memory along with the program and perform the predefined steps and infect the system

STEALTH VIRUSES:

These viruses steals computers memory. They viruses are use various methods to hide themselves and to avoid detection.

POLYMORPHIC VIRUSES:

These viruses are more difficult to detect They have the ability to mutate this means that they change the viral code known as the signature each time it spreads or infects.

macro viruses: A macro virus is a new type of computer virus that infects macros with in a document.

In essence, a macro is an executable program embedded in a word processing document or other type of file. Typically users employ macros to automate repetitive tasks and there by save key strokes.

network virus:

These viruses rapidly spreads through LAN and internet.

INTERNETINTERNETLANLAN

Multipartite VirusesMultipartite viruses are the hybrid variety; they can be best described as a cross between both Boot Viruses and File viruses. They not only infect files but also infect the boot sector.

The ideal solution to the threat of viruses is prevention. Do not allow a virus is get into the system in first place. This goal is in general difficult to achieve, although prevention can reduce the no: of successful viral attacks..

Detection: Once the infection has occurred, determine that it has occurred and locate the virus. Identification: Once detection has been achieved, identify the specific virus has infected a program.Removal: Once the specific virus has been identified, remove all traces of the virus from the infected program and restore it to its original state.

Advances in viruses and antivirus technology go hand in hand. As the virus arms race has evolved, both viruses and antivirus software have grown more complex and sophisticated

Usage of the “good-virus” in Centralized Anti-Virus Update:

The person responsible for maintaining the virus protection has to go personally to each computer and download the new version of the package manually from the server, the situation has not improved very much.

One segment of the worm will constantly monitor the logins. Each time a workstations attempts to login, that segment automatically queries that workstation whether it is running the anti-virus product and which version of it.

Affirmation to “good virus” Norms:

It conforms to the Control requirement as the virus attempts to spread only on the computers attempting to access the network on which it is running.

In fact, the replication code will not be copied, if they are not needed. The fact that it is a worm and spreads as a whole on the network makes it relatively easy to fulfill the requirement too.

Since the "virus" modifies only old copies of itself and does not touch other programs, no compatibility problems due to its virus-like behavior will occur.

Computer viruses are not evil and that programmers have a right to create them, posses them and experiment with them. But we should never support those people who writing viruses with destructive nature Thus it can be effectively proved that it is possible to use the concept of a virus for beneficial purposes. The future might use this technology for tedious and resource consuming jobs like software updates, system maintenance and intruder detection.The “good viruses” are capable of annihilating their malicious counterparts

1. The Little Black book of Computer Viruses (electronic edition) By Mark A. Ludwig

2. An Undetectable Computer Virus by David Chess and Steve White, presented at the Virus Bulletin Conference, September 2000 [PDF version]

3. Fred Cohen, Computer Viruses - Theory and Experiments, Computer Security: A Global Challenge, Elsevier Science Publishers B. V. (North-Holland), 1984, pp. 143-158.

4. Fred Cohen, Models of Practical Defenses against Computer Viruses, Computers Security, 8 (1989), 2, pp. 149-160.

5. Nachenberg, C. “Computer Virus-Antivirus Coevolution.” Communications of the ACM.

6. Computational Aspects of Computer Viruses by Fred Cohen

7. Trends in Computer Virus Research by Fred Cohen8. Methodology of Computer Anti-Virus Research by

Vesselin Bontchev