Viruses, Malicious Code,& Other Nasty Stuff

Presented by:

Melissa Dark

K-12 Outreach Coordinator

CERIAS, Purdue University

dark@cerias.purdue.edu

765.496.6762

http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/education/K-12

Software Security:(Viruses, Trojans, Unwanted Access)

• Only install necessary and trusted

software.

• Beware of *free* games, screen savers,

and graphics.

• Keep a hard copy of the copyright

release for all “free” products!

• Run and UPDATE anti-virus software!!

• 1988: Less than 10 known viruses• 1990: New virus found every day• 1993: 10-30 new viruses per week• 1999: 45,000 viruses and variants

Source: McAfee

Virus Growth

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

1988 1990 1993 1999

Pikachu Worm: A K-12 Nightmare

This dialog box appears after the

PIKACHUPOKEMON.EXE file has been activated. Worm:

• Accesses Outlook Address Book

• Embeds code to delete Windows and Windows Subfolders upon Restart.

• +: Does ask for permission to delete files with a “Y” command.

Examples of Nasty Stuff:

• Trojan Horse • Viruses• Worms• Logic Bomb• Trapdoors

Viruses:

• Viruses: a computer program file capable of attaching to disks or other files and replicating itself repeatedly, typically without user knowledge or permission.

. ...what if the Greek soldiers in the Trojan Horse had the plague??

Worms:

• Worms: reproducing programs that run independently and travel across network connections.

Reproduction Differences:* A virus is dependent upon a host file or boot sector, and the transfer of files between machines to spread.

* A worm can run completely independently and spread of its own will through network connections.

Trojan Horse:

• Trojan Horse: a malicious program that pretends to be a benign application; a Trojan horse program purposefully does something the user does not expect.

Trojans are not viruses since they do not replicate, but Trojan horse programs can be just as destructive.

Logic Bomb:

• Logic Bomb: A logic bomb is a type of Trojan Horse that executes when specific conditions occur. – Triggers for logic bombs can include

change in a file, by a particular series of keystrokes, or at a specific time or date.

Trapdoor:

• Trapdoors: allows access to a system by skipping the usual login routine.

Mattel Example...

Virus Information Activity(for students or teachers)

Directions: • Choose one of the keywords listed on the next

slide. • Go to the McAfee virus information library (http://

vil.mcafee.com/) and search for information dealing with your selection.

• Skim through the choices and pick the best one to explore! Explain what the virus is, what it will do, and steps to fix it.

Virus Awareness Activity: Debriefing

• Pok• Snoopy• Love• Backdoor• Bud Frogs• Anna• Bob

• Pretty• Cobra• Sorry• Funny• Perrin• Nim• Code Red