Author: Smith
I have been writing on Internet security and its implications for almost 2 years. Never have my writings attracted mass attraction as I had earlier expected. I asked myself why. Why don't my writings create a stir that I want them to? Is there any shortcoming in me or are people plainly ignorant? Two years and I am still searching for the answer.
Never has been the fact that security has been looked down upon. In fact, it is one of the most lucrative fields. And a lot of people and money are invested in this. It's a multi-billion dollar industry. Just a search on any search engine will lead you to almost 10,00,000 results. So you can safely assume that what I am writing is not just going down the drains.
Human psychology happens to be my favorite pastime. I love studying the reactions of particular individual to different stimulus. So I observed the trends of netizens in various places - chatrooms, message boards, guest books, email, etc. Whoever the person was, I always asked him whether he is interested in his online privacy and security. And in most cases the reply was "What in hell is that!!". So slowly I began to think that I am onto a futile endeavor.
But just the other day, I got infected by a deadly virus known as Win95.MTX. The smarty virus prevents the infected pc from accessing antivirus sites. So no where you could find information which will help save your dearest pc. Then I realized that had someone been writing on such virus on websites, I would have been spared the trouble of formatting my hard disk. I am a sensible user and since I had all my important data backed up, it was not much of an ordeal.
Win95.MTX has a virus component and a worm component. It propagates using email. Also it infects some Win32 executables in specific directories. The virus also has the capability to block access to certain web sites. This may prevent users from downloading new virus definitions.
If you get an email from anyone (even your closest confidant) and the subject matter or attached file name ends with " .doc.pif ", simply delete that file. Do NOT open it. This file contains the deadly virus.
To repair this virus, you can download Norton Anti-Virus tools from Symantec.com. Computer users are advised to keep updating their Anti-Virus software periodically to combat the new viruses that keep erupting everyday.
So what is the aim of writing all this? This is to justify my choice to write on a topic, though largely ignored, is of prime importance. Also I aim to reduce the ignorance that stops people from gathering the knowledge they need. To bring in a new enthusiasm in this supposedly boring field. I am here to make you all know that security is a subject people can be passionate about and still make it up as a lucrative career. So next time you find anyone mentioning security, don't frown off. It may make a lot of difference to your life-both online and offline.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
What is Hack worms?
So you are ready, uh? To know the various disease causing germs transmitting via the Internet. Well, the topic is so vast, that I will split in into small parts, each dealing with their different aspects. This time, I will just introduce you to the topic. Then, we shall see their origin and spread. Further, information regarding the most important (in other words, dangerous) viruses and their elimination will be given. Later, we will see various anti-virus packages and how to use them.
The first encounter with a computer virus is a mixture of thrill, suspense, comedy and later tragedy. It is comical at first to see your programs act funny and show comical messages. This is accompanied by an element of suspense when you realize that your computer has been infected, but you don't know what it will do, or what it can do. When important data is lost and you have to re-format your hard disk, the story becomes tragic. But when your anti-virus package (you have one, don't you?) detects the culprit and deletes it, you are filled with pride and satisfaction. The same old story of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Computers generally pick up viruses from infected files over a floppy (who uses these nowadays?), a network or the mother of all networks, the Internet. Research shows that the main culprits for the spread of these unwanted guests is the Internet. Infected files are attached to anonymous messages and sent to thousands of people who unknowingly download and execute the file attachment, creating a havoc on their machines as well as the network the are on.
Many people configure their mail clients to automatically forward the mails they receive, assuring that the infected file is generously distributed to other people too.
Detection and removal of computer viruses is a thriving industry today. A philosopher has rightly said, someone's troubles are a boon to others. Major players in the field of Virus detection and elimination are Symantec (Norton Antivirus), Network Associates (Mcaffee Viruscan), Datafellows (F-Secure) and Trend Micro (PC-cillin). These are international players. Besides, regional antivirus software are also available, which are modified to suit local needs.
In the next part of this series, we will look into the types of viruses. A brief intro about the evolution of the computer virus and the reason for its vast popularity (or shall I say notoriety).
So see you next time, Until then, Happy Surfing.
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