How Computer Viruses Work
Viruses : A virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs. For example, a virus might attach itself to a program such as a spreadsheet program. Each time the spreadsheet program runs, the virus runs, too, and it has the chance to reproduce (by attaching to other programs) or wreak havoc. E-mail viruses : An e-mail virus travels as an attachment to e-mail messages, and usually replicates itself by automatically mailing itself to dozens of people in the victim s e-mail address book. Some e-mail viruses don t even require a double-clickthey launch when you view the infected message in the preview pane of your e-mail software. Trojan horses : A Trojan horse is simply a computer program. The program claims to do one thing (it may claim to be a game) but instead does damage when you run it (it may erase your hard disk). Trojan horses have no way to replicate automatically. Worms : A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that has a specific security hole. It copies itself to the new machine using the security hole, and then starts replicating from there, as well. In this article, we will discuss virusesboth traditional viruses and e-mail virusesso that you can learn how they work and understand how to protect yourself. Virus Origins Computer viruses are called viruses because they share some of the traits of biological viruses. A computer virus passes from computer to computer like a biological virus passes from person to person. Unlike a cell, a virus has no way to reproduce by itself. Instead, a biological virus must inject its DNA into a cell. The viral DNA then uses the cell s existing machinery to reproduce itself. In some cases, the cell fills with new viral particles until it bursts, releasing the virus. In other cases, the new virus particles bud off the cell one at a time, and the cell remains alive. A computer virus shares some of these traits. A computer virus must piggyback on top of some other program or document in order to launch. Once it is running, it can infect other programs or documents. Obviously, the analogy between computer and biological viruses stretches things a bit, but there are enough similarities that the name sticks. People write computer viruses. A person has to write the code, test it to make sure it spreads properly and then release it. A person also designs the virus s attack phase, whether it s a silly message or the destruction of a hard disk. Why do they do it? There are at least three reasons. The first is the same psychology that drives vandals and arsonists. Why would someone want to break a window on someone s car, paint signs on buildings or burn down a beautiful forest? For some people, that seems to be a thrill. If that sort of person knows computer programming, then he or she may funnel energy into the creation of destructive viruses.
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Understanding the spreading patterns of mobile phone viruses CSE PROJECTS