1.0 Introduction
Back to past few decades where we use obsolete computer system with disk drives, and also no networks. Computer users happily make their jobs without worrying about the computer. Just sit at front of the working place and begin finishing tasks. Then copy the finished work to store and done. Until today, where many technologies invented and peoples discovered new things, the computer is where many sorts of things either we realize or still unknown can happen. There are few things that we do not want things bad happen to our computer. Sometime in the early 1970s, a virus named as Creeper publicly detected in the Internet. It managed to create copies into many other computers that attached to the networks. Nowadays, many other types of computer threats exist such as worms, malware, denial-of-service attack, etc. According to Eugene Aseev (2009), 45% of the threats are viruses, other 45% are trojans and worms, and the rest 10% are other malicious wares. The previous figures show that the threats are increasing.
1.1 Objective of the Article
The purpose of this report is to give a clear view on the two computer threat mostly known which are virus and worms. In this report, we will discuss on what these threat are, how these threat works, and how to stop these types of threat.
2.0 Article Review
2.1.0 Computer virus
2.1.1 The introduction to virus
The viruses are a software programs that specially designed to do harms to the computer hardware or data files by interfering the computer operation. It is small enough where it can be stored in the floppy disk. The originality of the word “virus” actually refers to the program which the process is similar to the biological virus. The traits are common where the computer virus passes from a computer to another computer, same as biological virus which passes from a person to another person. Viruses are not same as other threats because the virus need a program to make it works, as a virus needs a cell as a something for it to continue its process. The term “virus” was first used in academic publication by Fred Cohen (1984); in his paper Experiments with Computer Viruses.
2.1.2 Virus activities
Early creation of viruses is a piece of program coded that attached to a word processors or a computer games. The coded of the virus are designed to make it spreads itself. It has many methods to spread, either by networks, floppy disk, removable disk, etc. The attack done by virus varies by it types. Some of it may do file deletion, file replacement, and the worst is stopping the computer. These particular viruses are written so it can occur when reach its goal. As a virus it search for the file or program, when it get to the specified file or program then it attached itself and create a harmful process, which is written to its code for what it should do. As an example, the Melissa virus that took advantage on the Microsoft Word program is one of the complete programmed viruses. It attached itself to the Microsoft Word and uses the VB language to modify it to send the virus through the e-mails from the users mailing contacts.
2.2.3 Stopping the virus
Many of the company today provide a software called “Anti-virus”. This software works to stop to virus from harm infecting the computer. Analogically the anti-virus works as an antibody for the computer. It searches the computer for the virus and tried to delete it from the system, and for the sake of the user is protect the computer from being infected by the virus. In 1970s, a science fiction novel wrote by David Gerrold, When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One, describes a fictional computer program called Virus that exactly work as a virus and am Antibody to counter the virus similar to the anti-virus nowadays.
2.2.0 Computer worms
2.2.1 The introduction of worms
Worms are a reproducing program that runs independently and travel across network connections. These worms are different from the viruses by which they reproduce itself and spread. As a virus depend on a program to process and spread, worm are completely independent and can spread itself through the network connections. The term ‘Worm’ originally describe a computer bug which firstly used in the novel written by John Brunner’s novel The Shockwave Rider in 1975. The novel describes a program known as ‘tapeworm’ which spread through a network for deleting data. After that, researchers start writing a paper on similarity of a program and the program that were written in the novel. And then the researcher adopts the name to use it officially.
2.2.2 The worm’s work
As discussed in the previous, worm works different with the virus. The virus attached itself to a program, thus being one of the programs. Unlike worm, it does not need to be a part of a program and able to replicate itself. The worm usually designed to exploit the network transmission. Worm usually infects a computer, it replicate itself as much possible and transfer through the network. This process will then slow down the computer, or may even the whole network connection. It also may be programmed to delete files and create a backdoor to the infected computer. According to the Kaspersky Labs (2002), the Morris worm which effected great number of computer with Sun-3 and VAX system at a time. Morris worm then create itself to many copies until these systems is unusable.
2.2.3 Protecting computers from the computer worms
Same as the virus, worms also can be stopped by using anti-virus software. Yet the effect done by the worms may leave the backdoor to the computer that might have potential for other virus or worms infect the system again. The worm sometimes need special removal tool to get rid from the system since they can have many type and not as easy to detect compared to virus.
3.0 Conclusion
Virus, worms, trojan, and many others malicious file are considered harmful to the computer since these files reads our confidential data, and can change the data without authorized permission. Unluckily enough the files can also stop and paralyze the system. Using the correct tool, and anti-virus programs can help prevent our system from getting the harmful threat, and accessing the data that already known for its safety is highly encouraged to preserve the system from such threats.
References
1) Eugene Aseev. (2008). Monthly Malware Statistics: December 2008. Kasperksy Labs.
2) Deirdre Day-MacLeod, (2008). Viruses and Spam. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2008.
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