I
do not propose to go into the deep explanation of what
constitutes a computer virus on this page. Check out the
links provided if you are still not aware of what they
are. However, in simple terms it has come to mean any
program that can infiltrate your computer and affect the
way it operates in a malicious way. It can cause damage
to hardware, software, send out e-mails unknown to user,
loss of control operations, loss of data, display messages,
factual or fictious. It is often used to describe
programs that are not strictly virus' but are correctly
termed trogans.
The nature of those virus' now appearing does not really
allow for such a clear distinction any longer. A
virus may actually be used to distribute and setup a trogan
on a computer.
As
already stated they can cause damage, however there are
some that cause no problems and are simply jokes, which
I guess is the original intention of those that write
and distribute them, plus a need to display control and
have power over others in a stealth like manner. Or
they see it as a challenge to conquer someone else's efforts
to detect and stop intruders.
A
trogan is possible something to be feared more when it
comes to security. Commonly referred to as a backdoor,
it allows a would be, want to be hacker, to access your
computer unknown to you and see anything you can see and
more on your computer. They can access passwords,
accounts, pictures, e-mails ... everything, and change
things, as well as install a virus. Virus scanners
can be compromised to not recognise the trogan.
Am
I safe?
No! I often get asked the question. My answer
is that computers work on "zero's" and "one's",
and to my way of thinking if someone (a genuine hacker)
can get down to that level then there can be no real security.
When I say "zero's" and "one's",
I am referring to binary ... the code that computers work
on ... 0's and 1's. The degree of security depends
on the security software you are running and it's ability
to recognise 'adverse' patterns within pulses of the billions
of 0's and 1's travelling around inside your computer.
New virus' are written and released daily. These
are not always detectable until infection has occurred
and some action brings attention to them.
