Let Us Kill That Virus!

Computer viruses are in the news again.

Time and time again, we have seen users' data destroyed, operating systems crashed, and even the Internet itself slowed to a crawl by malicious code flooding the Internet and overwhelming mail servers. Yet many -- possibly even most -- casual Internet users leave themselves vulnerable to infection by not using up-to-date virus protection.

Viruses have become increasingly aggressive and damaging in recent years, and safely removing them has become much more difficult.

In addition, many viruses contain code that makes it difficult or impossible to install or update virus scanning programs once the computer is infected.

What is a Computer Virus?

In simple terms, a computer virus is a piece of malicious code that is designed to disrupt your computer's normal operation. Viruses are most commonly spread via the Internet, either as email attachments or through any of the many ports that are commonly left open and unsecured by default on most computers. Viruses can also spread through programs and data that are shared between users on floppies, CD's, or across a LAN.

Viruses vary in their degree of maliciousness. Some are little more than pranks that cause an unexpected graphic or a silly message to appear on the monitor. Back in the early 1970's, a little piece of code known as "Cookie Monster" appeared that caused the message "I WANT COOKIE, GIVE ME COOKIE" to appear on users' terminals at seemingly random intervals. If the user typed the word "cookie," the message would disappear for a while. Typing the word "Oreo" would remove the virus completely. The Cookie Monster virus is often cited as the first computer virus to appear "in the wild," and even infected some secure systems at the Pentagon. But it was basically a harmless gag.

Most viruses, however, are more dangerous. Many can cause data loss, security breaches, or system corruption. Another recent trend among virus writers is to incorporate code in a virus that enlists your computer as part of a DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack against a particular company's Web site. In a DDOS attack, infected computers all over the world simultaneously attempt to connect with a single company's servers, thus overwhelming the servers and bringing the site down.

We're also encountering increasing cases of virus writers teaming up with spammers to produce malware specifically designed to use your computer to distribute commercial spam. These programs install mail servers on unprotected computers to allow the spammers to send their spam via your Internet connection.

Effects of Computer Viruses

The effect a virus is designed to inflict on a computer is known as its payload. Some, like the "Cookie Monster" virus mentioned above, are more annoying than harmful. But most are more destructive. Many will erase or corrupt vital documents or system files, and others seek to provide a way for hackers to gain unauthorized access to personal data such as names, addresses, passwords, credit card number, bank account statements, and so forth.

The importance of virus protection extends beyond your own computer's well-being. Without proper protection, your computer can become infected by malicious code that transforms it into a modern-day, electronic Typhoid Mary that infects other machines. Running an Internet-connected computer without a current virus scanner is simply irresponsible and endangers the Internet community at large, as well as causing needless headaches and expense to the infected machine's owner.

For prompt, on-site virus removal call BarrowGEEK today at (770) 868-2833.