University of Zakho

Faculty of science
Computer science department

Report

What is computer virus

Prepared by: Supervised by:

Momen Khalat Muhammed Mrs.shireen

 Table of contents

1.0 what is computer virus ……………………………………………………………………………….1

1.1 How does a computer get infect with virus …………………………………………………1

2.0 What does computer virus do? …………………………………………………………………..2

2.1 Symptoms of computer virus ………..……………………………………………………………2

3.0 Types of computer virus ……………………………………………………………………………..3

4.0 The history of computer virus …………………………………………………………………….4

5.0 How to remove virus from computer ………………………………………………………….6

6.0 Computer virus protection ………………………………………………………………………….7

 1.0 What is computer virus:
A computer virus is a program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your
knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves.
All computer viruses are man-made.

a program which can harm our device and files and infect them for no further use. When a virus
program is executed, it replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and instead
enters its own coding. This code infects a file or program and if it spreads massively, it may
ultimately result in crashing of the device.

1.1 How does a computer get infect with virus:

1. Accepting without reading.
One of the most common ways a computer becomes infected is when a user accepts
what they see on the screen without reading or understanding the prompt. For instance:
• While browsing the Internet, an Internet advertisement or window appears that
says your computer is infected or that a unique plug-in is required. Without fully
understanding what it is you're getting you accept the prompt.

2. Downloading any infect software.

when downloading any software (pro-grams, utilities, games, updates, demos, etc.) via
the Internet, make sure you're downloading the software from a reliable source. Be sure
to run your downloads through your antivirus.

3. Opening e-mail attachment.

As a general rule, do not open e-mail you were not expecting to receive. Viruses enter
the computer when users open e-mail attachments that contain malicious code Even if
the message is from a co-worker, friend, or family member, always use caution before
opening a link or downloading an attachment.

4. Not running latest update.

Make sure you are running the last update of operating system.

5. Sharing files and photos with another user.

6. Not antivirus scanner.

Antivirus can remove any virus, and it helps prevent future attacks.

7. Inserting or connection an infected disk or drive.

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2.0 What does computer virus do:
some computer viruses are programmed to harm your computer by damaging programs,
deleting files, or reformatting the hard drive. Others simply replicate themselves or flood a
network with traffic, making it impossible to perform any internet activity. Even less harmful
computer viruses can significantly disrupt your system’s performance, sapping computer
memory and causing frequent computer crashes.

2.1 Symptoms of computer virus:

That is 10 common symptoms of computer virus.

1. Your computer is Slowing Down

It is one of the most common symptoms which will slow down your computer. If your
computer is taking longer time than normal to start and internet speed begin to slow down,
then your computer has been affected by a computer virus.

2. Unwanted Programs Start Automatically

When you will start your computer, you may become aware of the some unwanted warning
signs which mean your computer has infected by virus. The symptoms may be
windows shutting down suddenly without any reason and programs are opening or closing
automatically.

3. System Crashing

When your computer crashes suddenly, you may notice it does not seem to run normally
and you should check it. If your computer self-restart frequently, every few minutes then
this symptom may indicate that your system is infected by a computer virus

4. Out of Storage Space

This is another symptom of computer viruses that can increase or decrease the hard
drive storage and make your computer unusable. If your computer keeps saying your
drive is in low storage space, you may surprise is that caused by computer virus.

Sometimes you will get the ‘low disk space’ warning message and you didn’t download
any large documents even you have enough storage space.

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 5. Blocked From Antivirus Sites

If your computer has been infected by computer viruses then your computer may be
prevented from accessing the antivirus websites. The malicious viruses can
modify internet browser settings by adding a Proxy Server and you will be unable to visit
any websites.

6. Advertisements on Web Browser

If your web browser is being redirected to another unwanted websites, or advertisements

are popping up when you browse the internet, then your computer may be infected with
malicious program called adware.

Adware is a software program that is designed to display advertisements up on your

computer screen within a web browser which redirect you to an advertising website and
collect your sensitive data.

3.0 Types of computer virus:

Discussed below are the different types of computer viruses:

• Boot Sector Virus – It is a type of virus that infects the boot sector of floppy disks or the
Master Boot Record (MBR) of hard disks. The Boot sector comprises all the files which
are required to start the Operating system of the computer. The virus either overwrites
the existing program or copies itself to another part of the disk.
• Direct Action Virus – When a virus attaches itself directly to a .exe or .com file and
enters the device while its execution is called a Direct Action Virus. If it gets installed in
the memory, it keeps itself hidden. It is also known as Non-Resident Virus.
• Resident Virus – A virus which saves itself in the memory of the computer and then
infects other files and programs when its originating program is no longer working. This
virus can easily infect other files because it is hidden in the memory and is hard to be
removed from the system.
• Multipartite Virus – A virus which can attack both, the boot sector and the executable
files of an already infected computer is called a multipartite virus. If a multipartite virus
attacks your system, you are at risk of cyber threat.
• Overwrite Virus – One of the most harmful viruses, the overwrite virus can completely
remove the existing program and replace it with the malicious code by overwriting it.
Gradually it can completely replace the host’s programming code with the harmful code.
• Polymorphic Virus – Spread through spam and infected websites, the polymorphic
virus are file infectors which are complex and are tough to detect. They create a
modified or morphed version of the existing program and infect the system and retain the
original code.

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• File Infector Virus – As the name suggests, it first infects a single file and then later
spreads itself to other executable files and programs. The main source of this virus are
games and word processors.
• Spacefiller Virus – It is a rare type of virus which fills in the empty spaces of a file with
viruses. It is known as cavity virus. It will neither affect the size of the file nor can be
detected easily.
• Macro Virus – A virus written in the same macro language as used in the software
program and infects the computer if a word processor file is opened. Mainly the source
of such viruses is via emails.
• Trojan horse – The Greek myth about hiding a contingent of soldiers within a gift to the
city of Troy is famous. The trojan horse is a virus that hides as another program that you
download onto the computer. These are dangerous because there is no sign of the virus
at first glance. While it hides in your computer, it downloads information to the hacker
and spreads it to other computers. Once a hacker has your bank account or credit card
information, they can use it to purchase items.

• Browser hijacker – one of the more embarrassing viruses out there is the browser
hijacker. If you’ve ever been on a web browser and suddenly find yourself on a not safe
for work page. These are more of an annoyance because they hijack your searches and
end up giving endless popups. Your computer could slow because of this. The most
common delivery system is email attachments and file downloads.

4.0 The history of computer virus:

1971

The first computer virus was born the same year Intel released its first commercially available
microprocessor. It was created as an experiment by BBN Technologies in the US to check if
it’s possible to self-replicate a program. When a virus attacked a computer, it displayed a
message saying: “I’m a creeper, catch me if you can”. That’s where its name comes from –
Creeper.

1974

The mid-1970s welcomed the Rabbit virus. As you can tell from its name, this virus was very
active. It self-replicated with the speed of lightning and crashed system performance just as
quickly.

A year later, the first Trojan was developed called ANIMAL.

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1982

In 1982, the first PC virus was created, and not by a criminal mastermind, as you might think.
No, Rich Skrenta, its creator, was a 15-year-old schoolboy at the time. The virus’s name was
Elk Cloner. It was spread through a floppy disc with a game on it and attached itself to the
Apple II operating system. When the game was launched for the 50th time, the screen
showed this poem instead of the game:

1988
The era of devastating viruses began in 1988. Up until then, most viruses were just jokes with
funny names and messages. But things changed when the Festering Hate virus first
appeared. Instead of infecting floppy disks and hard drives, it infected and destroyed every file
on hard drives, memory drives, and floppy disks.

1990s

One of the most prolific viruses of the 1990s was Form, a virus responsible for more than 50%
of all reported infections. The decade also saw viruses like Leonardo and Michelangelo,
whose creators were either fans of classical art or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT).
The latter (Michelangelo, not TMNT) would remain unnoticed throughout the year and only
activated on March 6 - Michelangelo’s birthday. So people would be advised to simply avoid
using their computers on this day.

2000s

Starting in 2000, a variety of new, more dangerous viruses were developed.

An extremely successful virus back then was a sweet “love letter”. The ILOVEYOU virus was
attached to an email with the subject “I love you”, allegedly sent from someone in your contact
list. The virus affected over 50 million computers in less than ten days and became one of the
most viral computer viruses ever.
SQL Slammer, developed in 2003, was so quick to spread, it crashed the internet less than 30
minutes after it was launched.
2007 saw the advent of the first virus capable of capturing the victim’s banking information -
Zeus.

2010

Computer viruses came up with a new distribution channel during this decade - social media.
Now, clueless Facebook or Twitter users could be tricked into clicking malicious ads,
suspicious links on their walls or in direct messages.

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5.0 How to remove virus from computer:

• Download and install a virus scanner – Download a virus scanner or complete

internet security solution. We recommend (Kaspersky internet security).
• Disconnect from internet – When you are removing a virus from your PC, it is a
good idea to disconnect from internet to prevent further damage: some
computer viruses use the internet connection to spread.
• Reboot your computer into safe mode – To protect your computer while you
remove the virus, reboot it ‘Safe Mode’. Are you unsure of how to do this?

Here is a simple guide:

➢ Turn your computer off and on again.

➢ When the screen lights, Press F8 to bring up the ‘Advanced boot option’ menu.
➢ Click ‘Safe Mode with Networking’.
➢ Remain disconnected from internet.

• Delete any temporary files – Next you need to delete any temporary files using
‘Disk Clean Up’

Here is how to do this:

➢ Click the Windows logo on the right bottom.

➢ Type “Temporary Files”.
➢ Choose “Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary files”.
➢ Find and select “Temporary Internet Files” in the ‘Files to delete Disk Cleanup list
and click ok.
➢ Confirm “Delete Files” selection.

Some viruses are programmed to initiate when your computer boots up. Deleting
temporary files may delete the virus. However, it’s not safe to rely on this. To ensure
you rid your computer of viruses, it is wise to complete the following steps.

• Run a virus scan - Now it is time to run a virus scan using your chosen anti-
virus or internet security software. If you are using Kaspersky Internet Security,
select and run ‘Scan’.

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 • Delete or quarantine the virus – if a virus is found, it may affect multiple files,
select ‘Delete’ or ‘Quarantine’ to remove the file(s) and get rid of the virus.
Rescan your computer to check there’s no further threats. If threats are found,
quarantine of delete the files.
• Reboot your computer – Now that the virus is removed, you can reboot your
computer. Simply turn it on as you would normally. It no longer needs to be in
‘Safe Mode’.
• Change all your passwords – To protect your computer from further attack,
change all your passwords in case they were compromised This is only strictly
necessary if you have reason to believe you captured by malware, but is better to
safe than sorry. You can always check the virus’s functionality on your anti-virus
vendor’s website or with technical support team if unsure.
• Update your software, browser and operating system – updating your
software, browser and operating system will reduce the risk of flaws in old code
being exploited by criminals to install malware on your computer.

6.0 Computer virus protection:

• When your arm yourself with information and resources, you're wiser about computer
security threats and less vulnerable to threat tactics. Take these steps to safeguard
your PC with the best computer virus protection:
• Use antivirus protection and a firewall.
• Get antispyware software.
• Always keep your antivirus protection and antispyware software up-to-date.
• Update your operating system regularly.
• Increase your browser security settings.
• Avoid questionable Websites.
• Only download software from sites you trust.
• Carefully evaluate free software and file-sharing applications before downloading
them.
• Don't open messages from unknown senders.
• Immediately delete messages you suspect to be spam.

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 References

1. J.O .Kephart. S. R. White, 2005, “measuring and modeling computer

virus prevalence”, pages (9-28).

2. P. S. Tippett, 2019, "The Kinetics of Computer Virus Replication: A

Theory and Preliminary Survey", Safe Computing: Proceedings of the
Fourth Annual Computer Virus and Security Conference, pages (66-
87).

3. Éric Filiol, 2017, “computer viruses from theory to applications”,

wayback machine, Birkhäuser, pages (29-33).

4. John A. F ,2017, “Computer viruses and malware”, springer, pages

(35,36).

5. Jacob S. M. 2015, “Engineering information security, the

application of systems engineering concepts to achieve information
assurance”, pages (14-35).