Computer viruses – the gist of it

Table of contents
Introduction
Chapter I: What Are Computer Viruses?
Chapter II Types of computer viruses
Chapter III Anti-virus programs – what are they?
Chapter IV ow do anti-virus programs work?
Chapter V What to look for when purchasing an anti-virus program
Chapter VI Computer viruses to look out for
Conclusion
Introduction
Everybody who has ever owned a computer has dealt with viruses and the
negative effects they create. However, due to the fact that the Internet and
technology in general is evolving quicker and quicker every year, the viruses that
are being created are more and more dangerous. Keeping up with their names
only is extremely difficult, let alone learning how to avoid them.
Just like technology exploded within the last few years, so did the viruses. There
are now hundreds of types of viruses that can infiltrate your computer through a
variety of ways: by downloading something you don’t want, by copying a file or as
an attachment in a folder you are downloading and many more. You would be
surprised to see how many ways they use to fulfill the purpose for which they
were created.
This book will teach you everything you need to know about computer viruses:
what they are, how many types of computer viruses are out there and most
importantly, how to stop them from inflicting damage on your computer. You will
find out what an anti-virus is, how it functions, as well as how to help it win in the
battle with the viruses.
So, without further ado, I hope this book will help you understand the nature of
viruses better and how to help your computer by yourself without feeling forced to
call an expert.
Here we go!
 Chapter I: What Are Computer Viruses?
If you were to ask somebody what a computer virus is, they probably wouldn’t
know what to answer to you. There is a reason for that: they come in such high
numbers and can be classified in so many different categories, that giving a
definition that would encompass all of them is tricky at first.
Microsoft, one of the leading companies in the computer industry, defines
computer viruses as it follows:
Computer viruses are small software programs that are designed to spread from
one computer to another and to interfere with computer operation.
This definition is rather broad, because it contains everything from small viruses
that duplicate your files and are just a mere annoyance to the dangerous ones
that put a lock on your files and refuse to give you access to them until you pay a
certain amount of money to its creator.
However, it also describes the basic idea that all viruses start from: that they are
small software programs created for the sole purpose of messing up with the
normal computer operation. Whether we are talking about viruses that simply piss
you off by delaying your work on the computer or about ones that have been
designed to purposefully stop you from working doesn’t matter, because the core
idea is the same.
Most of the time, viruses are created in order to steal information. They infiltrate
your computer and then they start to steal your information in order to send it back
to their creator. Have you heard about the hacker that stole nude photos from the
celebrities’ phones? Yes, he used a virus in order to do that. Another very
damaging thing they can do is steal your credit card info or worse.
Besides stealing information, computer viruses oftentimes:

✓ delete information off of your computer;

✓ corrupt files and make your computer act wonky and weird;
✓ use your e-mail address to spread itself to other users, without you knowing
it;

✓ take your files hostage until you pay a certain amount of money to the creator
of the virus in order to release them.

In short:
Computer viruses are small software programs created for malicious purposes
that involve stealing information. They can easily hide themselves into small files
such as images and attachments and infect your computer, after which they can
multiply and send themselves as attachments using your e-mail address to other
people in your list.
The damages each virus can do to your computer varies according to the
category it fits in. While some may corrupt your files, multiply them or delete them,
others go as far as deleting everything from your hard disk or taking your data
hostage until you pay a certain fee.
We will cover the types of computer viruses in the following chapter.
 Chapter II
Types of computer viruses
As I mentioned in the previous chapter, there are numerous types of computer
viruses out there, particularly due to the fact that they change very fast and new
ones are developed every day in order to keep up with the technology that
continues to develop more and more. However, there are some broad categories
that we can discuss here. Each category contains several viruses that have
several things in common (usually the way they affect the computer, where they
reside and their origins).
Here are some of the most popular ones:
1. Resident viruses
About: Resident viruses are small software programs that try to stop your
computer from performing its usual operations.
Where it hides: In the RAM memory, which makes it quite difficult to detect and
eliminate.
What it does: Its main task is to stop the usual operations of the computer and
corrupt various files that have been opened, copied, renamed or closed lately.
2. Overwrite viruses
About: As the name suggests, the overwrite viruses category contains viruses
whose only task is to infect files and delete their contents. After being attacked by
such a virus, the files are basically useless.
Where it hides: Everywhere.
What it does: The virus will try to gain access to your files, after which it will
delete their content. This makes the file completely useless. You cannot recover
its contents; you will be forced to delete the file.
3. Direct action viruses
About: These are some of the most dangerous viruses out there because they
know how to replicate and how to multiply to multiple devices and when it is
executed, it will do whatever it was programmed to do. You could have such a
virus in your computer and not know it.
Where it hides: In the hard drive’s root folder.
What it does: This virus spreads itself like fire through various ways until it
infected numerous files and folders. Once it is executed, it starts to damage the
operations of the computer. Since it is already widespread, it’s very difficult to stop
at this point.
4. File infectors
About: This is the category that contains the most viruses because this is usually
what viruses do: they target running programs, after which they infect them and
damage them.
Where it hides: In folders and files.
What it does: The virus attaches itself to a certain file or it creates a copy of a .jpg
or a .doc file, except it has the .exe extension. Every time the user mistakes the
.exe file for the original .jpg or .doc file, the virus will be executed and will damage
the computer more and more.
5. Boot viruses
About: As the name suggests, in this category we have viruses that boot the
computer.
Where it hides: In the computer’s hard disk or floppy drive.
What it does: The viruses that fit in this category usually make the computer
unable to boot. However, you can avoid that by being careful what hard disk you
are using within your computer.
6. Directory viruses
About: This type of viruses is very hard to detect because of the way it functions:
by hiding itself and changing the path of a file’s location.
Where it hides: In the programs it infects.
What it does: As stated above, this type of virus attaches itself to a file and
changes its location. Because it attaches itself to the said file, it’s impossible to
see when or where it changed the file’s location to.
7. Browser Hijack viruses
About: This virus messes with the browser settings. It hides into free packages
such as free wallpapers that have to be downloaded and installed and after it
reaches the computer, it will start to change all the original settings of the browser,
making it extremely difficult to get back to the initial settings. It is also one of the
most popular viruses of 2014 – 2015.
Where it hides: Usually in free packages downloaded from the internet. If
something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If something forcibly tries to
download in your computer, you should probably try to stop it from downloading
as soon as you can.
What it does: This virus focuses on changing the settings of your browser
completely. It is very difficult to go back to the initial ones.
These are some of the most popular computer virus categories at the present
moment. As I stated above, there are numerous other viruses out there that
probably don’t fit in any of these categories because they behave differently than
those presented here.
However, don’t be afraid – the anti-virus programs adapt just as quickly to all the
new viruses that appear on the internet. In the next chapter, we will discuss the
anti-virus programs – what they are, how they act and most importantly, how well
do they protect you.
 Chapter III
Anti-virus programs – what are they?
The broad definition for anti-virus programs is that they are one or multiple
programs that have been designed with the specific purpose of preventing and
destroying the malicious software (also known as the computer viruses) they
detect on the user’s computer.
These programs are very smart and they use all sorts of tricks in order to catch
and destroy the malicious software on the user’s computer. They go as far as
creating ‘bait files’ that the viruses will attack and thus get destroyed or
quarantined.
In order to keep up with the approximately 60,000 new viruses discovered by anti-
virus programs, the major companies producing them constantly make sure that
these programs are up to date with the definitions so they will be able to catch
these viruses red handed and destroy them. This means that every day, if your
computer is connected to the internet, even without you knowing it, your anti-virus
program will download information about potential new threats to make sure your
computer is safe.
Things to remember when purchasing an anti-virus program:

✓ Make sure it’s a full paid version – the free ones just search your computer
for patterns of malicious software they are already familiar with and they don’t
do anything about the viruses they find on your computer. The full and paid
version of the anti-virus program will use a variety of techniques to catch,
destroy or quarantine the viruses on your computer.

✓ Make sure you have an Internet connection – As I mentioned before, the

anti-virus programs need a constant internet connection in order to stay up to
date on the virus definitions and make sure that they catch all of the malicious
software / programs that can be found in your computer.

✓ Don’t download anything that you don’t trust to be virus free. No matter
how pretty that wallpaper looks like or how much you want that new song,
unless you know and trust the said website, don’t ever download anything off
of the internet. Oftentimes, those that create such malicious software hide it
in plain sight – in .mp3 or .jpg files and once it reaches your computer, it’s
very difficult to get rid of it.

✓ Do some research before purchasing a certain anti-virus program. As

you probably know by now, the competition is fierce in the anti-virus industry,
 which is why the companies that sell these software to you will promise you
the world. However, you mustn’t fall for their words. Instead, be smart and do
some research, see what other people experienced with the same program
and then decide whether to buy it or not.

In conclusion
Anti-virus programs were developed in order to stop malicious software, also
known as computer viruses, from spreading, infecting and damaging the computer
of the user.
 Chapter IV
How do anti-virus programs work?
The science behind anti-virus programs is not that difficult to understand. As
mentioned previously, they were created with the sole purpose of stopping the
malicious software from damaging the computers of the users. They employ a
variety of techniques in order to detect, quarantine and eventually destroy the
viruses, some of which include:

✓ Scanning the downloaded files;

This means that the anti-virus program starts to scan the documents you are
downloading into your computer as soon as they appear in your computer or
as soon as you click the “Download” button on the website you want to
download the said file from.

✓ Scanning the programs before you execute them;

When you double click a program in order to start it up, even if you don’t notice it
because it happens so fast, the anti-virus program on your computer will scan
it very quick in order to make sure that there is no malicious software
attached to it and that you can safely open it. If it is, then the anti-virus
program will stop the program from starting up in order to protect your
computer.

✓ Scanning the entire computer;

If you tell your anti-virus program to scan your entire computer, it will take each
file, one by one and run it through a series of programs in order to determine
whether the said file contains malware or malicious software. This type of
scanning takes much longer than usual obviously because the amount of files
the anti-virus must go through is huge. However, it is recommended that you
scan your entire computer once every few weeks in order to make sure that
no virus fell in through the cracks.

Basically, the anti-virus programs takes care and does a lot of maintenance on
your computer, scanning it continuously to make sure that no virus will bother its
operations. It is very important to read a lot about a certain anti-virus program that
you want to buy before you do so to make sure that it is the right choice.
In the next chapter, we will cover the essential things you will need to look after
when it comes to buying a new anti-virus program for your computer.
 Chapter V
What to look for when purchasing an anti-virus program
There are numerous anti-virus programs on the market at the present moment,
particularly due to the high demand. With the malicious software evolving day
after day and considering the numerous companies that create such programs,
choosing just one to buy is very difficult.
In this case, you can’t apply the “the more expensive it is, the better it is” principle
because in the online environment, people have no issue asking you for a sum of
money incredibly high for a certain product that doesn’t even match the price.
In order to help you choose the best anti-virus program for your computer, we
comprised a list here of things you should look for. Here they are:
1. Free vs. Paid anti-virus programs
There is a huge debate among people whether paid or free anti-virus programs
are better. However, both of them have positive and negative aspects. Here is a
list with the most important ones:

✓ Free anti-virus programs Paid anti-virus programs The free no money

protection. They offer decent protection . The paid protection is much better
with so many options, what you buy is what you get .There are numerous
options, features and lots of other ways to protect your computer As you can
see, the downside to the paid anti-virus programs is the fact that you have to
pay good money for them. However, in terms of protection, you can rest
assured because it will protect your computer much better than a free
version. The reason why this happens is quite obvious: money.

2. Brand matters
If you have to choose between an anti-virus program that everybody knows and a
new one from a phantom company you have never heard of, it’s best if you
choose the most well known one. Keep in mind the fact that on the internet,
everybody can manufacture anything, whether it’s the history of a program /
product that has been on the market for a certain number of years or whether we
are talking about the reviews of the product.
Recognized brands are popular and have both positive, as well as negative
reviews. They also have a history in the industry and they know how to program
their anti-virus programs in order to give your computer full protection.
3. Check the anti-virus programs through tests
In order to check the quality of the anti-virus program you want to buy, you can
always check it using various online testing websites. They check various things
and eventually offer you a score. Based on that, you can choose the anti-virus
program you want to buy.
 Chapter VI
Computer viruses to look out for
Most of the malware programs, also known as computer viruses, are a mild
annoyance usually, copying files and hiding them from you in your computer.
However, there are some that can truly affect your computer and the way it
operates. Here is a list of the viruses that you should look after and make sure
that you avoid them as much as possible:
1. ILOVEYOU
The ILOVEYOU virus spread itself like fire and caused so much havoc that major
companies all around the world were forced to shut their computer systems down
in order to avoid infection. It basically seized all the e-mailing information from the
infected computer and spread itself to other people too and made the computer
unbootable. It was created by two Filipino people that were eventually not charged
because of a lack of a law against creating viruses.
2. Melissa
The Melissa virus was named after an exotic dancer and its main task was to
overload e-mailing services of major companies. After infecting a computer, it
duplicated itself and re-sent itself to all the contacts saved in the computer.
3. Sasser
The Sasser virus is similar to the Melissa one in the sense that it overloaded the
computer after it infected it. While at first it seemed like a mild annoyance, in time,
as the computer got more infected, it eventually crashed the computer.
There are only a few of the most dangerous viruses that caused havoc in many
major companies. The list can go on and on.
Conclusion
Nowadays, if you own any type of device, from a laptop to a phone, you are
predisposed to cyber attacks and malware programs that can steal much more
than just your photos. Many can affect your bank account, steal your identity or
even make you disappear completely from the online environment.
In order to protect yourself and your data, you have to pay attention to the anti-
virus programs on the market and make sure you purchase the best one.
However, you need to be careful when it comes to buying a certain anti-virus
online because the online environment is not always what it seems. You can say
anything, but it’s very hard to prove that what you’re saying is true. This is what
happens when you buy or download a free anti-virus online too.
Keep in mind the fact that viruses can come in sheep’s clothing and if something
seems too good to be true – it probably is.
After all, it’s better safe than sorry, right?