WEB–BASED VIRUS ACTIVITY

Instructions:

Using the Internet, log onto www.howstuffworks.com At the top of the web page, click in the bar where it says, "Search

HowStuffWorks and the web" and type in How Computer Viruses Work. Answer the following questions below - it will be marked for completion. You can either answer these questions on a lined piece of paper or save it as a WORD document (File name: web-based virus activity questions).

Be sure to include your name and today’s date.

Questions:

1. What is a virus?

A virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs.

2. List 2 forms of electronic infection and describe each.

i) EMAIL: An e-mail virus travels as an attachment to e-mail messages, and usually replicates itself by automatically mailing itself to dozens of people in the victim's e-mail address book.

ii) WORM: A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that has a specific security hole.

3. What is a worm?

A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that has a specific security hole.

4. What is Code Red?

Code Red is the first worm known not to multiply by copying itself to some files or infecting them but only residing in the computers memory and multiplying by a stream of data between computers.

5. Describe what an early virus was and how it worked.

Computer viruses were first widely seen in the late 1980s. Three factors of these viruses were the spread of PCs, the use of computer bulletin boards and the third factor that led to the creation of viruses was the floppy disk.

6. Explain why both executable & boot sector viruses are not very threatening any more.

The reason for their decline has been the huge size of today's programs. Most programs you buy today come on compact discs. Commercially distributed CDs cannot be modified, and that makes viral infection of a CD unlikely, unless the manufacturer permits a virus to be burned onto the CD during production.

7. Describe how the ILOVEYOU virus (which appeared on May 4, 2000) worked.

It contained a piece of code as an attachment. People who double-clicked on the attachment launched the code. It then sent copies of itself to everyone in the victim's address book and started corrupting files on the victim's machine.

8. List 2 ways to protect yourself against viruses.

1. You should make sure that Macro Virus Protection is enabled in all Microsoft applications, and you should NEVER run macros in a document unless you know what they do.

2. If you're using an unsecured operating system, then installing virus protection software is a nice safeguard. Many anti-virus options are available for free online.

9. List 3 reasons why people create viruses.

1. It is a scheme to make money. An example is if the virus creator locked down your computer and forced you to pay a certain amount of money to get your programming to function again.

2. Some people create viruses just for fun, sometimes learning purpose, or simply playing prank on known or unknown people.

3. Some people write such programs just to prove that they can, they have the ability and no one can stop them from doing so.