Title: Viruses, Worms and Trojan Horses.

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 Contents:
CONTENTS:...........................................................................................................................................................2
1. THREATS TO YOUR COMPUTER................................................................................................................3
2. VIRUSES.............................................................................................................................................................3
2.2 WHAT IS A VIRUS?.......................................................................................................................................3
2.2.1 How are Viruses Transmitted?...................................................................................................3
2.2.2 What can you do to Avoid Viruses?...........................................................................................4
3. WORMS...............................................................................................................................................................4
3.1 WHAT ARE WORMS......................................................................................................................................4
3.2.1 How are Worms Transmitted?...................................................................................................4
3.2.2 What can you do to Avoid Worms?............................................................................................5
4. TROJAN HORSE...............................................................................................................................................5
4.1 WHAT IS A TROJAN HORSE............................................................................................................................5
4.2.1 How are Trojan Horses Transmitted?.......................................................................................5
4.2.2 What can you do to Avoid Trojan Horses?................................................................................6
5. SPYWARE/ADWARE.......................................................................................................................................6
5.2 WHAT IS SPYWARE/ADWARE?........................................................................................................................6
4.2.1 What can you do to Avoid Spyware/Adware?............................................................................6
6. EMAIL ATTACK...............................................................................................................................................7
6.1 WHAT IS AN EMAIL ATTACK?........................................................................................................................7
6.2 WHAT IS PHISHING?......................................................................................................................................7
6.3 WHAT IS SPAM?...........................................................................................................................................7
7. SECURITY..........................................................................................................................................................8
7.1 SECURITY DEFINITION: .................................................................................................................................8
7.2 BACKGROUND:.............................................................................................................................................8
7.3 ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE. .................................................................................................................................8
7.3.1 Real Time Scanner:....................................................................................................................9
7.3.2 Virus Scan:.................................................................................................................................9
7.3.3 Real Time Scanner and Virus Scan working Together..............................................................9
7.4 ANTI-SPYWARE/ADWARE..............................................................................................................................9
7.5 FIREWALLS................................................................................................................................................10
7.6 BACKUPS...................................................................................................................................................10
7.7 SECURITY CHECKLIST..................................................................................................................................11
BIBLIOGRAPHY:................................................................................................................................................12

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 1. Threats to Your Computer
Computer users today are under constant threat from hackers, virus-writers, and other people
with malicious intent. It is of great importance that you know your enemy so that you can protect
yourself and your system from their attacks which include:
 Viruses.
 Trojans
 Worms
 Spyware/Adware
 Email Attacks

2. Viruses
2.2 What is a Virus?
A virus is program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your
knowledge, and runs against your wishes.
Viruses are a well known and common problem in computer systems. They are transmitted
in many different ways, using several different methods to spread at a very fast pace. There are
many types of programs that do bad things on your computer, and they each have their own label.
All of them fall under the “virus” category, because they install
without your knowledge. All computer viruses are manmade.

2.2.1 How are Viruses Transmitted?

The most common way of getting a virus is through email
attachments. Lately, the most common form these files have been
compressed zip file.
Another way viruses are gain access to computers is
through shared files or disks. Again, the virus attaches itself to a normal file, and the moment
someone opens the file, the virus is released onto the computer. This kind of virus can spread
rapidly if the files are shared over a network.
There are other ways of picking up virus-type programs. Just browsing the Internet can
allow viruses onto your computer. With the use of multimedia, it is not uncommon to have MP3s,
Shockwave Flash animation files, and JAVA applets load on your computer from just one page.
Viruses have already been found in each of these files, and it is possible to pick up a virus just by
surfing the Internet.

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2.2.2 What can you do to Avoid Viruses?
Computers that are not connected to the Internet are less likely to pick up viruses, but they
are still at risk to an infected file by means of a floppy disk or CD that you may borrow from
someone that is aware or unaware that it is infected. Anywhere that your computer can get outside
information is a possible place where a virus can attack. The best way to prevent viruses on your
computer is to install an antivirus program.
Email attachment viruses can be controlled if you refuse to open attachments from unknown
sources, as most email attachment viruses require you to open the file before it can do any damage.
Web mail clients, like Hotmail or Yahoo Mail are far less likely to transmit attachment viruses
because the email never makes it to your computer, instead it stays on their server while you view
it, also the email service runs antivirus scans on their own computers in an effort to control the
spread of email viruses.

3. Worms
3.1 What are Worms
A worn is a type of virus that replicates itself over a
computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as
using up the computer's resources and possibly shutting the system
down.

3.2.1 How are Worms Transmitted?

Email Worms spread via email messages. The worm will
arrive as email, the body of the message or attachment will contain
the worm code, but it may also link to code on an external website. When the worm is activated it
will send itself by using the email system. The addresses it sends itself to are often from the infected
computers email system or files.
Instant messaging worms spread through instant messaging applications by sending links
to infected websites to everyone on the local contact list. The only difference between these and
email worms are the way chosen to send the links.
IRC worms main target are chat channels. The transmitting method is the same as is used
above, sending infected files or links to infected websites. Infected file sending is less effective as
the recipient needs to confirm receipt, save the file and open it before infection will take place.

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 File-sharing networks worms place a copy of themselves in a shared folder under a non
conspicuous name. Now the worm is ready for downloading via the network and spreading of the
infected file will continue.
Internet worms target low level TCP/IP ports directly, rather than going through higher
level protocols such as email or IRC. An infected machine aggressively scans random computers on
both its local network and the public Internet attempting an exploit against a port and if successful,
spreads the worm to that machine.

3.2.2 What can you do to Avoid Worms?

Worms spread around using network connections; therefore if you protect the connections,
you can stop the Worms from getting onto your machine, or spreading to other machines.
There are three things you can do to stop Worms’ dead in their tracks.
 Do Frequent Windows Updates
 Install and Maintain an Antivirus Program
 Use an Internet Firewall

4. Trojan Horse
4.1 What is a Trojan Horse
A Trojan horse is a malicious program that looks like a helpful application in order to trick
you into installing it. They typically disguise themselves as innocent looking files that appear to be
safe to click on.
The worst feature of a Trojan horse is the fact that the user takes part in infecting their own
computer.

4.2.1 How are Trojan Horses Transmitted?

A large amount of trojan horses are transmitted because the
user was tricked into running an infected program. Because of this you
should not open attachments on emails that are from an unknown
source. The transmission of the program doesn't always happen
through email, but can be sent to you in an Instant Message, downloaded from a Web site or by
transmission via CD or floppy disk, although the latter is uncommon but very effective.
Computers running their own servers, Windows file sharing, or programs that provide
filesharing capabilities such as Instant Messengers are also prone to transmission of trojan horses.
These programs and services open a network port giving attackers the opportunity to communicate
with these programs from anywhere on the Internet so they should be avoided or properly secured.
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4.2.2 What can you do to Avoid Trojan Horses?
The best way to detect and remove Trojans is through a good antivirus program. There are
many antivirus programs on the market, two of most popular software packages are Norton
Antivirus and McAfee Virus Scan.
Programs and services that open a network port should be avoided or properly secured.

5. Spyware/Adware
5.2 What is Spyware/Adware?
Spyware is a type of software that gets personal
information from you and it is often connected to software that
shows advertisements, called adware.
This does not imply that all software which provides
ads or tracks your online activities is bad.
Sometimes unwanted software, which you did not
knowingly install, will make changes to your computer that can
be annoying and can cause your computer slow down or crash

4.2.1 What can you do to Avoid Spyware/Adware?

There are a number of ways spyware can get on your PC. One way is to inadvertently install
the software while installing other software that you do want.
These programs have the ability to change your Web browser's home page or search page,
or add additional components to your browser you don't need
or want. They also make it very difficult for you to change
your settings back to the way you originally had them
The key in all cases of spyware is whether or not you
understood what the software would do and agreed to install
the software on your computer.
Whenever you install something on your computer, you should be extremely carefully and
read all disclosures, including the license agreement and privacy statement. Sometimes the
inclusion of unwanted software in a given software installation is documented, but it may appear at
the end of a license agreement or privacy statement.
If you suspect that there may already be spyware on your PC then you will need anti-
spyware software to remove it.

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 6. Email Attack
6.1 What is an Email Attack?
Large numbers of viruses are circulated around the internet through
email attachments. Methods include:
 You receive an email from an email address known to you
and a file is attached.
 Because you recognize the email address you download the
file and run it.
 You have just infected your computer with a virus.
 The virus sends out the same email that tricked you to everyone in your address book by
means of your email address.
 Your contacts believe this email is from you and trustingly open the attachment
 This infects their computers, and the sequence continues on and on.

6.2 What is Phishing?

Phishing is a type of scam designed to steal your identity.
A nasty person tries to obtain some information belonging to you
like credit card numbers, passwords, account information, or
other personal information.
This is done by means of tricking you into handing over
information under false pretences. Phishing schemes usually
come via spam e-mail or pop-up windows.

6.3 What is Spam?

Spam is unwanted email advertisement. Literally billions of
emails are sent out by some undesirable person in the hopes of
making a sale or sales!
In order to create emailing lists for mass distribution the
person may try a number of methods which include:
 Faking a petition for what seems to be a good cause but the petition is not sent to its stated
destination and instead each email is added to a list for advertisements.
 Sending spam emails to randomly generated addresses with the opportunity to “opt out” of
receiving further messages by replying to the email. Instead of taking email addresses off a
list when you reply more spam is sent as you have now disclosed that it is an active address.
 Circulating spyware that will send the contents of your address book.
 Involuntarily adding your email address to a list when you sign up for a service.
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 7. Security
7.1 Security Definition:
Computer security is the prevention and detection of unauthorised users of your PC.

7.2 Background:
In today’s world we use computers for everything from banking and investing to shopping
and communicating with others through email or chat programs. You probably do not want
someone reading your email, financial statements or
personal information stored on your computer so for this
reason it is vital that a computer system have security.
Intruders (also known as hackers, attackers, or
crackers) do not care about your identity. Often they want
to gain control of your computer so they can use it to
launch attacks on other computer systems.
Even if you have a computer connected to the
Internet only to play the latest games or to send email to
friends and family, your computer may be a target. Intruders may be able to watch all your actions
on the computer, or cause damage to your computer by reformatting your hard drive or changing
your data.
Intruders are always discovering new ways to access computer software via holes. When
holes are discovered by your computer vendors they will usually write patches to address the
problem. It is up to you, the user, to obtain and install the patches, or correctly configure the
software to operate more securely.

7.3 Antivirus Software.

Antivirus programs search for and remove:
 Viruses
 Trojans
 Worms
Antivirus programs perform two distinct and separate functions
protect your computer:
 Real time scanner.
 Virus scan.

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7.3.1 Real Time Scanner:
The function of the real time scanner is to stop viruses getting on your computer, stop
existing viruses from damaging files, and to look for a short list of the most common viruses. It is
performed automatically; you do not have to worry about running it.
The program scans the computer in the background unknown to you as you work. Internet
and Email connections are also monitored by this scanner, which will block viruses from gaining
access to your computer.

7.3.2 Virus Scan:

The function of the virus scan is to carry out a full memory scan to ensure that there are no
virus programs running in memory and do a file-by-file examination of every part of your hard
drive. This is the most precise type of scan that can be done on your computer and also the toughest.
You may become aware of performance loss in your computer while executing a complete
virus scan. You should not be running other programs while scanning for viruses, as some viruses
may be connected to particular programs, like Word or Excel.

7.3.3 Real Time Scanner and Virus Scan working Together

To ensure that nothing gets past the real time scanner and has time to do damage:
 A full virus scan should be done at least once a week, but if at all possible every day.
 If the virus scan locates an infected file, it will try to eliminate the virus.
 If it fails it will move the file to a 'quarantine area'
 This separates infected files from the rest of the computer.
If the file in quarantine is an important document that you do not want to lose it may be possible
that a professional virus removal group could attain the data from the file for you. Keeping a file in
quarantine is a good idea because the software which does not know how to clean it at present may
be able to clean it and restore it in the future. Antivirus programs need to be updated as a range of
new viruses appear every month. Without updates, antivirus software can't protect you from threats
as it does not know what to look for.

7.4 Anti-Spyware/Adware.
Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) include anti-spyware
software in their service package but you can download an anti-
spyware program from the internet which is free or you can opt for one
that you pay for.

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 After you've downloaded and installed one of these programs, simply follow the directions
and use it to scan your computer. You may have to do this more than once. When the scan is
complete, most anti-spyware software will provide a list of questionable programs discovered on
your computer. Review the files discovered by the tool for spyware and any other unwanted
software. The program should provide instructions to clear out any spyware/adware by selecting
suspicious files for removal

7.5 Firewalls.
A firewall is a program or hardware device that keeps harmful forces away from your
computer system or network by filtering
the information coming through the
Internet.
Firewalls use one or more of
three methods to manage traffic flowing
in and out of the network:
Packet filtering is where packets are checked against a predetermined list of filters. Packets
that do not make it through the filters are discarded.
Proxy service - Information from the Internet is retrieved by the firewall and then sent to
the requesting system and vice versa.
Stateful inspection - A newer method compares certain crucial parts of the packet to a
database of trusted information. Information travelling from inside the firewall to the outside is
observed for basic characteristics, and then incoming information is compared to these
characteristics. If the assessment produces a reasonable match, the information is allowed through.
Otherwise it is discarded.

7.6 Backups.
Making backup copies of your files and keeping them in a separate place enables you to
retrieve data in the event of something happening to the originals on your computer.
To do the backup, you copy files from your hard drive to the disk (or other media) drive
you're storing a copy on. The method differs from computer to computer, and there can be different
ways to perform the same task.

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 7.7 Security Checklist.

 I have a firewall.
 I have Antivirus software.
 I scan my computer with Antivirus software at least once a week.
 I update my Antivirus software on a regular basis.
 I have Anti-Spyware software.
 I update my Anti-Spyware software on a regular basis.
 I scan my computer with my Anti-Spyware software on a regular basis.
 I update the operating system on a regular basis.
 I update other pieces of software when I know updates are available.
 I back up my files on a regular basis.
 I never accept free offers from pop-up advertisements.
 I never install software from pop-up windows.
 I read user agreements before installing software or signing up for a service.
 I never open email attachments I don't recognize.
 I am careful of who I give my email address to.
 I never give out personal information through email.
 I treat all emails requesting personal information with suspicion.

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 Bibliography:

http://www.answers.com

http://guides.radified.com

http://www.webopedia.com

http://www.howstuffworks.com

http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu

http://www.cert.org

http://www.irchelp.org

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://images.google.ie

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