Antivirus Software - Coursework Example

Antivirus software Antivirus software is basically a programme designed to detect and remove viruses from a computer. The simplest types of antivirus software are able to scan executable files and perform blocks from a list of known viruses. Other types are constantly active as they try to detect the activities of general virus classes. Antivirus software should be updated constantly to be able to keep up with the latest viruses as they get released. Without an antivirus, the computer is as good as dead; it is like the heart of computer. Antivirus software can protect your computer and keep your information safe. Virus attacks are not limited to personal computers. Mobile phones and computers used by organizations are equally at risk of being attacked by viruses. When viruses attack organizations such as banks, they are at a great risk of exposing their clients to identity theft, illegal funds transfers, and theft of vital information that may be used to commit other crimes. It is for this reason that banks and other organisations act promptly whenever they discover that their computer systems are under attack by viruses. As an example, the Wyoming Bank had to change its security software owing to the threat of a virus attack as noted by Crosman (2013). How antivirus software works Antivirus software stores and maintains a database of what is called signatures of viruses. A signature is the portion of a code that is used to identify a virus. The data base is constantly updated over the internet to make sure that the information on viruses is up-to-date. When a scan is performed, the antivirus lines up all files in the specified location against the information in the database. If a file is found to be infected it is placed under quarantine which renders it useless unless a specific task is performed on it. A good antivirus is also proactive as it scans certain parts of the computer such as Internet files, downloads, core operating system files as these are the most vulnerable, to see fit there exists any suspicious files. It also notifies against suspicious activities such as a program trying to access the internet without permission (Anselmo 2014). Benefits of antivirus software There are three major benefit of antivirus software, these include: protection from viruses; protection from spyware and identity theft; and protection from spam. Viruses are famous for causing damages to computers. There are different types of viruses and each has a way of causing damage to a computer. Though one may assume to know better not to visit dangerous sites, hackers have advanced in creating trickier viruses daily. Viruses have the ability to cost up to thousands of dollars in replacement cost and even lead to data loss. The best known anti-viruses can protect the computer and help fight about 99% of known viruses (Drew 2014). Spyware is a type of software that by design will infect a computer and spy on its users. It searches and steals important information stored in a computer. Some are so advanced that they can search and store data in real-time, these run in the background waiting for important data such as credit card number when buying online. This information is then transferred to the designer who uses the information to acquire goods and services and do bank transactions and any other thing they can get themselves on. This is identity theft and can lead to negative marks on the credit card. The best antivirus software has the ability to protect from spyware and identity theft. Spam can be annoying especially when you receive emails and adverts that you have no interest in, in anyway. What is not known to many is that anytime a spam is received when one logs in, this could be as a result of a virus within the computer. When antivirus software is installed in a computer, it encounters fewer amounts of spam (Drew 2014). Other benefits of antivirus software include: keeping the computer and network from damage; protection of the computer and network from viruses and malware; preventing downtime that comes when time is wasted when data cannot be accessed; and preventing unauthorised persons from accessing personal and sensitive business data. Antivirus software also help in saving time that would otherwise be used to clean the computer every time there is a virus. In addition, they help save money that would otherwise have been used to hire experts to come and remove viruses and restore data that was lost. They also help build customer trust when there is need to show that data belonging to customers are well protected and emails shared are secure. Apart from protecting the computer from various threats, antivirus software keeps the computer software updated, makes the computer run faster and helps in safe internet use practices (Conjungo 2014). Sources of computer viruses It is good to understand what a virus is before knowing the sources. They are small computer programs designed to spread from one computer to another to cause damage and interference. A virus is mostly hidden and has the ability to perform a number of things that are related to a computer’s health. Some of the things done by viruses include reducing the speed of the computer, preventing the computer from starting normally, destroy parts of a system and even change how the system operates without the owner’s consent or knowledge, they can be used to steal personal information, transfer from one machine to another in a network, be able to attack other machines by using one as the host and send messages that have not been authorised. Just like the human viruses computer viruses have the ability to cause damages. They spread between computers and even through emails, and other media such as USB. Viruses are computer programmes intended for malice of damaging computers or even stealing cash. They are made by high skilled programmers who have made a decision to use their skills in a negative manner. Some of these reasons are either just to prove that they can make such software or intended for criminal purposes (Smith 2011). Types of viruses There many different types of viruses that can cause damage to a computer or to a network. One such type is the boot sector virus that got its name from during the period of MS DOS and its popularity was due to the use of floppy disks. The growth of internet and reduced usage of floppy disks has lead to their reduced spread. The second one is the browse hijacker that is designed to spread itself in many ways such as voluntary downloads and hijacking of certain browser functions effectively as it redirects the computer to certain websites. They are designed to do so in an attempt to boost revenue from advertising (Smith 2011). Unlike most viruses direct action viruses only come into action when the file they are attached to is executed. It delivers the payload they goes back into its state of dormancy and only becomes active when the file is launched again. Most viruses nowadays do not use the direct action as it is not sophisticated but such viruses have been detrimental in the past. An example is the Vienna virus. Probably the most common type of virus is the file infector virus; this hooks itself into the file and begins its work when the file is launched. The virus is known to completely damage the file, or simply overwrite parts of the file or do neither but rewrite the file in a manner that when the file is executed it is the virus that gets executed instead of the file. This type only applies to viruses that use the executable file format such as exe as the host (Smith 2011). Most programmes have support for macro enabled by a special action that is programmed into the software. The downside is that this gives viruses an opportunity to hide into documents. Such viruses are known as macro viruses. The most common under this type is Melissa which is a word document that seems to have a password to pornographic sites. It also uses word links to Microsoft outlook so that it can email copies of itself automatically. When other viruses are restricted to just one method to spread, others use as many as they can. These are called multipartite viruses. Viruses of this type spread in many ways as they do take different actions on a computer in relation to its variables that may include the type of operating system installed or availability of certain documents (Smith 2011). Another type of virus that seems to be a jack-of-all-trade is the polymorphic virus. This goes through mutation with time or with every execution as it changes the code used to deliver its payload. This guards itself with certain encryption codes that change automatically as long as certain conditions are met. Its main goal is to evade, given that antivirus find threads using codes and changing these codes helps the virus to prevent detection (Smith 2011). The resident virus is known to insert itself into a computer memory. It covers a number of viruses as its definition is broad. Once in the memory it performs some actions then it runs independent of the file it uses to get to the memory. It can be compared to direct payload virus that does not place itself into the memory but becomes active when a file is executed. The other type is the web scripting virus. In order to give content that is interesting most websites execute codes that are complex in nature. For instance to display video on a website needs a coding language that is specific to display the video and the player interface. Such codes can be infected by a virus enabling the virus to infect the computer through the website. Though dangerous sites are made intentionally with infected codes, mostly such codes are in existence because they were inserted without the knowledge of the webmaster (Smith 2011). Antivirus software is a programme designed to detect and remove viruses from a computer. These have three major benefits protection from viruses, protection from spyware and identity theft, and protection from spam. They work by storing data that is used to identify viruses. Viruses are intentionally made by software experts to cause damage on targeted people. They come in different type depending on the type of damage they are designed to do. Antivirus software is a must for all computers. References Anselmo S. (2014). The importance of Antivirus software. Retrieved June 24, 2014 from http://anselome.hubpages.com/hub/Subnet-mask 13 June 2014 Conjungo (2014).Understanding antivirus: Benefits of antivirus. Retrieved June 24, 2014 from http://www.conjungo.com/technology/antivirus/benefits-of-antivirus 13 June 2014 Crosman, P. (2013). Virus Attack Prompts Wyoming Bank to Change Security Software. American Banker, 178(F345), 5. Drew J. (2014). The benefits of having antivirus protection. Retrieved June 24, 2014 from http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/the-benefits-of-having-anti-virus-protection.html Smith Makeusof (2014). The 9 types of viruses to whatch out for and what they do. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/types-computer-viruses-watch/ Read More