Computer Viruses and Harmful Software

A virus is a program that replicates itself on a system and spreads through networks. It can corrupt data and cause huge losses to organizations. A virus occupies those parts of the system which contain a code that is executed frequently. It may reside in a disk which contains certain codes that need to be executed whenever the disk is booted. It may also reside in the documents containing macros which have to be executed whenever a document is opened with the relevant application (that is included in macros). Once, the virus code is executed, it makes a copy on the system. The virus replicates and infects the system as many times as the code is executed.

Viruses try to replicate themselves without being noticed by system users. Viruses are encrypted in a complex code by virus writers to avoid being decoded easily. The success of the virus depends on how long it can go undetected by system applications.

Viruses can be transmitted from system to system and organization to organization in a variety of ways. When a computer is booted from an infected booting medium or an infected program is opened or executed on the system, a virus can enter the system. Viruses spread rapidly through floppy disks, emails, pirated software and shareware (software that can be downloaded freely across cyberspace).

To deal with the problem of viruses, organizations should take some precautionary measures. They should take backups of all the software in the organization including the operating systems. They should instruct their employees not to open strange mails with strange names, delete unwanted files and files that have not been in use for long (it makes it easy to recognize new virus files in the system).

They may deploy disk authorization software which enables only a limited number of users to access the disk, or provide isolated PCs to teams working on critical projects. Organizations should continuously update the anti virus software on all their systems. Systems administrators should monitor the system constantly. As soon as they detect the presence of any virus, they should send alerts to all the employees about the virus and guide them with instructions as to how to minimize the effect of the virus. They should identify all the infected files and isolate them from others. They should make attempts to disinfect the files and recover any corrupted data.

Apart from viruses, Logic Bombs, ANSI Bombs and Trojans are harmful programs that are written and introduced into cyberspace with the intention of harming remote systems. Logic Bombs are software programs that are able to corrupt data at a particular time or under specified conditions. ANSI Bombs are software programs that change the functions of keys in a keyboard with disastrous consequences. Trojans are programs that are encrypted to look like normal software but have hidden destructive capabili ties.

The possession of virus programs and harmful software is not considered illegal. However, most criminal laws have declared that the act of introducing virus or harmful software into a system or network is illegal. If a user can trace the person responsible for the virus infection in his system, he can sue him in a court of law and claim damages.

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