Information Technology

Synopsis
Virus-Antivirus

SUBMITED TO-
Mrs. Prathiba

SUBMITED BY-
Lalit Kothari 17028
Soniya Yadav 17048

Date:
Sign:
What is virus:
A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your
computer without your knowledge and runs against your
wishes.Viruses can also replicate themselves. All computer
viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make a copy
of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce.
Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will
quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a
halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable
of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing
security systems.
Since 1987, when a virus infected ARPANET, a large
network used by the Defense Department and many
universities, many antivirus programs have become
available. These programs periodically check your
computer system for the best-known types of viruses.
Some people distinguish between general viruses and
worms. A worm is a special type of virus that can replicate
itself and use memory, but cannot attach itself to other
programs.

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Types of Viruses:
But what are the types of computer viruses and worms that
you're computer can come into contact with? The list of
viruses is quiet long and complex. So, we simplified the list
by mentioning few broad categories of viruses that can put
your computer and all your personal data on it, in danger.
These computer viruses include:
• Boot Sector viruses: A boot sector virus infects
diskettes and hard drives. All disks and hard drives
contain smaller sections called sectors. The first sector
is called the boot. The boot carries the Mater Boot
Record (MBR). MBR functions to read and load the
operating system. So, if a virus infects the boot or
MBR of a disk, such as a floppy disk, your hard drive
can become infected, if you re-boot your computer
while the infected disk is in the drive. Once your hard
drive is infected all diskettes that you use in your
computer will be infected. Boot sector viruses often
spread to other computers by the use of shared
infected disks and pirated software applications.

• Program viruses: A program virus becomes active

when the program file (usually with extensions .BIN,
.COM, .EXE, .OVL, .DRV) carrying the virus is
opened. Once active, the virus will make copies of
itself and will infect other programs on the computer.

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• Multipartite viruses: A multipartite virus is a hybrid
of a Boot Sector and Program viruses. It infects
program files and when the infected program is active
it will affect the boot record. So the next time you start
up your computer it'll infect your local drive and other
programs on your computer.

• Stealth viruses: A stealth virus can disguise itself by

using certain tactics to prevent being detected by
antivirus software. These tactics include altering its
file size, concealing itself in memory, and so on. This
type of virus is nothing new, in fact, the first computer
virus, dubbed Brain, was a stealth virus.

• Polymorphic viruses: A polymorphic virus acts like a

chameleon, changing its virus signature (also known
as binary pattern) every time it multiples and infects a
new file. By changing binary patterns, a polymorphic
virus becomes hard to detect by an antivirus program.

• Macro Viruses: A macro virus is programmed as a

macro embedded in a document. Many applications,
such as Microsoft Word and Excel, support macro
languages. Once a macro virus gets on to your
computer, every document you produce will become
infected.

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Signs of a Computer Infection:

Some signs that may indicate that your computer is infected

include:

• Your computer functions slower than normal

• Your computer responds slowly and freezes often
• Your computer restarts itself often
• You see uncommon error messages, distorted
menus, and dialog boxes
• You notice applications on your computer fail to
work correctly
• You fail to print correctly

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What is anti-virus software?
Anti-virus software is the countermeasure program used to
"inoculate" computer viruses. Computer viruses are
programs that mimic the attributes of their real-world
counterparts. Computer viruses replicate, cause damage to
an otherwise healthy system, and can spread from host to
host. Like real-world viruses, a computer virus needs a
host, a means of transportation. In the digital world this can
be in e-mail, other programs, or media (cd/floppy/tape).
There is one caveat however - computer viruses need to be
activated. Much the same way that carcinogens in our
bodies won’t give us cancer unless they are activated,
computer viruses need to be activated as well, usually via a
click or open command.

Most using Anti-Virus softwares-

• Norton Anti Virus

• McAfee Virus Scan
• AVG antivirus
• Trend Micro PC – Cillin
• Bit-Defender,
• Kaspersky Lab
• F-Secure Anti Virus 2006
• Panda Titanium 2006
• Norman
• ESET Nod32 etc

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How does anti-virus software work?

Anti-virus software works in two ways. The first and the

staple of the industry is based on signature files. When a
computer virus is reported, the virus is examined and a
signature file is created for inoculating the virus. This
inoculation is added to the anti-virus software database
(.dat file) and is used when scanning computers to identify
and destroy viruses. Unfortunately this is a reactive process
so someone has to be the guinea pig and get infected.
The other more progressive way of identifying viruses is
called heuristics. This method will be the future of the
industry and is basically the only hope we have in
eliminating computer viruses. Heuristics monitor all
activity on your computer and if a program is "acting" like
a virus, then a red flag is raised and it is destroyed or
contained and reported. The biggest hurdle for
advancement in this area is the difficulty of determining
what constitutes virus-like activity. For instance, replication
is a common attribute of virus activity, but there can also be
valid replication, like in program association. During
program association, programs check to see whether or not
they are the default. If they are not and you want them to
be, then the program will change all of the files, which is
akin to replication.

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Why do I need anti-virus software?
Computer viruses are the most common threat in the digital
world right now. If you don't have anti-virus software, you
will eventually get a virus and probably lose data that you
have had on your computer for years. If you have anti-virus
software, not only can you save your data, but you’ll save
yourself the migraine you'll get when you discover the
havoc wreaked upon your computer by a virus, which could
be as bad as an infection in your boot record or BIOS,
rendering your computer completely useless. Anti-virus
software is worth every penny, giving you peace of mind
and insurance against certain trouble.

What should I look for when purchasing anti-

virus software?
There are many different vendors of Anti-Virus software,
and you are probably wondering which one is the best.
Whatever solution you choose for your computer, make
sure of the following specifications:
 The software can automatically update itself
 The vendor provides updated virus definitions
regularly
 The software can integrate into your email program
 Virus scans can be scheduled to run automatically
 The software has a proven track record
 The vendor releases timely and accurate information
about new viruses

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