|
Viruses
What are computer viruses, Trojans
and zombies?
Sounds like a horror movie, doesn't
it?
Computer viruses are bits of computer
code (1's and 0's) that, just like people viruses, use the
host (computer) to multiply and infect other hosts. Trojans
are bits of code that take some control of your computer
without your permission, and make it do something you don't
tell it to do. Your computer is a zombie when it has an
uninvited bit of code on it that "listens" for a command
from a remote computer to do its bidding. Viruses and Trojans
are types of "malware," or malicious software.
Computers do not grow any of this
malware by themselves. It has to come in on something. That
something is generally an email attachment, an infected
floppy diskette, CD, or other shared removable media. Those
infections can destroy a user's ability to access data,
although a data recovery house
can usually get the data back.
How do I keep from
getting them?
Never open an email that has an
attachment unless you know whom it's from, and then only
as long as you are sure they don't have a virus themselves.
Don't put a floppy diskette or other removable media into
your computer unless you're sure it is virus-free.
Get an antivirus program, install
it, and keep it updated. You can buy Norton Antivirus (which
also comes as a part of Norton Internet Security and Norton
System Works), McAfee Antivirus (which also comes as a part
of McAfee Internet Security Suite), and VCom VirusScannerTM
Pro (as a part of VCom System Suite) at local stores that
sell software. Antivirus software can also be purchased
and downloaded online at www.v-com.com,
www.mcafee.com,
www.symantec.com,
www.f-prot.com.
There are more.
Incidentally, my experience tells
me it is an extremely bad idea to mix McAfee and Symantec
programs. If you use one, don't use the other.
Whichever antivirus program you
get, be sure to subscribe to the update service. There are
thousands of viruses out there (although far fewer attack
the Macintosh) and dozens more being written every month.
The update service keeps you protected, as long as you update
weekly.
Your computer has the ability to
update its operating system to make it more secure. Schedule
your computer to receive Windows Updates every week, or
Software Update for Mac OS 9 and Security Updates for Mac
OS X.
I
don't want to be a zombie!
If code gets loaded on your
computer through some malware, it can be controlled remotely
to fire off attacks on other computers. These zombie sessions
are not generally harmful to your computer, but they are
intended to be harmful to somebody else's, like Yahoo! They
use your Internet connection, they make your computer do
something you didn't tell it to do, and that's just a little
distasteful, don't you think? Some of the programs mentioned
above will protect you from this unauthorized use.
Who
makes these things, and why?
The conventional wisdom is
that it's bored young men with too much time on their hands.
Still, some of these attacks are sophisticated and brilliant.
People do this to "make their mark," to "get" somebody they
don't like, or to look talented in the eyes of others in
the hacker community through the notoriety of having written
the most powerful virus or Trojan. Some do it just to make
havoc. The best thing to do is to take some precautions
to deny them some of the damage they wish to cause.
How
can I recover from viruses?
If the file structure is not too badly damaged, a user may
be able to recover by running one or more utilities like
SpySweeper or the programs mentioned above. A simple thing
to try would be first to boot your computer into Safe Mode:
If you're using Windows, it's by
pushing the [F8] key upon startup, then selecting Safe Mode
from the menu that comes up. If you're using a Macintosh,
hold the Shift key when you start up for OS X safe mode,
or OS 9 Extensions-off mode.
Then see if you can copy your important
files off onto a floppy diskette or other media. Note that
booting into Safe Mode temporarily disables many functions
and may keep you from using the CD-drive, USB drive, or
external drive. Some viruses do far too much damage to files
and file structure to allow for easy repairs. We have recovered
data from many different virus conditions, but some are
worse than others. A few years ago, the Leonardo virus was
prevalent and did widespread damage to files. We did file
recovery on many computers with this condition, but there
was always some percentage damaged beyond recoverability.
A word of warning - many systems
come with a boot CD that says "System Restore," or something
similar. It may erase all of your data. Many times, people
have called in to tell us that a computer vendor's tech
support representative had told them to do this.
Be careful! even if someone tells
you to do it, be aware that you may be erasing your data.
Read all messages and dialogue boxes carefully. You want
only to boot the system so you can back up files —
you do not want to do anything that will write data or do
any partition or format operations.
If your drive has been reformatted,
or you cannot find your data after such an occurrence, give
us a call — we may still be able to recover your data,
even from a reformatted drive.
|
