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T W E N T Y
W
hile the “I Love You” virus created
havoc worldwide, India was relatively less smitten by the love bug. In spite of early
warnings, in India, more than 25,000 computers (out of a total base of 4.7 million
computers) were infected by the love bug.
However, worldwide, this virus infected more than one million computers—within
a time frame of 3-5 hours! The worst bit of news was that the love bug virus was
followed by the equally virulent copycat virus.
The swift and malicious spread of the love bug virus shows our vulnerability and
lack of adequate protection against viruses. Therefore, before we go ahead, let us
understand what the virus is all about.
Through popular usage, “computer virus” has become a generic term for all program
codes that deliberately cause mischief or damage in target computer systems.
More accurately, a computer virus is defined as a piece of program code that is designed
to reproduce by copying itself into other programs, modifying them to include a
copy of the viral code, or evolved variations of it.
Typically, a virus either contains a “bomb” or a “worm,” which causes the intended
damage. The “bomb” will have a code that will trigger it. The trigger may be based
on virtually any system event decided upon by its author. A simple trigger may be
nothing more than a counter that activates the bomb after the virus has copied
itself a certain number of times. It could be a particular date such as Friday, 13th
April. Alternatively, a virus may wait for a particular system condition like pay
day, year-end closing or the presence (or absence) of a particular program or user
ID. And during the entire time before the bomb is triggered, the virus is replicating
itself into other programs at every opportunity.
The various variants of these malicious codes could be described as follows:
l
A logic bomb or time bomb is a hidden code, whether standalone, contained in a
virus or embedded in another program, that causes deliberate damage when
triggered. A user can inadvertently spread a bomb by copying or transmitting
The Times of India-Bombay Times May 10, 2000
Smitten By The Love Bug!
