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the host program. The damage a bomb can cause may range from amusing or
annoying screen messages, to the destruction of programs, data files, or even the
hardware itself. In the worst scenario, subtle changes are made to data or programs,
disks and systems.
l
A Trojan horse is a program that appears to perform a legitimate function but
contains a hidden bomb.
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A worm is a program that travels from machine to machine across
network connections, often with the intent of clogging networks
and computer systems as it spreads.The “love bug” had a worm in it.
l
A black door or trap door is a hidden code written into an
application that, when triggered, permits the knowledgeable
user to gain unauthorized access to the system, bypassing normal
security procedures.
Who makes these viruses? Actually, a virus can be authored by virtually any software
literate person, and embedded into any program. In the present networked economy,
where more that 360 million users are connected, virus authors are the ills of society.
The “love bug” virus has reportedly caused losses exceeding US$ 10 billion! In many
countries, the law allows the virus creators to be imprisoned. In India, as per the
IT Bill pending in the Parliament, the virus creator can be fined up to Rs. 10 lakhs.
Now let us try to understand how the “love bug” virus struck. The “love bug”
contained a self-replicating “worm” that attacked PCs which used Microsoft Outlook
e-mail. The virus was reportedly launched by computer vandals in
the Philippines and came as an attachment to an e-mail that was
blank or contained the message “kindly check the attached LOVE
LETTER from me.” Once a user opened the attachment file, the
virus ran into the computer’s hard drive, deleted files and e-mailed
itself to everyone in the Outlook address book.
The aftermath of the love bug virus clearly indicates that we are very
vulnerable to virus attacks. We need to create better and more up-to-
date antivirus methodologies, so that viruses are killed before they spread. I am sure many
youngsters will take this as a challenge and create better security systems.The fact is, the
computer security software market in 2002 is expected to generate more than US$ 50
billion in revenues. Let Indian programming talent make the most of it and ensure that
the world’s a more secure IT place!
n
The aftermath of the love bug virus
clearly indicates that we are very vulner-
able to virus attacks.
We need to create better
and more up-to-date anti-virus
methodologies, so that virus are
killed before they spread.
