Computer Viruses: The Nasty Truth
The term, ?virus?, in computer technology, refers to a self replicating application that spreads by making copies of itself by inserting into other programs, other executables or documents, and when executed begins to perform harmful actions on the system. All computer viruses are deliberately created, not always malicious and some of them may be benign and simply annoying. Non-Memory Resident and Memory Resident Viruses: Non-Memory resident viruses, when they are executed, immediately look for other hosts that can be infected. When they infect these targets, they transfer control to the application program they infected. A non-resident virus has a finder module and a replication module. The finder module, once it finds a new file to infect, calls upon the replication module to infect that file. Memory-Resident virus stays in the memory and do not look for hosts to infect when they are executed. It stays active in the background after its host program is terminated, and infects files as soon as they are opened or accessed by other programs or the operating system. It does have the replication module like the non-memory resident virus, but without the finder module. Types of Computer Viruses: File Viruses: These types of viruses are the most common, and mostly infect open files and program libraries on an operating system. The virus functions by inserting itself into a host file, modifies it in such a way that the virus is executed when the file is opened. They are also known as left viruses. Today, there are known viruses infecting all kinds of executables of standard DOS: batch command files (BAT), loadable drivers (SYS, including special purpose files IO.SYS and MS- DOS.SYS) and binary executables (EXE, COM). There are also viruses targeting executables of other operating systems - Windows 3.x, Windows95/NT, OS/2, Macintosh, Unix, including the VxD drivers of Windows 3.x and Windows95. Macro viruses: Macros are used in most word processing programs such as Microsoft Office in order to automate or simplify recurring tasks in documents. Macro viruses are those viruses that use the application’s own macro programming language to distribute themselves, in which an unwanted sequence of actions is performed automatically when the application is started or something else triggers it. These macro viruses may inflict damage to the document or to other computer software but are relatively harmless, and are often spread as an e-mail virus. Boot Viruses: These were one of the most common viruses prevalent during the early and mid 1990s, when the use of diskettes was popular. These viruses infect or substitute their own code for either the DOS boot sector or the Master Boot Record (MBR), which controls the boot sequence of the PC. The MBR is executed every time a computer is booted so the virus will also be loaded into memory on every startup and spreads to every disk that the system reads. They are typically very difficult to remove, and most antivirus programs cannot clean the MBR while Windows is running. So, bootable antivirus disks are needed to fix boot sector viruses. Script viruses: They are a division of file viruses, written in a variety of script languages such as VBS, JavaScript, BAT, PHP, HTML etc. They can form a part of multi-component viruses or infect other scripts such as Windows or Linux command and service files. If the file format, such as HTML, allows the execution of scripts, they can infect it. Antivirus HQ: your online resource to help protect your PC from <a href="http://antivirus-hq.com/">viruses and spyware</a>.
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Start up guide to become an Information security consultant
For the sake of efficiency, cost effectiveness and to focus on the core business companies world over are switching to outsourcing of IT security. It makes eminent sense too as the information security consultants are the experts of their domain and hiring them is much more economical option than maintaining a whole army of in-house IT security experts. This cost and efficiency factors combined with the ever growing threat from hackers and exploding online shopping and e-commerce market has made sure that more and more companies are looking for information security consultants to take care of their IT security concerns. All these factors have made the career of information security consultants quite promising. But before you get ready to jump on the bandwagon, wait and contemplate as to why a company would go for outside IT security experts. This would help you understand the industry better. Basically there are following three reasons which make a company go for outsourcing. 7. The required services are not available in-house and getting expensive new employees is costly and time consuming option. 8. Company is facing a tight deadline to finish a highly technical project and it is not possible to hire, train new employees and expect the project to be finished in time. 9. Companies need an independent and objective perspective which is not mired in the corporate politics and infrastructure. When you are clear about these basics you can start the process of being a successful information security consultant which is as following. Go wholeheartedly — There are no half measures when it comes to making a career. And certainly not when you are entering a field as fluid as IT security. The job outlook and growth is better than average and there are training programs and schools which offer specific curriculum, certificates and degrees in computer security. Do proper Research — Since this field is relatively new, the programs are new and not yet established. So go for a recognized and reputable institute which offers all encompassing curriculum in information technology (IT), consisting of but not limited to penetration testing, systems analysis, computer information systems, programming and networking. Steer clear of frauds — As with any growing field, IT security education field is replete with fly-by-night operators which are there just to make money and offer illegitimate courses which are not recognized and can’t get you a job after graduation. Don’t be limited to just curriculum — As extensive the curriculum might be, there is always space for more. So don’t just be limited to the courseware and keep on adding to your knowledge of vulnerability analysis, firewall management, virus protection, network and software safety, IT forensics etc. Add to you certifications — After or during your graduation you can opt for industry recognized certification such as “Cisco” Network Security certification, those offered by Microsoft etc. They will add value to your knowledge and empower your resume. Gain experience — Once you have graduated you should get industry exposure through school-sponsored IT internships and with entry-level IT jobs. They will help you understand the IT security threats in real time practical environment.Nirmalya Jain is an <a href= http://www.appinlabs.com/iso-27001.php> Information security management system </a> and specializes in <a href= http://www.appinlabs.com/ethical-hacking.php> penetration testing</a>, systems analysis etc. She is also an amateur writer and her write ups on IT security have been well received.
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