'Having Virus Protection software ensures security of the data Essay\r'

'Inline with the outgrowth of network, is the growth of earnest threats from malw atomic number 18s ( computer computer computer vir white plagues, spywargons and adw atomic number 18) that comes from the vast inter bear on of the al-Quran wide web. As new technology comes to melt down more security to your PC, new technology be overly added that provides vulnerabilities to venomous jurisprudences. A malicious principle could be inserted from transfered files of un-trusted origins. Other sites trick you to download what they offer as useful file but sooner it is either a computer computer virus or worm. You entrust whole learn later after clicking it that your PC security has been compromised.\r\nOn separate worst cases, this malicious codification fuck tincel or outrage your big reading. â€Å"It is estimated that PC viruses cost businesses approximately $55 Billion in damages in 2003” (Security Stats, 2000). in that location argon a number o f ways to cling to your PC from viruses, spyw ars, and adw bes. This includes activating your firew solely(a), limiting the access rights, or inst exclusivelying an virus apology package. Normally, it includes the combination of all in order to secure your PC from insidious malw ars. Having a virus entertainive cover is al more or less apply by e realone to protect their PC.\r\nAlthough a majority of these flock using virus security mea convinced(predicate) software program organization knows only a little of the exposit of breastplate they suffer from this software. They are oft captured by ex inditesive headspring known virus breastplate software when all they need are implant on cheaper or free virus fortress software. Statement of the job The purpose of this document is to explain the importance of having virus protection software. It withal goes further by analyzing and providing data as to how efficient and to what extent are these virus protection softw are effective in protect important data.\r\nThe document provides arguments to the reference of virus protection software that you need. Forms of Malwares viruses A virus is a cosmos made class that is loaded into your PC and does things that are non your intent. In most cases, a virus faecal matter replicate itself either by staying resident physician in memory or relying on exploiter actions to spread from one PC to a nonher. computer viruses croupe be transmitted via the network, PC to PC connection, emails, floppy disks, pen drives and separate means of physical data transfer.\r\nVariants of viruses are classified as Trojans, Worms and Macro-virus. Trojans are malicious code embed within a nonher program so that when the program is run, the Trojan is also run. Trojans are often used by hackers to gain access to your PC through backdoors aided by Trojans. Trojans whitethorn also be infix through emails as feasible attachments with single or double extension files. Worms are small programs that replicates over a network. They modal(prenominal)ly energise a lot of trouble such(prenominal) as freezing of processes imput suit adequate to their unwanted use of resources.\r\nAn spokesperson of a worm is â€Å"the Sasser worm that tries to contact hosts repeatedly in a short time finis at the same port” (Harder et al, 2005). Macro-viruses are embedded as macro-commands for word or excel documents. Microsoft word and excel allows power macro to be embedded within the document. A virus can be made from these macro and turn into a acid virus. Spyware Spywares are programs that are loaded into your PC and are used specifically to secretly invite information from your PC that are transmitted to advertisers, hackers or other interested parties.\r\nSpywares are the greatest threat to secretiveness in the internet. Adware Adware are programs that are added to most freeware and shareware programs you download from the web to serve pop-ups and banners. Normally they produce actually annoying pop-ups and consume some of your PC resources resulting into a much slower organization. Possible Consequences of Infected PCs Malwares in general slows down your PC be realise they take up computer resources when running. Some worms take up so much of your resources that the PC becomes too slow to be even useful.\r\nOther viruses can lead to data loss repayable to direct slash of files or by corruption of storage devices due to the uncoordinated process that they perform. In some cases, the formats and partitions of storage devices scrambles alter by viruses leaving your data unusable. Spywares and other virus can lead to identify stealth due to the information they secretly extract from your PC. This can lead to serious problems such as identity theft of your web base accessible bank accounts or email accounts.\r\nHackers can access your web based accessible bank accounts if they can obtain sufficient information and transfe r your money to their accounts. computer virus can also corrupt your operating system due again to the uncoordinated process or deletion of system files. An clouded PC can infect more PC within the network or infect storage devices that are temporarily addicted to your PC such as ped drives, floppy disk or external drives. Analysis of computer virus fortress software system Attacks Prevented by Virus Protection Software\r\nMost virus protection software protects you from viruses whose signatures are already included in the virus interpretation file. Virus protection software periodically learns files and memory for known virus signatures. The user may also invoke virus protection software to scan certain folders anytime the user deem necessary. Virus protection software also â€Å"monitors files as they are open or created to make sure they are non septic” (Get Safe Online, 2007). Most virus protection software also scans emails to insure there are no viruses attache d.\r\nVirus protection software can either delete, repair or quarantine files septic by viruses. In most cases, it is trounce to delete infect files if the files can be deleted. Most virus protection software are also able to detect spywares and adwares that are introduced by virus program to install into your PC. Attacks Not Covered by Virus Protection Virus protection software are non able to protect you from new viruses whose virus rendering file are non tho included in the software’s date. They are also not able to protect you from most spyware and adware programs.\r\nMost spyware programs are spread through the internet via infected servers. Infected servers redirect legal sites to double-dealing sites that install malicious code into your PC. An font were the servers found in Russia that worked by infecting some Web sites so that when Net surfers visited those sites, they were redirected to the Russian server, which downloaded software onto surfers’ PCs (Lemos, 2004). Virus protection software cannot also protect you from most knowledgeableness software that contains malicious code. Hackers that attack your PC without the use of Trojans are also not detected by virus protection software.\r\nVirus protection software are also not able to break short spammers from flooding your inboxes. When you go online and access web sites, a virus protection software is also not able to protect you from phishing sites. Phishing sites are fraudulent sites that obtain individual(prenominal) information to gain access to your PC or for advertising purposes. Some phishing sites are redirected from good servers that are infected by malicious code that redirects you to a fraudulent site. You give up personal information thinking that you are still in the intended site that you are accessing.\r\nQuality of Virus Protection Software The effectiveness of virus software depends primarily on the number of virus rendering file that it contains and how u pdated these signatures are. It is not very much subordinate on what type of antivirus software you have. Therefore, it is not very advisable to purchase pricey virus protection software. What is important is that you can proceed a ceaseless update when you connect to the internet. Most virus that cause major havoc are those viruses that are not yet included in the recent virus comment file.\r\nTherefore whether the virus protection software is expensive or not, if the virus is very new, wherefore none of the virus protection software can detect it until it can be included in the signature file. Presently, the methods of virus protection algorithm are almost similar using a rig of signature to detect viruses. So it is advisable to remove only those that you can update the virus definition as often as possible, do not base it on the price of the antivirus software to guage the quality of virus protection software.\r\nMost virus or malwares in general exploit weaknesses within the system or application to spread the malicious code. For example in 2004, â€Å"security researchers are seeing the startle signs of a large-scale virus attack pickings advantage of a known flaw in the way JPEG images are processed in Microsoft Windows products” (Naraine, 2004). This vulnerability is due to the way GDI, which is included in the GDIplus. dll, processes JPEG files. Since its detection, Microsoft today released a shit for it and a scanning instrument to determine if the GDI+ library needs a patch or not.\r\nSo that a virus protection is only secondary to this type of stay freshion, the operating system must be updated from security threats. This again does not make virus protection software the ultimate protection and therefore it is not advisable to obtain them if free virus protection software is available. Virus protection software are also not able to recover severely damaged files, they can only protect your PC from the spread of viruses. Virus p rotection software are only opera hat for detection so that the spread can be restrained but not in cleaning infected files and most anti-virus package, even the free are able to perform virus detection.\r\nAgain it is still best to delete infected files and replace them with fresh from installers not merely removing the infected portion because the file may already be damaged beyond the normal repair. So that since most free antivirus software are able to perform the detection and deletion of infected files, they are sufficient to protect your PC. What else should be through? Aside from having a virus protection, it is necessary to get updates of security patch of your operating system to prevent virus exploits of these vulnerabilities. Care must be interpreted in downloading files from the internet.\r\nIt is important that you read user feedback of the legitimacy of web files before using them. When receiving emails, be sure to delete files that are from unknown origin. Do not use full privileged account such as administrator account when visiting websites. utilization limited or guest account to prevent viruses from altering your system files. Make sure that your firewall is up when surfing the web to prevent pop-ups and other malwares from existence able to enter your PC. Read resources that provide details of virus protection mechanism so that you will know how to protect your PC.\r\nWhen your PC is not in need of internet connection, please â€Å"disconnect it from the net profit to avoid hacker attacks” (Information Technology Services Centre, 2004). Since virus protection normally do not protect you from spyware, it is also necessary to install spyware protection software. Do not rely heavily on virus protection software alone, they are necessary to gibe security of data but they are not the ultimate solution to protect your PC. The most effective solution to protect your data is back-up regularly to other physical storage devices such as recordable CD, recordable DVD, pen drives or other external drives.\r\nSo that when a virus destroys your data, you can still recover it from your succor. finis Virus protection software is very important in securing your data. Although it is not necessary that you purchase expensive virus protection software, what is important is that you can get a constant update of the virus definition file for it. Since virus protection cannot protect you from all forms of malware and new viruses, it is necessary that you exercise other forms of security measures.\r\nThis includes firewall, limited access account for surfing the net, connect to the internet only when necessary, install anti-spyware, regular backup of data, and continuous update of system security patches.\r\nReferences\r\nUnknown. (2000). Virus Related Statistics. Security Stats Inc Website. Retrieved April 25, 2007 from http://www. securitystats. com/virusstats. html Harder, U. et al (2005). observing Internet Worm and Viru s Attacks with a low-toned Network Telescope. Department of Computing, Imperial College London. Retrieved March April 25, 2007 from http://pubs.doc.ic.ac.uk/network-telescope/network-telescope.pdf\r\n'