Viruses, Worms, Spyware, and Other Perils of an On-Line World

1. Viruses, Worms, Spyware, and Other Perils of an On-Line World Computer Services Tech Talk September 23, 2003

2. What is a Virus? • A computer program designed to self-replicate • Often contain “payloads” ranging from annoying (displaying messages) to disastrous (deleting/altering files) • Viruses are written and distributed by people, they do not just appear • Even “nondestructive” viruses use up system resources and time

3. How Viruses Spread • Boot sectors • Documents (Macro viruses, VB Script viruses) • Email attachments • Peer-to-peer apps (KaZaa, Morpheus) • System vulnerabilities (Microsoft DCOM)

4. Virus Hoaxes • False reports about non-existent viruses • Often claim to be issued by software or virus companies (AOL, Microsoft) • Often claim to do impossible things • Usually contain instructions for the user, e.g. send email to others, delete a file

5. What Computer Services Does • Scans all email messages for viruses • Protects servers against known vulnerabilities • Operates firewalls and gateways to block virus activity • Maintains virus scanning software for campus use • Monitors virus activity on the Internet, and alerts the College whenever a virus poses a threat to campus users

6. Spyware • Software that monitors your activity – web sites visited, files downloaded • Reports activity to the “mother ship”, usually so information can be sold to advertisers • Almost always installed without your knowledge • Can record information silently, or cause a variety of problems, e.g. pop-up messages, browser hijacking • Almost all file sharing apps come with spyware

7. Protecting Your Computer • Find updated information at http://www.wabash.edu/technology/ • Patch your computer (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com) • Scan for viruses (scanner on scholar.sys) • For home computer, install (and regularly update) virus scanning software • Install and run Spybot Search and Destroy to find and remove Spyware