The virus menace is raising a lot due to new attack types, but also to the vulnerability of your operating systems and security systems. Besides the vital updates offered by the producers, there are always launched new security packages versions.
The virtual fight between viruses and your computer seems to last forever and there is no defined winner. Due to hackers cleverness and those who are not aware of those viruses (CDs, DVDs, memory sticks, networks, Internet – torrent sites, P2P programs, false sites, chat programs, etc). Attacker’s guns remain the same Trojans, Spyware, Boots, Rootkits, but they are improved constantly and that is why antivirus producers are investing time and resources to be posted with all new dangers. This can be explained also as a fight at producer’s level. The first place is often changing, but this is a pleasing thing for us, the users.
Online studies show that the number of viruses is increasing very fast from year to year, so everyday are discovered 15.000 new threads. There is no wonder that the antivirus industry has to do great efforts to keep up, so new technologies are created to detect viruses. There are used special names for these technologies like “Deep Scan” or “Sonar”.
Witches are the dangers for a computer?
• Viruses: these viruses are classics and infect usual files (documents, applications). There are thousands of viruses who are lying in wait for an opportunity to download them on your hard disk and to infect as many files as they can. Their target has not changed a lot; the more likely files to get infected are Excel documents and executable programs.
• Worm: this type of files attack using the Internet and are more likely to be found on contaminated e-mails and their purpose is the multiplication through mass messages. These are not very dangerous and most often an updated antivirus detects it immediately or they are sent to the spam folder by the antispam filters.
• Rootkit: this is one of the most recent dangers. They are created on raised stealth technologies towards detection systems. The camouflage is taking place by modifying operating system’s files to avoid scan detection. The problem is bigger when rootkits can hide other types of malicious files to totally infect your computer. Even if most of the hide only Trojans to send mass messages, there are many rootkits that can create serious problems.
• Trojans: these files are hidden in free program’s installation kits. The danger is more obvious when the program is made by an individual and not by a software company. Trojans identify personal data and use them on the Internet, usually sending them to the person that infected you. Another type of Trojans is the Boots. These files are used by an outside person to control your computer.
• Drive-by-downloads: this is another new infecting method with the purpose of downloading Trojans or other types of files on the computer. This is done only by visiting some sites. The ones that navigate those sites have to click a certain link or to give their e-mail address. The viruses then reach your computer hard disk due to browser’s vulnerability. This way in stead of sending your friend a card, you can actually send him a virus that can infiltrate in his computer if the mail is opened.
How do antivirus programs protect us?
The scan modules of every antivirus differ from version to version and from producer to producer. Besides the standard detection procedures, like identifying viruses’ signatures or heuristic scans, producers added a new scanning type: viruses’ behavior detection. This type is about identifying the moves that a virus makes to camouflage or to infect your computer and blocking those steps without discovering the actual virus. The success of this method is medium.
