History of computer viruses

1. History of computer viruses Courtney czerniak

2. What is a computer virus? • A computer virus is a software program created to travel from one computer to the next that inhibits the infected computer’s operational capability. 1

3. Elk cloner: The first computer virus to hit the pc world Elk Cloner is the first known computer virus to be released outside of the lab in which it was created. In other words, Elk Cloner is the first virus that widely affected computers around the globe. The creator of Elk Cloner is Richard Skrenta. He wrote the virus in 1981 as a prank on some of his fellow computer club members. The virus hit the real world in 1982. Skrenta’s virus worked by traveling on a computer’s floppy disk. The floppy disk was the main storage system that a PC had in the 1980s. The virus would infect a computer when an infected floppy disk was inserted in the computer. It then found uninfected programs within the computer and “reproduced” itself within the new program it found.2 13

4. A new technological weapon 14 • Without realizing it, Richard Skrenta created a new technological weapon for the world to use. • Elk Cloner affected PCs around the world, and opened a new window for cyber crime. • People began to wonder what else a computer virus could do, so they began to experiment with this new technology. The age of the computer virus had begun.

5. Computer viruses “In the wild” viruses The second type of virus is what is referred to as “in the wild.” These viruses are the ones that wreak havoc on your PC once it is infected. “In the wild” viruses are created by cyber criminals to mess with your computer’s operating system, steal credit card information, etc. These viruses are the ones that have been released outside of the lab they were created in. This is the type of virus you want to avoid. 3 Research viruses • Research viruses are exactly what their name says: they are used for research. Cyber scientists create these viruses in a controlled environment to study what the virus does, ways to fix an infected computer, and ways to prevent a virus from infecting a Pc. • These research viruses are kept within the lab that they were created in, so they never reach the public. • Research viruses are considered a good thing because they provide us with information about how to protect our computers from the real viruses that are created to infect our home computers. 16 15

6. What do computer viruses do once they’ve infected a pc? Once a computer virus has infected your computer, there are several things it may do A virus could… delete or change data stored in your computer Send emails from your email address (one of the ways it spreads) Send instant messages to all your contacts (one of the ways it spreads) Erase everything that was stored on your computer’s hard drive 4 17

7. Why do people create computer viruses? When computer viruses were first created, people made them to… • Play a prank • Prove a point that it could be done • Mess up other peoples computers Now, computer viruses are being used to… • Steal credit card/banking information • Steal website account information • Make money off of it’s victims • Get revenge • Mess up other peoples computers 5 18 • As you can see, the purpose for creating a computer virus has become more sinister than it was before. The rate of cyber crime has greatly increased over the past decade in response to the amount of computer viruses being created.

8. How have computer viruses evolved? • Computer viruses have evolved over the years. • Viruses are much smarter and more damaging than they were when they were first created. • Viruses are much harder to get rid of now. • Viruses are now created to do more than just play a prank. Like I stated before they are now used to steal information, make money, etc. • As computer technology evolved, so did the computer virus. 6

9. How to avoid infection • Keep your computer up to date on with antivirus software. • Be aware of current threats that are known to be circulating in the computer world. This way you know what to watch out for. • Do not run your computer as an administrator, run it as a standard user. • Be carful when searching the internet or downloading documents. Use a firewall and a software program such as Norton to help keep your computer safe. 7 19

10. Computer viruses 9 Worm virus Boot sector Virus 10 Trojan Horse Virus 8

11. Computer viruses 11

12. references 15) http://www.ihealthtran.com 16) http://www.en.wikipedia.org 17) http://www.livinginternet.com 18) http://www.en.wikipedia.org 19) http://selfstorageinsider.com • http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/virus-whatis.aspx • http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/14/first_virus_elk_cloner_creator_interviewed/ • http://www.pctools.com/security-news/virus-in-the-wild/ • www.microsoft.com/security/pc.../virus-whatis.aspx • http://www.technibble.com/why-do-people-create-computer-viruses/ • http://www.webpronews.com/the-evolution-of-the-computer-virus-2012-03 • http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/antivirus.aspx • http://www.omnitechsupporter.com • http://www.devicemag.com • http://www.cknow.com • http://www.youtube.com • http://www.fahmirahman.wordpress.com • http://www.ztopics.com • http://www.avcomputerservices.com