Lesson+7

Used with Permission From Popular Science Magazine FEBRUARY 2001** The infamous Love Bug virus of a few months ago arguably marked that turning point in the short history of computer security.The Love Bug was deemed by the International Computer Security Association to be the most expensive, pervasive, and damaging virus ever, luring people in with the promising subject line ILOVEYOU. Even with that come-on, millions of computer-savvy people would likely have ignored it as junk mail from an unknown sender. But in this case, it appeared to come from a friend or coworker, and more than 10 million lovelorn or curious people just had to find out why one of their acquaintances was sending them a love letter. The result was felt worldwide. It effectively shut down e-mail for major corporations and government agencies, and the Love Bug and its variants will cost an estimated $8.7 billion, according to research firm Computer Economics. To put that number in context, the tab for all of the computer viruses last year was "only" $12.1 billion. But the really scary part is that the Love Bug is a relative lightweight, from a technical perspective. Carey Nachenberg, chief researcher of Symantec's anti-virus research center, estimates that a computer-savvy person could create a virus similar to the Love Bug in an afternoon. Viruses more sophisticated than the Love Bug might automatically mutate so they're more difficult to identify, or find their way into your computer while you browse a Web site. But these complex viruses take months to craft. The Love Bug was, instead, a lethal combination of social and technical engineering. The key to its success, if you can call it that, was its ability to trick millions into downloading an attached file and then covertly replicating itself by forwarding its malicious message to the e-mail addresses in the recipients' Microsoft Outlook address book. So how do you protect yourself? Start by not opening attachments you're not expecting, and deleting suspicious mail immediately [see "Vexing the Viruses"]. And soon, it won't just be your PC catching viruses either. Cell phones and other wireless devices with Web access could conceivably catch a virus and broadcast it to other devices within a 10-foot radius. Paranoia? Perhaps. But fighting a new generation of computer viruses just calls for some tough love. || //A virus is a program that's designed to interfere with the computer's normal operations. Beyond that broad definition, they come in a few general varieties:// //Virus Regular viruses move from one file to another and can be transmitted to other PCs via an infected file. They generally don't seek out the Internet or e-mail to spread.// //Worm Worms (like the Love Bug) are viruses that make use of a local area network or the Internet, such as e-mail, to replicate and forward themselves to new users.// //Trojan Horse Trojan horses hide within another program or file and then become active when you open the unwitting host.// || A few tips for avoiding computer viruses:// * //Delete e-mail from senders you don't recognize.//
 * I Love You ...Not
 * Intelligent, insidious, and increasingly personal, computer viruses have become the ultimate con artists.**
 * By Suzanne Kantra Kirschner**
 * Would you open an e-mail from a friend requesting a lunch date, a colleague offering a hot stock tip, or a company sending you an invoice for a gift? If so, you're a prime target for a computer virus. Computer viruses now rely as much on human foibles--greed, fear, curiosity, loneliness--to draw you in as they do any kind of technical trickery.
 * Would you open an e-mail from a friend requesting a lunch date, a colleague offering a hot stock tip, or a company sending you an invoice for a gift? If so, you're a prime target for a computer virus. Computer viruses now rely as much on human foibles--greed, fear, curiosity, loneliness--to draw you in as they do any kind of technical trickery.
 * Virus Varietals
 * //Vexing the Viruses
 * //Vexing the Viruses
 * //Don't open e-mail attachments unless you are expecting them.//
 * //Install anti-virus software and update it frequently via the Web.//
 * //If you have a high-speed connection that's always on, install so-called firewall software.//
 * //Don't engage strangers via e-mail, and don't pass on their e-mail to friends.// ||


 * Let's Review**