Saturday, August 22, 2009

Cyberattack-IPV-6

The new internet protocol IPv6 will vastly increase the number of internet addresses available. Whilst IPv4 allows around 4 billion addresses, IPv6 increases this to around 3.4x1038. A major motivation for additional address space, apart from the fact that most of the currently available addresses are already allocated, is that it is foreseen that in the near future the will be an explosion in the number of devices that directly access the internet, each of which will have its own unique IP address
Some obvious examples are mobile phones and cars. Already many mobile phones are used to access the internet via their network provider but currently the connection to the internet is via a system that is similar to Native Address Translation (NAT), which has a considerable number problems. Neither will it be long before all new cars have an IP address and are permanently connected to the internet. Self organising sensor networks will become commonplace and used for such diverse activities as monitoring the environment to public health care. Each node of this network will require an IP address. Items marked with RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification) will also require IP addresses so that they can be monitored and organised.
In the home the television and the refrigerator will have IP addresses, as will the central heating system and your lighting circuits, intruder alarms, door lock and even your curtains. The internet will become ubiquitous and the connectivity will be almost infinite.
This of course created a massive vulnerability the cyberattack; so much so that the US government is investing $30 million into countermeasures against such a perceived attack. One of their concerns is hardware viruses that could be incorporated into chips. This could then be activated over the internet and used to launch massive coordinated cyberattacks from such items as televisions and refrigerators.This might sound like science fiction but the American Defence Department is taking it very seriously. Effectively they are carrying out research into the ultimate antivirus software in order to protect the integrity of tomorrow's internet.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Computer Viruses for Joe Bloggs

Nowadays computers are part of everyday life, and sit along with eating and sleeping as something we all do every day, and although they provide a wealth of information at our fingertips, a way to make jobs which would take hours take minutes, and of course a great source of entertainment, they are not without their frustrating moments, one of these being of course the computer virus.
We've all heard of them, whether it be in the latest company newsletter about the virus attacking your bosses hard drive, or in the news that the latest computer bug will destroy all life as we know it, the computer virus can be an annoying thing, and whether we know it or not, most of us have ‘contracted' a virus on our PC at some point, but how much do we know about them? For the large majority of computer users a computer virus is something for the ‘Tech Guy' to deal with, and apart from installing anti-virus software there's little we can, or can be bothered, to do.
A computer virus is basically a computer program that has the ability to copy itself and ‘infect' a computer without the owner telling it to do so, or even being aware. The term "virus" is also commonly but wrongly used to refer to other types of malicious software such as malware, adware, and spyware programs. A virus in the true sense of the word can only spread from one computer to another when it is taken there, whether that's over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses often increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system.
The advent of the internet has meant that viruses can spread much more easily, and regular outbreaks of certain viruses attack computers which are not properly protected by antivirus software . Viruses such as Sasser have in the past knocked out huge networks of computers, putting businesses out of action sometimes for days at a time.

Antispyware programmes

There are millions of internet scams available. With so many people going to the same sources for information, it has become relatively easy over the past few years to integrate spyware into programs so hackers and thieves can track your moves on the internet.
Certain types of spyware can be referred to as tracking cookies. These cookies are small bits of encrypted text that companies place on your hard drive every time you visit their website. They can then review other websites you have visited, how long you have spent visiting particular websites, and whether or not you purchased items from particular websites. If this idea of tracking your internet activity gives you kind of a creepy feeling, you are not alone. For this reason, there are a lot of different types of anti spyware programs available.
What these programs do is clear your hard drive of any tracking cookies that may have been placed on your drive during an internet session. It almost seems to be a kind of "big brother" in which every move you make is being watched. Scam artists use certain kinds of spyware to access your bank and personal information, if you frequently use those websites during internet sessions. Removing tracking cookies is something that can be done relatively easily. There are programs which help you remove spyware from your computer.
Some of the more advanced spyware programs will automatically block cookies from being encrypted onto your drive at all. Some will allow you to remove cookies with a quick scan after each internet session whilst others run regularly at a set time, chosen by you, to ensure spyware programs are run at a somewhat regular interval. Spyware isn't necessarily a bad thing. Companies first used it to be able to target banner ads and other advertisements directly to the user on the internet. They become an issue when there is a lot of information encrypted onto a hard drive. The computer can then begin to run slowly, and cause more errors. It can also be considered an invasion of privacy.
For this reason, it is best to run anti spyware programs at regular intervals to make sure you won't be an easy target for different kinds of internet scams. Running anti spyware programs will also help ensure you can keep your computer running smoothly and free of bugs or glitches which may come with being overloaded with too much information.

Utilities of Antivirus Software

Most computer users have armed their home computer with protection from various harmful viruses that could be acquired from using the internet. Have you ever wondered how these antivirus software programs go about discerning safe files from those that could infect your computer and cause serious damage? There are actually several methods that these antivirus programs use to keep your computer safe from infection.
One method used is known as malicious activity detection. The antivirus software keeps tabs on the entire computer system. If there is any type of abnormal behaviour from any program, the software may begin monitoring it using another of these methods that will be mentioned later in this article.
Another method and perhaps the most well used is signature based detection. The anti-virus software contains a dictionary of the various signatures used by malicious computer viruses. What the software does is scan file contents. Then a comparison is made between those contents and the known virus signatures. When a match is made then the virus is detected.
third approach is known as file analysis. With this method the antivirus software looks for files that have instructions contained within them that are similar to viruses. There are some drawbacks to this approach. In order for this method to work on your computer, the antivirus software must draw upon a significant amount of computer's resources. This makes it difficult to do other activities when the software is running. This method also works well to identify new viruses and their offshoots. Like other methods, on occasion certain files are earmarked as malicious when they are not.
File emulation is another manner in which antivirus software detects virus infection. What occurs with this approach is that a program is run and the software monitors the actions of the software. Based upon these actions, the antivirus software can determine if the program is safe to your computer or if it is malicious and should be removed. This method has some disadvantages. Occasionally, sometimes the antivirus software can incorrectly mark a program as a virus when in fact it is not.

Antivirus Software for Computer

Anyone with a home computer needs to make sure they had adequate protection from potentially devastating computer viruses. Installing antivirus software can help arm your computer system in order to withstand and eliminate these threats. Computer virus if given the opportunity can spread quite easily. The virus is actually a program that replicates itself and begins attacking and infecting your computer files. Like human viruses, these can be spread to other people. Email attachments can become easily infected with the virus and then sent off to other people's home computers. That's why it is also advisable to make sure your antivirus software scans both incoming and outgoing emails for viruses. This can keep your computer safe as well as those computers to which you send email.
As is with human biological viruses, the severity can vary among computer viruses. Some computer virus while annoying do little if any real damage to your system. On the other hand, some can be quite more extreme potentially corrupting key files that your computer needs to operate. This can impair your computer's ability to start up and perform normally. The virus may also rewrite data files you store on your computer. This will corrupt the files and in some cases make them completely irretrievable.
As scary as these viruses sound, you still have the upper hand if you appropriate arm your system with antivirus software. This software typically does a scheduled scan of your system, notifying you of any things that is concerning. Also, the software can scan files on demand. This means if you suspect a file could have a virus you can tell the software to make a quick scan of the item. This is wise when opening any kind of file that did not originate on your computer.
Some things to remember about your antivirus software is that the software developer is constantly releasing updates to the antivirus software. Also, these updates many include new virus definitions. Viruses are always changing and spreading. Make sure you update your antivirus software frequently because even if you are armed with it, it might not protect you. Most programs can allow you to select automatic updates so the program reminds you to update.

Tips for protect ur PC


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Biological viruses can be very concerning to people all over the globe. The recent swine flu epidemic has people worldwide seeking ways to protect themselves from this devastating virus. Computer viruses also can inflict serious damage and when they strike on a grand scale, can cripple computer systems affecting many daily activities. While vaccines aren't logistically feasible for computers there are other methods of protecting your computer system against computer viruses. The most popular method is that of an effective antivirus program. Along with that there are other lengths you can go to in order to protect your system.
Many people believe that simply having their computer scanned weekly for virus is enough. Actually, while that is a good practice, it doesn't prevent the virus from entering your computer system and infecting files. If the scan only occurs weekly the damage could have already occurred. In some cases, the virus changes things enough that the software will not detect the virus during the scan. Think about that little peep-hole that might exist in your front door. You wouldn't let anyone into your home that you didn't recognize, would you? So why let a file into your computer without checking it out first? In order to do this, you just simply scan the file on demand prior to opening it. If the scan results come back indicating a virus, you simply do not open the file and the antivirus software will guide you as far as what to do with the file. Also, make sure you scan email coming into your computer. This is an easy way viruses are spread.
Computer viruses can be devastating when their effects end up in the destruction of important computer files. That's why you should always back up your important files or even digital photos. Some people I know make two copies and give one to a friend in the event of a fire or other situations that could damage the disc.Transferring files can also pose a risk for infection. Say you use a flash drive to move files to another computer to work on. It is advisable to rescan the files prior to returning the updated files to your computer. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

The History of Anti-virus software

Most people who own personal computers are very aware of viruses that can come onto one computer. As a result of this knowledge, they usually want to make sure that they are protected. To make sure that they are protected, they will want to have anti-virus software on their computer. The antivirus software industry has certainly changed a lot over the past few years. To understand the changes that have occurred in the antivirus industry over the years, it is important to be able to take a look at the past.
It has only been in the past 15 years or so that people around the world have had widespread access to the internet. During this time, there has been an explosion in the amount of viruses that are out there. During the early years of the computer generation though, viruses were not as common. Before access to the internet became very common, most viruses were spread from computer to computer with the use of corrupted floppy disks. People of course don't spread viruses from floppy disks today, because floppy disks are not widely available any more. As computers started to get more advanced in the early 1990's, antivirus software began to come to the market. The early years of antivirus software were not very good, because they were not updated very often. In addition, newer and more advanced applications such as word programs and e-mail technology helped to allow viruses to spread quickly to other computers. In the past decade, antivirus software has really started to improve. There is more customer support and there is more regular updates that are done in order to protect people and their equipment. While there has been a lot of progress, viruses are still a major problem. This is because the world counts more and more on technology in order to get things done. In addition, hackers and people that work to evade antivirus software are working literally around the clock in order to beat antivirus software that is currently available on the open market. Antivirus software as a result will also have to improve in order to try to stay one step ahead.