Computer Worms
CSC 220 Operating Systems | Worms | Web Quest 3 | | Charles Harr | 4/17/2013 |
Charles Harr 4/17/2013
CSC 220 WebQuest 3
Worms
Worms are one of the most ill-defined concepts in Network Security and are among the most common types of malware. They spread over computer networks by finding operating system vulnerabilities. Worms typically cause harm to their host networks by consuming bandwidth and shorting out web servers. Generally, the intent of the worm is to be malicious. There are some worms however, which do not have malicious intent. They are referred to as anti-worms. Computer worms are classified as a type of computer virus, but there are several characteristics that distinguish computer worms from regular viruses. A major difference is the fact that viruses spread through human activity (running a program, opening a file and such) while computer worms have the ability to spread automatically without human initiation. In addition to being able to spread without a person, computer worms have the ability to self-replicate. This means that a worm can create more than one copy of itself to send to other computers. This often happens through the sending of chain e-mails to infected users’ email contacts. What is a worm intended to do? It depends on the person who created the worm. Usually a worm is created to gather personal information from a host. It may also create what we call a ‘backdoor’, which lets the creator of the worm to control the host or simply delete all data from it.
Some symptoms of Computer Worms are: * Freezing/crashing * Programs opening and running automatically * Irregular web browser performance * Unusual computer behavior (messages, images, sounds and such) * Firewall warnings * Missing or modified files * Operating system errors and system error messages * Slow computer performance
Any and or all of these
Charles Harr 4/17/2013
CSC 220 WebQuest 3
Worms
Worms are one of the most ill-defined concepts in Network Security and are among the most common types of malware. They spread over computer networks by finding operating system vulnerabilities. Worms typically cause harm to their host networks by consuming bandwidth and shorting out web servers. Generally, the intent of the worm is to be malicious. There are some worms however, which do not have malicious intent. They are referred to as anti-worms. Computer worms are classified as a type of computer virus, but there are several characteristics that distinguish computer worms from regular viruses. A major difference is the fact that viruses spread through human activity (running a program, opening a file and such) while computer worms have the ability to spread automatically without human initiation. In addition to being able to spread without a person, computer worms have the ability to self-replicate. This means that a worm can create more than one copy of itself to send to other computers. This often happens through the sending of chain e-mails to infected users’ email contacts. What is a worm intended to do? It depends on the person who created the worm. Usually a worm is created to gather personal information from a host. It may also create what we call a ‘backdoor’, which lets the creator of the worm to control the host or simply delete all data from it.
Some symptoms of Computer Worms are: * Freezing/crashing * Programs opening and running automatically * Irregular web browser performance * Unusual computer behavior (messages, images, sounds and such) * Firewall warnings * Missing or modified files * Operating system errors and system error messages * Slow computer performance
Any and or all of these