I loveyouvirus
The ILOVEYOU Virus Essay
The ILOVEYOU Virus Essay
The term malicious code is the term used to describe code in any script or software that is intended to cause undesired effects. This can include security breaches, denial of service or damage to a system. Malicious code can also describes a broad category of system security terms that includes attack scripts, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and backdoors. The focus of this project is to describe the effects of a specific type of malicious code that came out in May of 2000 called the “ILOVEYOU” virus.
According to Symantec Security the “ILOVEYOU” virus was discovered May 5th, 2000.1 At its peak the virus spread to an estimated 10% of internet-connected computers reaching over 50 million infected users2. The damage was estimated to have caused between $5.5-8.7 billion in damages nationwide3.
The”ILOVEYOU” virus is an example of a type of malicious code that also relies partly on social engineering. This is any type of attack that relies on gaining the trust of the victim in order to take advantage of a system they have access to. The way the virus utilized trust to spread is it was titled innocuously “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT” using a false “.txt” extension and hiding the secondary true extension .vbs. A .vbs file is a Visual Basic Script file that contains a program that is ran when the file is clicked, in this case a malicious one.
The deceptive name lead users to believe it was a harmless affection from someone in their address book instead of the payload it contained. When the virus ran it would replace all of the user’s JPG, JPEG, VBS, VBE, JS, JSE, CSS, WSH, SCT, DOC, HTA, MP2, and MP3 files with the virus, keeping their name and appending the .vbs extension in a hidden fashion as before. The virus would then add itself to the victim’s system startup and email itself to everyone in the user’s address book as well as friends in internet relay chat (IRC) clients.
In addition
The ILOVEYOU Virus Essay
The term malicious code is the term used to describe code in any script or software that is intended to cause undesired effects. This can include security breaches, denial of service or damage to a system. Malicious code can also describes a broad category of system security terms that includes attack scripts, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and backdoors. The focus of this project is to describe the effects of a specific type of malicious code that came out in May of 2000 called the “ILOVEYOU” virus.
According to Symantec Security the “ILOVEYOU” virus was discovered May 5th, 2000.1 At its peak the virus spread to an estimated 10% of internet-connected computers reaching over 50 million infected users2. The damage was estimated to have caused between $5.5-8.7 billion in damages nationwide3.
The”ILOVEYOU” virus is an example of a type of malicious code that also relies partly on social engineering. This is any type of attack that relies on gaining the trust of the victim in order to take advantage of a system they have access to. The way the virus utilized trust to spread is it was titled innocuously “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT” using a false “.txt” extension and hiding the secondary true extension .vbs. A .vbs file is a Visual Basic Script file that contains a program that is ran when the file is clicked, in this case a malicious one.
The deceptive name lead users to believe it was a harmless affection from someone in their address book instead of the payload it contained. When the virus ran it would replace all of the user’s JPG, JPEG, VBS, VBE, JS, JSE, CSS, WSH, SCT, DOC, HTA, MP2, and MP3 files with the virus, keeping their name and appending the .vbs extension in a hidden fashion as before. The virus would then add itself to the victim’s system startup and email itself to everyone in the user’s address book as well as friends in internet relay chat (IRC) clients.
In addition
References: 1 VBS.LoveLetterVirus.Var. (2000, May 5). Endpoint, Cloud, Mobile & Virtual Security Solutions. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2000-121815-2258-99 2 ILOVEYOU virus. (2000, May 5). The Free Dictionary. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/iloveyou 3 Garza, G. (2005, June 20). Top 10 worst computer viruses. Top 10 Worst Computer Viruses. Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://www.catalogs.com/info/travel-vacations/top-10-worst-computer-viruses.html 4 Auza, J. (2008, July 8). 12 Most Devastating PC Viruses and Worms of All Time | TechSource. 12 Most Devastating PC Viruses and Worms of All Time | TechSource. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://www.junauza.com/2008/07/12-most-devastating-pc-viruses-and.html 5 ILOVEYOU virus. (2000, May 5). The Free Dictionary. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/iloveyou Critical Infrastructure Protection: 'ILOVEYOU ' Computer Virus Highlights Need for Improved Alert and Coordination Capabilities: T-AIMD-00-181. ITT-Tech Virtual library