Glossary of virus-related terms.Anti-virus program A utility that searches a hard disk for viruses and removes any that are found. Most anti-virus programs include an auto-update feature that enables the program to download profiles of new viruses so that it can check for the new viruses as soon as they are discovered. Bug A programming error in software that can have unwanted side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. . Examples include various web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. security problems. Firewall A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to of from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized internet users Internet user n → internauta m/f Internet user Internet n → internaute m/f from accessing private networks connected to the internet, especially intranets. All messages entering of leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria. Trojan Horse See Trojan. Trojan Horse hollow horse concealed soldiers, enabling them to enter and capture Troy. [Gk. Myth.: Iliad] See : Deceit (application, security) Trojan horse A program that neither replicates nor copies itself, but causes damage or compromises the security of the computer. Typically, an individual e-mails a Trojan Horse to you--it does not e-mail itself--and it may arrive in the form of a joke program of software of some sort. Virus A program or code that replicates--that is, infects another program, boot sector Reserved sectors on disk that are used to load the operating system. On startup, the computer looks for the master boot record (MBR) or something similarly named, which is typically the first sector in the first partition of the disk. , partition sector, of document that supports macros by inserting itself or attaching itself to that medium. Most viruses only replicate, though many do a large amount of damage as well. * Encrypted virus A virus using encryption to hide itself from virus scanners See antivirus program. . That is, the encrypted virus jumbles up its program code to make it difficult to detect. * Polymorphic virus A virus that changes its binary code each time it infects a new file. Without an identifiable pattern to match, it is extremely difficult to discover under normal methods. Also called a "stealth virus," one way to detect it is by its actions (see behavior blocking). See virus. A virus that can change its byte pattern when it replicates, thereby avoiding detection by simple string-scanning techniques. Worm A program that makes copies of itself--for example, from one disk drive to another, of by copying itself using e-mail of another transport mechanism. The worm may do damage and compromise the security of the computer. It may arrive in the form of a joke program of software of some sort. --Courtesy of Symantec Corp. |
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