How They Attack!

Computers and the Internet are always changing. Now security risks are at an all time high!
In the last two years alone, an ominous change has taken over the Internet. The malicious tools that are attacking and fueling the black-market are cyber-crimes. Spyware, bots, Trojans and malware.

CYBER CRIMES

The focus of our country.
How does cyber-crime affect people? Though viruses, hacks, Trojans and more… criminals are gaining access to computers and information that does not belong to them. Once they have obtained it, they use it for nefarious reasons.

To avoid becoming a victim of cyber crime, learn the basics of online protection or stop by for a free consultation BEFORE you are a victim (If possible)

Virus properties

Below is a list of some of the properties a computer virus is capable of having and what it is capable of doing. Keep in mind all viruses and combinations of viruses are different.

Your computer can be infected even if files are just copied. Because some viruses are memory resident, as soon as a jump drive, disk or program is loaded into memory, the virus then attaches itself into memory and then is capable of infecting any file on the computer you have access to.

Polymorphic.

Some viruses have the capability of modifying their code, which means one virus could have various amounts of similar variants. This is also true with e-mail viruses that change the subject or body of the message to help from being detected.

Memory or non-memory resident.

As mentioned earlier a virus is capable of being either memory resident where the virus first loads into memory and then infects a computer or non-memory resident where the virus code is only executed each time a file is opened.

Stealth virus.

Stealth viruses will first attach itself to files on the computer and then attack the computer; this causes the virus to spread more rapidly.

Viruses can contain other viruses.

Because viruses are only software programs a virus may also carry other viruses making the virus more lethal and help the primary virus hide or assist the primary virus with infecting a particular section of the computer.

Myth Virus

These are rumors spread through many social sites and Emails warning people to take action. They usually site some official sounding web site or security person and instruct the user to “prevent” infection by performing steps that may actually cause an infection. Although most people sending them are not the originator of the virus but are in fact, trying to help / warn others, they actually helping spread the virus.

Hidden or “a carrier”.
Much like some human viruses… some computer viruses can make you a “carrier” They can hide changes made, and distribute themselves and “payload” to other you are in contact with. They can do this while appearing invisible to you and your system making the virus more difficult to detect.

List of possible damages a virus can cause.

Keep in mind some of these issues may be caused by another type of software or hardware issue and not a virus.

• False system messages or warnings.
• Pop ups
• Deleted files.
• Various messages in files or on programs.
• Changes system labels.
• Disable ports.
• Caused keyboard keys to rearrange.
• Alter the system time / date / zone.
• Marks Hard Drive clusters as bad.
• Overwrites sectors on the hard disk.
• Replaces the MBR (master boot record).
• Create additional partitions.
• Cause numerous error messages
• Causes cross-linked files.
• Causes a “sector not found” error.
• Cause the system to run slow.
• Directory order may be modified or missing.
• Cause numerous Hardware problems.
• Cause system to hang or freeze randomly.
• Cause activity on Hard Drive randomly.
• Increase or decrease memory size.
• Extended boot times.
• Increase disk access times.
• Cause computer to make strange tones.
• Unusual error messages.
• Display offers to help remove errors or viruses.

If you think you are infected or want us to help you be proactive about this real threat… we are here to help you.

While some viruses require a separate computer system or “server” to remove thoroughly, most can be removed with a little time and effort without losing your personal data.

At Tech 2 You, we will explain exactly what we are doing to your system. We believe that if you know what is happening you can save some headaches in the future. This is only part of what we do to build a lasting relationship with our clients.