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6.0 AN OVERVIEW OF COMPUTER VIRUS | |
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Level
of
Protection This
of
course
depends
on
many
factors,
such
as:
1.
The
sensitivity
of
the
data
on
your
PC's.
2.
The
number
of
personnel
having
access
to
your
PC's.
3.
The
security
awareness
of
computing
personnel.
4.
The
skill
levels
of
computing
personnel.
5.
Attitudes,
ethics,
and
morale
of
computing
personnel.
A
key
point
of
consideration
is
the
threshold
for
the
amount
of
security
you
can
use
versus
its
impact
on
normal
productivity.
Human
nature
must
also
be
considered.
If
you
were
to
install
10
locks
on
your
front
door
and
it
cost
you
5
minutes
each
time
you
enter
your
home,
I'll
bet
that
the
first
time
that
it's
raining...
and
you
have
3
bags
of
groceries...
you'll
go
back
to
using
the
one
lock
you
always
used. Software
is
one
of
the
ways
to
protect
the
computer
from
virus
attacks
but
how
can
software
really
help…
There
are
several
approaches
that
have
been
developed.
One
form
is
an
"inoculation"
or
"signature"
process,
whereby
the
key
files
on
a
disk
are
marked
in
a
special
way
and
periodically
checked
to
see
if
the
files
have
been
changed.
Depending
on
the
way
in
which
this
is
implemented,
this
method
can
actually
interfere
with
programs
that
have
built-in
integrity
checks.
Another
method
is
to
"Write
Protect"
specific
key
areas
of
the
disk
so
that
no
software
is
permitted
to
change
the
data
in
those
places. Which
virus
protection
package
is
right? Since
the
first
reports
of
virus
attacks
appeared
in
the
press,
a
number
of
"Virus
Prevention"
products
have
quickly
appeared
on
the
market,
produced
by
companies
wishing
to
take
advantage
of
a
unique
market
opportunity.
Those
companies
that
have
had
to
build
a
product
from
scratch
during
this
limited
amount
of
time
have
had
to
design
the
defensive
system,
write
the
program
code,
write
the
user's
manual,
design
the
packaging,
"Alpha"
test,
"Beta"
test,
and
bring
their
product
through
manufacturing
to
market.
A
monumental
task
in
a
miraculously
short
period
of
time.
Companies
that
have
had
products
on
the
market
that
include
virus
protection,
or
products
that
were
enhanced
to
include
virus
protection,
such
as
Disk
Watcher,
have
had
extra
time
and
field
experience
for
the
stabilization
of
their
products.
As
a
professional
in
this
industry,
I
sincerely
hope
that
the
quickly
developed
products
are
stable
in
their
released
form.
The
evaluation
points
listed
below
are
usually
applied
as
a
standard
for
all
types
of
software
products:
·
Price
·
Performance
·
Ease
of
Use
·
Ease
of
Learning
·
Ease
of
Installation
·
Documentation
·
Copy
Protection
·
Support
A
"Virus
Protection"
package,
like
a
security
system
for
your
home,
requires
a
close
scrutiny.
You
want
the
system
to
do
the
job
unobtrusively,
and
yet
be
effective.
Special
consideration
for
virus
protection
package 1)
Amount
of
impact
the
package
may
have
on
your
computer's
performance:
-
If
the
package
is
"RAM
Resident,"
does
it
noticeably
slow
down
your
machine's
operations? 2)
Level
of
dependency
on
operator
intervention:
-
Does
the
package
require
the
operator
to
perform
certain
tasks
on
a
regular
basis
in
order
for
it
to
be
effective?
(Such
as
only
checking
for
virus
conditions
on
command.)
Does
the
package
require
much
time
to
install
and
keep
operational?
I.e.:
Each
time
any
new
software
is
installed
on
the
system,
must
the
protection
package
be
used? 3)
Impact
on
productivity...
Annoyance
level:
-
Does
the
package
periodically
stop
processing
and/or
require
the
operator
to
take
some
action.
If
so,
does
the
package
have
any
capability
to
learn
its
environment
and
stop
its
interference? 4)
False
alarms:
-
How
does
the
package
handle
situations
that
appear
to
be
viruses
but
are
legitimate
actions
made
by
legitimate
programs?
Are
there
situations
where
legitimate
jobs
will
have
to
be
re-running
or
the
system
re-booted
because
of
the
protection
package?
How
frequently
will
this
occur?
How
much
additional
end-user
support
will
the
package
require? 5)
The
probability
that
the
package
will
remain
in
use:
-
Will
there
be
any
interference
or
usage
requirements
that
will
discourage
the
user
from
keeping
the
package
active?
(It
won't
be
effective
if
they
quickly
desire
to
de-install
it
and
perhaps
only
pretend
they
are
using
it
when
management
is
present.) 6)
Level
of
effectiveness
it
provides
in
combating
viruses. Will
it
be
effective
against
viruses
produced
by
someone
with
an
experience
level
of?
Level
1 -
"Typical
End
User"?
(Basic
knowledge
of
using
applications
and
DOS
commands.) Which
types
of
intrusion
will
it
be
effective
against?
"Covert
Entry"?
"Overt
Entry"?
Does
it
detect
a
virus
attempting
to
spread
or
"clone"
itself?
Does
it
detect
a
virus
attempting
to
place
itself
into
a
position
to
be
automatically
run?
If
a
virus
gets
into
the
computer,
which
types
of
virus
damage
will
it
detect?
"Massive
Destruction"
"Partial
Destruction"
"Selective
Destruction"
"Random
Havoc
Destruction"
"Annoyance"
Does
the
software
detect
a
virus
before
or
after
it
has
infected
a
program
or
made
its
attack?
Does
the
publisher
claim
total
protection
from
all
viruses? 7)
Does
the
software
provide
any
assistance
for
"post
mortem"
analysis
of
suspected
problems?
I.e.:
If
a
virus
symptom
is
detected
and
the
computer
is
brought
to
a
halt,
is
there
any
supporting
information
for
analyzing
the
problem
other
than
the
operator's
recall
of
events? 8)
Impact
on
your
machine's
resources
How
much
RAM
is
used? 9)
Is
the
product
compatible
with:
Your
hardware
configuration. 10)
Can
the
package
be
used
by
current
computing
personnel
without
substantial
training?
What
type
of
computing
experience
is
required
to
install
the
package? 11)
Background
of
the
publisher.
References…
Who
is
using
this
or
other
products
from
this
publisher?
How
is
this
company
perceived
by
its
customers?
The
press? 12) Does the package provide any other useful benefits to the user besides virus protection?
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