hapter 3

Computer Virus

State whether the following statements are True/False

Question 1 A computer shows unusual behaviour due to a virus attack.
Question 2 A computer virus is intentionally made to disturb the proper functioning of the computer
system.
Question 3 There is no difference between a computer virus and a biological virus.
Question 4 A computer virus can be removed from the system through vaccination.
Question 5 A computer virus is destructive in nature.
Question 6 A system gets affected by the virus automatically.

Question 7A computer virus replicates itself within the amount of available memory.

Question 8 Antivirus software is specially designed to protect the entry of viruses into the system.
Question 9 The system gives an alarm, when a virus affected storage media is connected.

Question 10 Once an antivirus is loaded, your computer will never be affected by viruses.

Give two examples of each

Question 1

Boot Sector Virus

Answer

1. Danish boot
2. Quox

Question 2

Worm

Answer

1. Swen
2. Scalper
Question 3

Trojan

Answer

1. Backdoor
2. Nuker

Question 4

Macro

Answer

1. Bloodhound
2. Melissa

Question 5

Bomb

Answer

1. Saturday the 14th

2. Happy Birthday 30

Question 6

Stealth

Answer

1. Frodo
2. Brain
Distinguish between the following
Question 1

Computer Virus and Biological Virus

Answer

Computer Virus Biological Virus

Computer virus is a malicious program, Biological virus is a living organism which enters
which has the ability to replicate and execute human bodies and causes various types of
itself. diseases.

It is a man-made program. It is a natural organism.

It can attach to programs and spread itself

It has little range to spread.
globally through network.

It cannot affect living beings. It affects living beings.

Question 2

Program Virus and Macro Virus

Answer

Program Virus Macro Virus

This virus directly attacks the program

files of the system with the extension as This virus attacks the data files of the system.
.EXE, .SYS, .COM, .DLL, etc.

When a relevant task related to a Whenever a user wants to work on any application
program file is performed, it starts package related to data files, he finds that either the
showing its destructive behaviour and file is destroyed or it contains some absurd data. Thus,
the system fails to perform any task the user is unable to perform any task on those data
directly. files.

For example- Sunday, Cascade etc. For example- Bloodhound, Melissa

Question 3

Virus and Antivirus

Answer

Virus Antivirus

Computer virus is a malicious An antivirus software is a computer program used to scan

program, which has the ability to files. It detects, prevents, identifies and eliminates
replicate and execute itself. computer viruses and other malicious softwares.

It is destructive in nature. It is preventive in nature.

It harms the computer system in It protects the computer system from viruses and other
different ways. malicious softwares.

Question 4

Malware and Virus

Answer

Malware Virus

Definition: Malware is a software which is Definition: A virus is a code which attaches itself to
designed to get unauthorised access of a various files and programs which get infected in a
computer system, generally for a third party manner that they can disrupt and corrupt a device.
benefit.

Types of Malware include: Types of Virus include:

 Virus  Boot sector

 Trojan  Multipartite
 Worm  Spacefiller
 Ransomware  Resident
 Spyware  Polymorphic
 Adware  File infector
 Direct Action
 Macro

The full form of Malware is Malicious Software The full form of Virus is Vital Information Resource
 Under Seize

A computer system with a malware software can Antivirus is used to remove viruses from a computer
be repaired using an antimalware software device

If a malware software affects your computer A system attacked by a computer virus can be
device, it may: apprehended if:

 Try to retrieve personal information  The processing speed decreases

 Steal data like saved cards or payment  Too many pop-ups appear on the screen
details  Passwords are reset
 Initiate mining for bitcoin  Different programs begin to execute
 Overpower its presence and execute themselves
unwanted tasks

Examples of Anti-Malware software include: Examples of Antivirus software are:

 Total AV  McAfee
 Bitdefender  Norton
 Malwarebytes  Avast
 Hitman Pro  Kaspersky

Question 5

Worms and Virus

Answer

Worms Virus

A Worm is a form of malware that A Virus is a malicious executable code attached to

replicates itself and can spread to different another executable file which can be harmless or
computers via Network. can modify or delete data.

The main objective of worms to eat the

It require host is needed for spreading.
system resources.

It doesn’t need a host to replicate from one It protects the computer system from viruses and
computer to another. other malicious softwares.

It is less harmful as compared. It is more harmful.

Worms can be detected and removed by Antivirus software are used for protection against
 Worms Virus

the Antivirus and firewall. viruses.

Morris Worm, Storm Worm and SQL

Resident and Non -resident viruses are two types of
Slammer are some of the examples of
Virus.
worms.

It does not needs human action to

It needs human action to replicate.
replicate.

Its spreading speed is faster. Its spreading speed is slower as compared.

Short Answer Questions

Question 1

What is a computer virus?

Answer

Computer virus is a computer program which runs on any computer system without the user's knowledge.
It is a malicious code that has the ability to duplicate and sends copies of itself to other computers
through the Internet. Viruses can alter, corrupt and delete files, freeze your computer and interfere with
the computer operation.

Question 2

State types of a computer virus.

Answer

There are basically two types of computer virus:

1. Parasitic Virus or file virus : A Parasitic Virus, also known as a file virus, is spread by
attaching itself to executable programs. When a program infected with a parasitic virus is opened,
the virus code runs.

Ex:- Sunday, Cascade and jerusalem

2. Boot Sector Virus: - Boot sector viruses infect either the master boot record of the hard disk or
the floppy drive. The boot record program responsible for the booting of operating system is
replaced by the virus. The virus either copies the master boot program to another part of the hard
disk or overwrites it. They infect a computer when it boots up or when it accesses the infected
 floppy disk in the floppy drive. i.e. Once a system is infected with a boot sector virus, any non-
write-protected disk accessed by this system will become infected.

Example of boot:- Form, Disk Killer, Michelangelo and stone virus

3. Multipartite Virus:- Also called a multi-part virus, a virus that attempts to attack both the boot
sector and the executable, or program, files at the same time. When the virus attaches to the boot
sector, it will in turn affect the system s files, and when the virus attaches to the files, it will in turn
infect the boot sector.
Ex:- Invader, Flip, Tequila

4. Macro Virus:- A macro virus is a computer virus written in the same macro language used for
software programs, including Microsoft Excel or word processors such as Microsoft Word. When
a macro virus infects a software application, it causes a sequence of actions to begin automatically
when the application is opened.
Ex:- DMV,Nuclear and Word concept

Question 3

Define the following

1. Worm
2. Trojan
3. Bomb
4. Bots

Answer

Worm — These viruses are programs which don't affect the functioning of a system. Once these viruses
enter, they attack the security zone of a computer system. As a result, they just keep on replicating
themselves in the disks.

They also spread through e-mail while using Internet. They use the address book of the system to send
themselves through e-mails. These viruses drastically decrease the available memory of the system. For
example- Swen, Scalper etc.

Trojan — These computer programs move around the valid programs and get executed with a flashy
opening screen. They usually get into the system through e-mail attachments with fascinating names.

Once you open the e-mail, they become active in the background and slowly start deleting/corrupting the
files inside the system. They can only spread through user interaction such as opening an e-mail
attachment or downloading and running a file from the Internet. For example- Backdoor, Nuker ,etc.

Bomb — These viruses remain inactive for a long time and wait for a specific data or specific event for
the disaster. The explosion takes place in the form of a sudden disaster inside the system.
For example, the virus 'Friday 13' waits for the day and date Friday the 13th to delete all the files of the
system.

Bots--- A bot (short for "robot") is an automated process that interacts with other network services. Some
bots program run automatically, while others only execute commands when they receive specific input.
Common examples of bots program are the crawler, chatroom bots, and malicious bots.

Long Answer Questions

Question 1

What are the various ways to get virus attack to a computer system?

Answer

The various ways to get virus attack to a computer system are:

1. A virus infected floppy disk or other storage media like CD, DVD, pen drive can easily infect a
system.
2. Pirated softwares
3. Hired computer games or audio or video CDs.
4. Browsing unwanted websites through Internet.
5. Unwanted mails in the spam folder.

Question 2

How will you detect that a computer system is infected by viruses?

Answer

We can detect that a computer system is infected by viruses if we notice one or more of these symptoms-

1. The speed of the processor becomes comparatively slow.

2. You may get unusual messages on the screen.
3. The disk drive light may constantly flash.
4. The opening or closing of programs/data files takes more time.
5. The programs may not run. Even if they run, they don't function properly.
6. The size of the infected file increases. Thus, the available memory decreases.
7. The system may frequently restart without the knowledge of the user.
8. The system may not be able to read the contents of CD/DVD/Pen drive.
9. The data files may corrupt or show unusual symbols/characters in place of the actual data.
Question 3

State the various ways to protect your system from viruses.

Answer

We can protect our system against viruses by following these measures:

1. Avoid using pirated CD/DVD to install any software in your system.

2. If you are using a Pen drive to transfer data to your system, make sure that the drive is free from
virus.
3. If your system is connected to a LAN, keep a check on the users to avoid the misuse of the
system.
4. Don't browse unwanted websites.
5. Install Antivirus software in your system.
6. Keep your antivirus software updated.
7. If you are using any external storage media to transfer data, scan the disc properly with Antivirus
software.
8. Avoid reading unwanted e-mails while working with the e-mail account.
9. Always keep a backup copy of your program/data files.

Question 4

Why do people spread viruses? Explain.

Answer

One cannot understand the logic behind people's addiction to create and spread viruses. There are some
reasons that might explain why people spread viruses:

1. They don't think about the consequences, others have to face.

2. They draw a false distinction between creating/publishing viruses and distributing them.
3. They consider it to be the responsibility of someone else to protect systems from their creations.
4. This is a way they fight with the authorities.
5. They think it is a way of getting attention/recognition from their peers.
6. They want to engage the antivirus vendors in a job.
Question 5

What is meant by an antivirus? Name different types of antivirus softwares.

Answer

An antivirus software is a computer program used to scan files. It detects, prevents, identifies and
eliminates computer viruses and other malicious softwares. It also takes action to disarm or remove
malicious software, such as viruses and worms, from a computer.

An antivirus software uses two different techniques to accomplish its job. They are:

1. Examining files to look for known viruses by means of a virus dictionary.

2. Identifying suspicious behaviour from any computer program which might indicate infection.

Examples of antivirus softwares are Kaspersky Antivirus, Quick Heal, Net Protector, AVG Antivirus,
MCAfee etc.

Question 6

Write down the steps to update your Antivirus software.

Answer

The steps to update your Antivirus software are as follows:

Step 1: Select the Antivirus icon on the desktop and double click on it.

Step 2: The Antivirus window will open. by default, it shows the dashboard details.

Step 3: Click the 'Update' button on the Antivirus window. It will show you the information regarding
your antivirus, if it need an update, when it was last updated, etc.

Step 4: It is up to you to update the software manually or set it on the automatic mode. In automatic
mode, the antivirus will update automatically when connected to the internet.

Step 5: Click on 'Update' button to update your antivirus. The files required for update will be
downloaded.

Step 6: The Antivirus may ask to restart the system, depending upon the kind of update. You can restart
the system immediately or after some time.

Hence, the antivirus will be updated.

Question 7

You have loaded 'Norton Antivirus' software in your computer system. Does it make your computer
system free from virus attack for a lifetime? Justify.

Answer

No, loading of Norton antivirus software in your computer system doesn't make your computer system
free from virus attack for a lifetime because everyday new types of viruses are being developed and an
antivirus software might not be able to detect or eliminate them.

So, it is very important to keep your antivirus software updated against the new viruses. It can be done by
using the Internet and checking for updates on a regular basis.

Question 8

What actions can an antivirus take, if a threat is detected in your computer system?

Answer

If a threat is detected in our computer system, our antivirus can take one or more of these actions in a
specific order:

1. Repair — The antivirus tries to clean the infected file and remove the threat safely. This is
important when it's our personal file and we would like to retain the data.

2. Quarantine — If repairing fails, the antivirus could choose to quarantine or isolate the infected
file into a safe location. The quarantined file cannot be accessed but we will have a copy of the
file. When a method of removing the threat is discovered, we can retrieve the data safely.

3. Delete — If the infected file can't be repaired and we do not want to retain the data, we can delete
the files from our computer.