Computer Viruses – A Quick Tutorial
1. What is a virus?
A virus is a parasitic executable program written intentionally to enter a computer without the user's permission or knowledge, and avoid detection. The word parasitic is used because the virus attaches to files or boot sectors and replicates itself, thus continuing to spread. Though some viruses do little but replicate, others can cause serious damage or affect program and system performance.
2. What is a computer worm?
A self-contained computer program, that is able to spread functional copies of itself to other computer systems (usually via network connections). Unlike viruses, worms do not need to attach themselves to a host program to do damage. There are two basic types: host computer worms and network worms.
3. What is a DAT file?
A DAT file contains the signatures or patterns of known computer viruses. It allows the Anti-virus Scan Engine to recognize the presence of virus code on your computer by comparing all the code on your system to the known virus patterns contained in the file.
4. What is a Scan Engine?
A program that uses the DAT file, in-depth inspection techniques, and statistical behavior pattern matching to fully identify known virus code from a file. Once this code is identified, the file is cleaned. If the file cannot be cleaned, it should be deleted. This deletion can be done manually or automatically by settings in the anti-virus software.
5. How do I get rid of a virus once my system is infected?
The first step is to install and/or update the virus protection software on your PC. UCit provides virus protection software to the entire campus community at no cost. The McAfee license that UC has allows for the software to be installed on all campus systems and also on your home system. The software is restricted to UC users only. The software download webpage is also restricted to UC IP addresses only.
Please Note: Step-by-step download information, for your version of the Windows OS, is provided.
The second step is to update the software with the latest DAT files and/or Scan Engine (See these definitions above). McAfee DAT files can also be obtained from the McAfee web page. Once the software is installed and the latest update files have been installed, the third step is to clean your PC by doing a system scan. If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact the UCit Helpdesk at 513-556-4357.
6. How do I keep my system from becoming infected again?
Over 500 new viruses are discovered each month and new signature files are released to include them. You must keep your software up to date by downloading the latest DAT file. These signature (DAT) files are posted on the UCit Software page above as soon as they become available.
7. How can I obtain future DAT updates if I cannot connect to the UC page?
Since the Anti-Virus page is restricted to UC IP address access only, if you access the Internet from another ISP such as Zoomtown or Time Warner, you will need to seek the updates elsewhere. The latest DAT file updates are available at McAfee’s homepage: http://us.mcafee.com/default.asp
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