CHAPTER 3

COMPUTER VIRUS

 Virus is an abbreviated form of Vital Information Resource Under Siege.

 A computer virus is a software program that can replicate itself and infect a computer without the
permission or knowledge of the user.
 Virus Symptoms
1. The computer may run slower than normal.
2. The computer faces booting problem.
3. The screen may flicker sometimes.
4. Unusual error messages may occur.
5. The system may crash.
 Types of Computer virus.
1. Boot –sector virus - Viruses that attach themselves to the boot sector program are called Boot
Sector virus. These viruses gets activated before operating system is loaded.
2. E-mail virus - This virus spreads through e-mails. It can travel through attachments in e- mail
messages and can automatically replicate itself.
3. Browser hijacker – This virus can spread through voluntary download or redirecting to unsafe
websites.
4. Memory resident virus – This type of virus directly affects the computer memory. It resides
inside the memory and gets activated every time operating system gets loaded and ends up
infecting the opened files.
5. Macro virus – This virus infects the files created using Microsoft Office package.
 Worm – A worm is a program similar to a virus, it has the ability to self-replicate and choke the
network. But they can be detected and eliminated by Antivirus software. They spread through e-mail
and networks. Eg- Code Red worm clogged the internet worldwide in 2001.
 Trojan – Trojan disguises itself as a useful program in order to persuade a victim to install it and
damages the system, even erase hard disk. It cannot automatically replicate itself. It requires a powerful
antivirus to be eliminated. Eg- Bifrost, NetBus
 Antivirus Software – Antivirus software is known as anti-malware software that is used to prevent,
detect and remove malicious software.
1. 1st antivirus – 1987
2. VirusScan introduced by John McAfee, which later became McAfee antivirus software.
3. Other popular antivirus – AVG, Nortan, Avira
4. How the antivirus works – Textbook page -32

CHAPTER 4
ETHICS AND SAFETY MEASURES IN COMPUTING

 Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet. –Textbook page- 37

 Computing Ethics – Textbook page - 39
 Plagiarism –
 1. It is the act of taking another person’s work and producing it off as your own. The work may be
information, from web page, books, music, TV shows, articles, artwork etc. It is not only a crime
but leads to copyright infringement.
2. Types of Plagiarism
 Direct
 Self
 Mosaic
 Accidental
Till STEPS TO PREVENT PLAGIARISM FOR THE EXAM