Billions of people around the world use computers but still don’t really know what a virus is or how to recognise one. John Hillman tries to help with the basics.

Viruses are a pain to understand, what are they? Who makes them? How do I know if I have one?

These are the kinds of questions people ask themselves only to go online in search of answers and be bombarded with geek speak; directed to tech blogs written by people who obviously don’t do face to face communication unless summoned by a judge.

So to try and help those of you wondering how these strange ethereal bug thingies work, here’s a few tips to look out for when running your PC.

1. Is your computer running slower than normal?

2. Are you seeing unusual error messages?

3. Are you seeing distorted dialogue boxes and menus?

4. Is your computer not responding or locking up?

5. Is your computer restarting on its own?

6. Is your computer crashing and restarting on its own?

7. Are your disk drives inaccessible?

If the answer to any of the above is yes then you may very well have an infected PC, so you will have to run some malware removal software and make sure that you install some good up-to-date antivirus software too.

Most viruses are actually quite harmless; there are those that do real damage and try to steal personal information, and those that just slow you down. Ultimately it’s down to you to stop your PC catching the equivalent of a cold, think of anti-virus software as giving it a good diet, vitamin supplements and plenty of exercise.
———————————————————

Image Credit: bodycoach2

Internet crooks have developed into mature business people, claims a new report. Peter Moore reports.

A report released by Cisco Systems, the giant US networking multinational, has warned of the growing sophistication of cyber criminals.

The report claims that online crooks are increasingly adopting proven business techniques that enable them to work more efficiently, make more money and fool more people.

‘Capitalism is a powerful force,’ said Patrick Peterson, a spokesman for the company in their mid-year security report. ‘These criminal types are collaborating with one another… sharing resources, renting out botnets and forming alliances.’

The report depicts a radically different criminal type. No longer do they operate from underground dens, but they work in offices and apartments, demonstrating the type of thinking that would more often be associated with MBA students, not the members of a criminal gang.

The report says that online criminal gangs are now dynamic and fast-thinking. They have the resources and experience to seize opportunities offered by breaking news stories – the most recent example of which is the story of Michael Jackson’s sudden death.

‘We use Michael Jackson as a quintessential example,’ said Mr. Peterson. ‘When the media was in the air and scrambling to cover his death, the bad guys were coming up with creative news copy that tried to persuade users to click on a photo, video or memorabilia to trick the user onto an infected site.’

And Cisco said it had detected a rise in the number of such malicious tricks over the past few months. In May 2009, 249 billion spam messages were sent across the Internet, the third highest volume in history.

Although the report depicted a gloomy picture, amid rising global threats from an increasingly organised criminal element, Mr. Peterson argued that the past year had seen many improvements antivirus, anti- spam and anti-phishing technology.

Cisco’s position was backed by Kenneth Silva, the Chief Security Officer of Verisign Inc. In response to the Cisco report he said:

‘I don’t know how much money has to be stolen or how many people have to be hurt emotionally and physically before someone figures out there is a real problem here.’

image credit: mkosut