Computer virus

   Computer virus - a kind of computer programs, a distinctive feature of which is the ability to reproduce. In addition, viruses can damage or completely destroy all the files and data controlled by the user on whose behalf was running an infected program, as well as to damage or even destroy the operating system with all files as a whole.

   Layman to computer viruses sometimes identify other types of malware such as trojans, spyware and even spam. There are tens of thousands of computer viruses that spread via the Internet worldwide, by viral epidemics.

   Viruses spread, introducing themselves to executable code from other programs or replacing other programs. For some time, even thought that, as a program, the virus can infect only a program - which does not change anything, the program is not an infection, but damage to data. Implies that the copies of the virus will not get control, as the information is not used by the processor as instructions. Thus, for example, unformatted text could not be a carrier of the virus.

   However, later made crackers that viral behavior could not only executable code containing the machine code processor. Viruses have been written in the language of a batch file. Then there macroviruses implementing through macros in documents such programs as Microsoft Word and Excel.

   Some time later, the crackers have created viruses that use vulnerabilities in popular software (eg, Adobe Photoshop, Internet Explorer, Outlook), in the general case of normal data processing. Viruses have been spread through the introduction of sequence data (eg images, texts, etc.), a special code that uses the vulnerability of software.

   Now, there are many types of viruses, different ways of disseminating and functionality. If the virus is spread primarily on diskettes and other media, now dominated by viruses that spread via the Internet. Increasing functionality and viruses, which they adopt the other types of programs: rootkits, backdoors (create "back door" to the system), keyloggerov (register user activity), spyware (steal passwords of bank accounts and credit card numbers), botnetov ( turn infected computers into the station to send spam or as part of computer networks, dealing with spam and other illegal activity).

   Creation and distribution of computer viruses and malicious programs prosecuted in Russia under the Criminal Code.

   According to the doctrine of information security of Russia, Russia should be a legal campaign against illiteracy in schools and universities in the teaching of computer science and computer literacy for the protection of information in computers, the fight against computer viruses and information security in computer networks.