ESET SMART SECURITY User's Guide download pdf (Page 112)

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6. Glossary

6.1 Types of infiltration

An Infiltration is a piece of malicious software trying to enter and/or damage a user’s computer.

6.1.1 Viruses

A computer virus is a piece of malicious code that is pre-pended or appended to existing files on your computer.

Viruses are named after biological viruses because they use similar techniques to spread from one computer to

another. As for the term “virus”, it is often used incorrectly to mean any type of a threat. This usage is gradually

being overcome and replaced with a more accurate term “malware” (malicious software).

Computer viruses mainly attack executable files and documents. In short, this is how a computer virus works: after

execution of an infected file, the malicious code is called and executed prior to the execution of the original

application. A virus can infect any files that the current user has write permissions for.

Computer viruses can range in purpose and severity. Some of them are extremely dangerous because of their ability

to purposely delete files from a hard drive. On the other hand, some viruses do not cause any damage – they only

serve to annoy the user and demonstrate the technical skills of their authors.

If your computer is infected with a virus and cleaning is not possible, submit it to the ESET lab for perusal. In certain

cases infected files can be modified to such an extent that cleaning is not possible and the files must be replaced

with a clean copy.

6.1.2 Worms

A computer worm is a program containing malicious code that attacks host computers and spreads via network. The

basic difference between a virus and a worm is that worms have the ability to propagate by themselves; they are

not dependant on host files (or boot sectors). Worms spread to email addresses in your contact list or exploit

security vulnerabilities in network applications.

Worms are therefore much more viable than computer viruses. Due to the wide availability of the Internet, they can

spread across the globe within hours or even minutes after their release. This ability to replicate independently and

rapidly makes them more dangerous than other types of malware.

A worm activated in a system can cause a number of inconveniences: It can delete files, degrade system

performance, or even deactivate programs. The nature of a computer worm qualifies it as a “means of transport“ for

other types of infiltrations.

If your computer is infected with a worm, we recommend you delete the infected files because they likely contain

malicious code.

6.1.3 Trojans

Historically, computer Trojans (Trojan horses) have been defined as a class of threats which attempt to present

themselves as useful programs and thus trick users into running them.

Since Trojans are a very broad category, it is often divided into several subcategories:

Downloader – Malicious programs with the ability to download other threats from the Internet.

Dropper – Malicious programs with the ability to drop other types of malware onto compromised computers.

Backdoor – Malicious programs which communicate with remote attackers, allowing them to gain access to the

computer and take control over it.

Keylogger – (keystroke logger) – A program which records each keystroke that a user types and sends the

information to remote attackers.

Dialer – Malicious programs designed to connect via premium-rate numbers instead of the user's Internet service

provider. It is almost impossible for a user to notice that a new connection was created. Dialers can only cause

damage to users with dial-up modems, which are no longer regularly used.

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