LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Computer Viruses: Attacks
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Viruses attached to email are currently the most common and widespread computer viruses. Although some viruses can attack just by opening email (like the KAK Worm), most won't activate until you open the attachment.
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In the fight against computer viruses, Ken Xie, 42, has made himself the first line of defense. It's a familiar role for the 6 ft. 5 in. Xie, who was a professional volleyball player in his native China before immigrating to the U.S. in 1989. Instead of stuffing spikes at the net, he deflects attacks on computer networks. His defensive techniques have revolutionized the network-security industry. "I think that the Internet is exciting and always changing," says Xie. "With each new application, there are new viruses.
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People write computer viruses. A person has to write the code, test it to make sure it spreads properly and then release it. A person ... designs the virus's attack phase, whether it's a silly message or the destruction of a hard disk. Why do they do it?
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Armies of computers infected with "bot" viruses are routinely controlled via a chatroom connection. Typically these machines are used to knock a website offline with a "denial of service attack" or as a conduit for sending out spam email.
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