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Computer Viruses
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Boot sector viruses infect diskettes and hard disks and become active when an infected disk is used to start the computer. (On a Macintosh, merely inserting an infected disk can activate a virus.)
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Most people do not send you viruses intentionally, and most people that have computer viruses do not know they have them. Accepting documents only from people you know and trust is no guarantee that you won’t receive viruses, However, it is a good idea not to open documents and programs from sources you do not know.
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Computer viruses are called viruses because they share some of the traits of biological viruses. A computer virus passes from computer to computer like a biological virus passes from person to person.
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Computer viruses are not uncommon in Finland, especially not in schools and universities. "Virus prevention was not well organized in some organizations and tended to be better in government organizations than in local government or in firms" writes Marko Helenius in his Computer viruses in Finland report. He did a large scale questionnaire survey in Finland in the summer 1993. There were not macro viruses at that time yet, so today the virus situation is a bit different, but some results were pretty interesting.
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From the reviews of the first edition "Cohen has been writing and speaking on viruses since they were just glimmerings in the eyes of … minded computer scientists. And, as a … minded scientist himself, Dr. Cohen does know his stuff." —EXE Magazine "This book is fun to read (a rarity in this field) and seemingly near faultless in the majority of its conclusions. Considering the author’s considerable achievements, it is ... written with admirable modesty." —Virus Bulletin Here is an outstanding opportunity to learn about computer viruses from the internationally acclaimed pioneer in the field who actually coined the phrase "computer virus." This new edition of Cohen’s classic work has been updated and expanded to nearly double its original size and now includes entirely new chapters on LAN viruses, international viruses, and good viruses (including code). As entertaining as it is thorough, the text is enlivened by Cohen’s down-to-earth wit and his many fascinating anecdotes and heretofore unpublished historical facts about viruses. Both broad in its coverage and deep in its consideration, it includes dozens of lucid explanations and examples that amicably guide the reader through the complex, often convoluted subject matter. Hailed as a tour de force, Cohen’s discussion of defensive strategies reveals many of the stumbling blocks that often trip readers up.
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Computer viruses have pervaded popular culture at least as successfully as they have the world¿s computer population. Capitalizing on the same fearful fascination with man-made life-forms that Mary Shelley tapped in Frankenstein, viruses have become the subject of widespread urban legends and hoaxes, popular television shows and movies. Yet they have not received much scientific scrutiny.
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Computer Viruses