Polymorphic & Cloning Computer Viruses

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

computers, specifically pertaining to the
way it stores data. Because of the severity of the damage that these viruses may
cause, it is important to understand how anti-virus programs go about detecting
them and how the virus itself adapts to meet the ever changing conditions of a
computer. In much the same way as animals, computer viruses live in complex
environments. In this case, the computer acts as a form of ecosystem in which
the virus functions. In order for someone to adequately understand how and why
the virus adapts itself, it must first be shown how the environment is
constantly changing and how the virus can interact and deal with these changes.
There are many forms of computers in the world; however, for simplicity's sake,
this paper will focus on the most common form of personal computers, the 80x86,
better known as an IBM compatible machine. The computer itself is run by a
special piece of electronics known as a microprocessor. This acts as the brains
of the ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

accident. In fact it may be weeks until a person even is
aware that their computer has a virus. All viruses try to spread themselves in
some way. Some viruses simply copy clones of themselves all over the hard drive.
These are referred to as cloning viruses. They can be very destructive and
spread fast and easily throughout the computer system.
To illustrate the way a standard cloning virus would adapt to its
surroundings a theoretical example will be used. One day a teacher decides to
use his/her classroom Macintosh's Netscape to download some material on
photosynthesis. Included in that material is a movie file which illustrates the
process. However, the teacher is not aware that the ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: