NAME – Sahil Gautam

CLASS – X ‘A’

ROLL NO. – 34

SUBJECT – Computer

TOPIC – Different types of

computer viruses
and anti-viruses
 Acknowlegment

I am over helmed in all humbleness and gratefulness to acknowledge

my depth to all those who have helped me to put these ideas, well
above the level of simplicity and into something concrete.
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher as
well as our principal who gave me the golden opportunity to do this
wonderful project on the topic different types of computer virus and
antivirus , which also helped me in doing a lot of Research and I
came to know about so many new things. I am really thankful to them.
Any attempt at any level can ‘t be satisfactorily completed without the
support and guidance of MY parents and friends.
I would like to thank my parents who helped me a lot in gathering
different information, collecting data and guiding me from time to
time in making this project, despite of their busy schedules, they gave
me different ideas in making this project unique.
 INDEX
1 What is a Virus ?
2 Various types of viruses
3 Some famous and destructive
viruses
4 What is anti-virus software?
5 Different types of cyberthreats
that Antivirus software is
designed against
6 How Antivirus works
7 Importance of Antivirus
8 Antivirus vs Anti-malware
9 Antivirus vs Anti-malware
10 1. Advantages and
Disadvantages of Antivirus
Software
11 Conclusion
 What is a Virus ?

A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed,

replicates itself by modifying other computer programs
and inserting its own code. If this replication succeeds, the affected
areas are then said to be "infected" with a computer virus, a metaphor
derived from biological viruses.
Computer viruses generally require a host program. The virus writes
its own code into the host program. When the program runs, the
written virus program is executed first, causing infection and damage.
A computer worm does not need a host program, as it is an
independent program or code chunk. Therefore, it is not restricted by
the host program, but can run independently and actively carry out
attacks.
Virus writers use social engineering deceptions and exploit detailed
knowledge of security vulnerabilities to initially infect systems and to
spread the virus. Viruses use complex anti-detection/stealth strategies
to evade anti-virus software. Motives for creating viruses can include
seeking profit (e.g., with ransomware), desire to send a political
message, personal amusement, to demonstrate that a vulnerability
exists in software, for sabotage and denial of service, or simply
because they wish to explore cybersecurity issues, artificial
life and evolutionary algorithms.
Computer viruses cause billions of dollars' worth of economic damage
each year.
In response, an industry of antivirus software has cropped up, selling
or freely distributing virus protection to users of various
operating system .
 Various types of viruses

File Virus
This type of virus infects the system by appending itself to the end of
a file. It changes the start of a program so that the control jumps to its
code. After the execution of its code, the control returns back to the
main program. Its execution is not even noticed. It is also called a
Parasitic virus because it leaves no file intact but also leaves the host
functional.

Boot sector Virus

It infects the boot sector of the system, executing every time system is
booted and before the operating system is loaded. It infects other
bootable media like floppy disks. These are also known as memory
viruses as they do not infect the file systems.

Macro Virus
Unlike most viruses which are written in a low-level language(like C
or assembly language), these are written in a high-level language
like Visual Basic. These viruses are triggered when a program capable
of executing a macro is run. For example, the macro viruses can be
contained in spreadsheet files.
Source code Virus
It looks for source code and modifies it to include virus and to help
spread it.

Polymorphic Virus
A virus signature is a pattern that can identify a virus (a series of
bytes that make up virus code). So in order to avoid detection by
antivirus a polymorphic virus changes each time it is installed. The
functionality of the virus remains the same but its signature is
changed.

Encrypted Virus
In order to avoid detection by antivirus, this type of virus exists in
encrypted form. It carries a decryption algorithm along with it. So the
virus first decrypts and then executes.

Stealth Virus
It is a very tricky virus as it changes the code that can be used to
detect it. Hence, the detection of viruses becomes very difficult. For
example, it can change the read system call such that whenever the
user asks to read a code modified by a virus, the original form of code
is shown rather than infected code.
Tunneling Virus
This virus attempts to bypass detection by antivirus scanner by
installing itself in the interrupt handler chain. Interception programs,
which remain in the background of an operating system and catch
viruses, become disabled during the course of a tunneling virus.
Similar viruses install themselves in device drivers.

Multipartite Virus
This type of virus is able to infect multiple parts of a system including
the boot sector, memory, and files. This makes it difficult to detect
and contain.

Armored Virus
An armored virus is coded to make it difficult for antivirus to unravel
and understand. It uses a variety of techniques to do so like fooling
antivirus to believe that it lies somewhere else than its real location or
using compression to complicate its code.

Browser Hijacker
As the name suggests this virus is coded to target the user’s browser
and can alter the browser settings. It is also called the browser redirect
virus because it redirects your browser to other malicious sites that
can harm your computer system.
Some of the most famous and
destructive viruses

1. ILOVEYOU
The ILOVEYOU virus posed as a love confession. It would send
itself to users' mailing lists and overwrite files, making computers
unbootable.

Thought to be one of the most harmful ever created, damages were

upwards of $10 billion.

2. Code Red
Code Red targeted Microsoft IIS users and even the White House
website was hit.
Once infected, the virus would replicate itself, taking up computer
resources. The virus would then open up the machine to a remote
access.

It hit a total of two out of six million IIS servers!

3. Melissa
This virus started in 1999 as an infected word document. This was
posted online, claiming to be a list of passwords to adult websites.

Once opened, it would mail itself to the user's email contacts. The
increased email traffic caused disruption to governments and
corporations alike.

4. Storm Trojan
In 2007, Storm Trojan infected thousands of computers. Users
activated it by opening emails with titles such as "230 dead as storm
batters Europe".Then, a program called wincom32 would install itself.
This passed information to other infected computers. These computers
would then spread the virus.

5. Sasser
Sasser affected millions of Windows XP and 2000 computers. It
found a way to manipulate an exploit in the Local Security Authority
Subsystem Services.Sasser slowed machines down and caused
crashes. It also made it hard to power down. Damages were estimated
in the billions of dollars as well as forcing airlines and governments to
shut down.
6. My Doom
One of the fastest spreading virus of all time, My Doom, infected one
in 12 emails at its peak.Users would open an attachment like "Mail
Transaction Failed". Its aim was to take down websites like Google
and Lycos. It managed to take out Google for almost a day!

7. Zeus
In 2009, Zeus targeted windows computers to use them to perform
criminal acts. It infected targets through phishing scams or
downloads.It compromised accounts from many leading banks and
corporations. It stole details of social media accounts, bank
accounts,and email addresses.Around $70 million was stolen and over
100 arrests made.

8. Conficker
Conficker is a worm that infected over 9 million computers around
the world.It would reset account lockout settings and block access to
antivirus sites and windows updates. It would then lock out user
accounts. Scareware was then used to scam money from users.

9. Stuxnet
Believed to be created by Israeli and American defense forces for
cyber warfare, Stuxnet was used to disrupt Iran's nuclear
program.Spread through infected USB drives, it ruined 1/5 of Iran's
nuclear centrifuges. If the infected computer used Siemens software.
 What is Antivirus Software?

Antivirus software is a dedicated software that helps in detecting

cyber threats such as malware, spyware, and phishing.

By downloading this software, you can modify the settings to the

extent that the software deletes such threats immediately. The level of
automated or manual threat detection varies based on the type of
antivirus software you are opting for.

Antivirus software can be given permission to detect threats in the

background as well.
Different types of cyberthreats
that antivirus software is
designed against

Phishing
In phishing attacks, you will receive mail from an apparent bank or
government representative stating that your account has been hacked
or compromised by a third party. The motive of the mail is to make
you click the given link where the attacker can fetch your data easily.
Sometimes, the stories in the mails might change based on the type of
phishing.
Tech giants, such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, have been
working toward filtering such messages in your mail. While a
majority of such mails do get filtered and sent to spam, phishing
mails, sometimes, play around the algorithm and land in your
primary mail.

Malware
It is important to understand malware to understand antivirus.
Malware functions with the intention to loot your bank account, steal
your identity, and many more activities of malicious nature.A few
pieces of malware can delete your important files, make your system
crash, damage your server, and much more.

Spyware
Spyware usually enters into your device’s operating system, spies
your activities, and generates ads accordingly. Sometimes. spyware
generates unwanted ads as well.

But, how does antivirus work toward finding the above-mentioned

types of cyberthreats? The following section of this blog, what is
antivirus, will answer the same.
 How Antivirus Works?

When you install any antivirus software, it usually comes with

preloaded information of the existing and popular viruses in the
world.

When you run antivirus software, it matches your computer’s

information and the preloaded information. When there is a match,
you will be notified of the same. You can delete the affected files
manually by choosing the clean, clear, or delete option in the
antivirus software.

In addition, you can change the settings to automatically delete such

malware or viruses in the future as well.

To understand what is antivirus more effectively, it is important to

understand what is anti-malware as well. The following section will
address the same.
 Importance Of Antivirus
Antivirus plays an important role in any device. Following are a few
of the top protection provided by it.

• Antivirus detects malware and viruses that prominently

penetrate company systems. This will help in maintaining the
hygiene of the computer.
• The growth of hackers is immense these days. Hackers tend to
target sensitive and confidential data from your system. In the
presence of antivirus, the activity of data access and more can
be detected. Moreover, the data will be protected to a great
extent by the antivirus software.
• If you regularly plug in external devices to your PC, the
antivirus software will protect your PC/laptop from any
potential virus from any external device.

Through the above-mentioned methods, your PC/ laptop will be

protected against viruses to a great extent. As a result, your computer
will have a long life.
 Antivirus vs Anti-malware
The similarity between antivirus and anti-malware is that both are
designed to protect your device from attackers.

Antivirus software is designed to protect your device from all types of

attacks, while anti-malware is designed to protect your device from
malware only.

In brief, it can be said that the uses of antivirus are universal. In

contrast to the uses of antivirus, anti-malware has specialization to
protect your device against Trojans and ransomware effectively.

But, what are the different types of antivirus software you should be
aware of to choose the best-suited antivirus software for you in 2021?
The following section of this blog, what is antivirus, will answer the
same. The following examples of antivirus software are as per the
ITProPortal’s 2021 report.
 Popular Antivirus Software

Comodo Windows Antivirus Software

This software is compatible with Windows operating system and
covers one device at a time. This antivirus software comes with cloud-
based scanning, secure shopping, game mode, and 24/7 tech support.
It comes with firewall protection as well.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus

This is one of the latest types of antivirus software in the market. This
software is compatible with Windows operating system and can
support up to five devices at a time. It comes with a ransomware
shield, UEFI scanner, exploits blocker, and cloud-powered scanning.

It comes with PowerShell that scans your external devices for viruses
as well. You can purchase this antivirus software for US$39.99
annually.

Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security

This is one of the latest types of antivirus software in the market. This
software is compatible with Windows operating systems and can
support one device at a time.

This antivirus software comes with ransomware protection, advanced

AI learning, email scam safeguard, and pay guard.
 Advantages and
Disadvantages of Antivirus
Software
Both advantages and disadvantages of computer antivirus are given
below:

Advantages of Antivirus Software:

• Your device will be protected against viruses, Trojans, worms,
spyware, adware, rootkits, and keyloggers. As a result, your
data will be protected as well.
• In cases where you accidentally click a phishing link or any
such malicious link, it will protect your device and data.
Antivirus software decreases the percentile of virus infection
multifold.
• Antivirus software protects your confidential information from
hackers as well. This is possible through antivirus software’s
firewall provision.
• Antivirus software can help in eliminating spam emails as well.

Disadvantages of Antivirus Software:

• Since antivirus software comes in large sizes, your device, at
times, can experience lag.
• Few antivirus software can come without inbuilt firewall
provision. This can increase the chances of your device being
attacked. Thus, to ensure safety, make sure that your antivirus
software comes with firewall protection.
 Conclusion
Viruses and malware are evolving throughout the world. Over the
years, attackers and hackers have been finding technological tactics
to attack your devices and circumvent antivirus software systems.
Thus, it is always advisable to invest in it with firewall protection.
Furthermore, updating antivirus software regularly will ensure
smooth functioning of the same.