Antivirus Can Protect Your Computer From Theft And Destruction

It was May 5 of 2000, a virus that originated in Manila, Philippines, had spread to tens of millions of computers all around the world in just a few hours. Outlook was the point of entry. An email with a subject of ILOVEYOU was very enticing to users all over the world. Inside the email was an attachment named “LOVE LETTER FOR YOU.TXT.VBS”.  If this was sent nowadays, of course, our email platforms would have blocked it automatically. If it arrived in your inbox, you wouldn’t have opened it because you could clearly see that it is not a text file because of the .VBS suffix.

The .VBS signified that it is a potential virus, but previous versions of Microsoft outlook hid the second suffix. This was the main reason why it was able to spread so fast because it used a flaw in Microsoft outlook to trick users into opening the file on the email which was the virus.

It overwrote a lot of files on the host’s computer and hid itself when it reached an mp3 file. It then sent itself to all the contacts found in the host’s computer contact list. This virus is now known as the love bug virus and it cost the world billions of dollars in losses in a single day. Click here to learn more about the love bug virus.

A virus is a computer program that acts like a biological virus where it infects and spreads to as many hosts as it can. It is destructive and difficult to deal with. It replicates itself and can do pretty much anything its designer intends it to do. A lot of viruses are used to do many different things. Some are created for corporate sabotage, some are created for theft or even used to steal identities, others are created out of pure malice, while some create one just to prove that they can.

This goes to show that it is very important to protect yourself from computer viruses. Viruses are very destructive, an avenue for theft, and can definitely cost you a lot of money if you are not careful. There are free antivirus software programs that are available online but they may not be as effective as the best antivirus software that you pay for which are more updated and keen on protecting you from threats.

Theft

Anti-virus protects you mainly from the 2 objectives of virus: to steal and destroy. Viruses that steal usually are embedded deep into your systems so that you cannot see them while they send back relevant information to their users. These viruses are called spyware or malware.

You can get this by opening emails that have viruses in them, opening unsafe websites, and of course through a physical connection like a USB or a LAN connection. Malware can also now be transmitted through a wireless connection.

Malware can be used to steal a number of things. Of course, the main goal of these thieves is to earn money. A lot of them are designed to capture your bank and credit information so that they can steal your money. That is why it is very important to make sure that the computer where you are inputting your information is secure.

Otherwise, thieves can easily get your info and steal your money. They can steal your credit card information also when you purchase things online and they can use it as they please. You can, of course, dispute this with your credit card company but it will be a hassle on your part as you will most likely be asked to pay for it first before it is investigated and refunded.

Spyware is also used to steal identities. One of the things that are sold now throughout the world is identity. In the movies, we see spies and contract killers with multiple identities. This is also the case in the real world but there is more. Identities of other people are used by normal people to get away from crimes they have committed or to get into places that they have difficulty to go to using their current identities. Visit this link for more information on spyware: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware

Others, however, use these identities online for a scam. They trick people so that they can get into jobs, or have people send them money. Some people even use different identities to catfish people that they are attracted to. Catfishing is the use of another person’s identity to gain affection from someone you like but are sure won’t like you back. 

Thieves also target corporate data and secret government files. Corporate data can be sold to competitors and companies that pay a high price for such things just to get ahead of the competition. Company secrets can make or break a company and online thieves will try their best to get these. A great example of these was when HBO’s season 8 of Game of Thrones was stolen by hackers prior to their schedule of release. The group of hackers asked to be paid an amount of 6 million dollars which was to be paid in Bitcoin.

Destruction

Programmers also create viruses to destroy. Most viruses destroy your data after stealing while some just simply destroy your data. These viruses are created maliciously by their designers as they are only made to destroy just like the love bug. However, there are times when destructive viruses are created and deployed for a reason.

One of the biggest reasons for these types of viruses is corporate sabotage. This can happen by infecting the server of a company to disrupt a company’s operations for a certain time. Some are discreet and only disrupt operations for a few minutes which can already give a competitive advantage, while not leaving a lot of suspicions. Some also tend to make lasting destruction to make a statement.

Viruses are very dangerous, and you should always be protected against them. Anti-virus software is very much capable of protecting your computer and servers from threats and you should not hesitate in paying for such protection especially if you have a lot to lose. On the contrary, you may not have files that are worth stealing but, in the words of Batman’s Alfred Pennyworth: “some men just want to see the world burn”.