A
Alias
Flightless Bird
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_virus
"The vulnerability of operating systems to viruses
Just as genetic diversity in a population decreases the chance of a
single disease wiping out a population, the diversity of software
systems on a network similarly limits the destructive potential of viruses.
This became a particular concern in the 1990s, when Microsoft gained
market dominance in desktop operating systems and office suites. The
users of Microsoft software (especially networking software such as
Microsoft Outlook and Internet Explorer) are especially vulnerable to
the spread of viruses. Microsoft software is targeted by virus writers
due to their desktop dominance, and is often criticized for including
many errors and holes for virus writers to exploit. Integrated and
non-integrated Microsoft applications (such as Microsoft Office) and
applications with scripting languages with access to the file system
(for example Visual Basic Script (VBS), and applications with networking
features) are also particularly vulnerable.
Although Windows is by far the most popular operating system for virus
writers, some viruses also exist on other platforms. Any operating
system that allows third-party programs to run can theoretically run
viruses. Some operating systems are less secure than others. Unix-based
OS's (and NTFS-aware applications on Windows NT based platforms) only
allow their users to run executables within their own protected memory
space.
An Internet based research revealed that there were cases when people
willingly pressed a particular button to download a virus. Security
analyst Didier Stevens ran a half year advertising campaign on Google
AdWords which said "Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!". The
result was 409 clicks.[18][19]
As of 2006[update], there are relatively few security exploits targeting
Mac OS X (with a Unix-based file system and kernel).[20] The number of
viruses for the older Apple operating systems, known as Mac OS Classic,
varies greatly from source to source, with Apple stating that there are
only four known viruses, and independent sources stating there are as
many as 63 viruses. Many Mac OS Classic viruses targeted the HyperCard
authoring environment. Virus vulnerability between Macs and Windows is a
chief selling point, one that Apple uses in their Get a Mac
advertising.[21] In January 2009, Symantec announced discovery of a
trojan that targets Macs.[22] This discovery did not gain much coverage
until April 2009.[22]
While Linux, and Unix in general, has always natively blocked normal
users from having access to make changes to the operating system
environment, Windows users are generally not. This difference has
continued partly due to the widespread use of administrator accounts in
contemporary versions like XP. In 1997, when a virus for Linux was
released – known as "Bliss" – leading antivirus vendors issued warnings
that Unix-like systems could fall prey to viruses just like Windows.[23]
The Bliss virus may be considered characteristic of viruses – as opposed
to worms – on Unix systems. Bliss requires that the user run it
explicitly (so it is a trojan), and it can only infect programs that the
user has the access to modify. Unlike Windows users, most Unix users do
not log in as an administrator user except to install or configure
software; as a result, even if a user ran the virus, it could not harm
their operating system. The Bliss virus never became widespread, and
remains chiefly a research curiosity. Its creator later posted the
source code to Usenet, allowing researchers to see how it worked.[24]"
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Alias
"The vulnerability of operating systems to viruses
Just as genetic diversity in a population decreases the chance of a
single disease wiping out a population, the diversity of software
systems on a network similarly limits the destructive potential of viruses.
This became a particular concern in the 1990s, when Microsoft gained
market dominance in desktop operating systems and office suites. The
users of Microsoft software (especially networking software such as
Microsoft Outlook and Internet Explorer) are especially vulnerable to
the spread of viruses. Microsoft software is targeted by virus writers
due to their desktop dominance, and is often criticized for including
many errors and holes for virus writers to exploit. Integrated and
non-integrated Microsoft applications (such as Microsoft Office) and
applications with scripting languages with access to the file system
(for example Visual Basic Script (VBS), and applications with networking
features) are also particularly vulnerable.
Although Windows is by far the most popular operating system for virus
writers, some viruses also exist on other platforms. Any operating
system that allows third-party programs to run can theoretically run
viruses. Some operating systems are less secure than others. Unix-based
OS's (and NTFS-aware applications on Windows NT based platforms) only
allow their users to run executables within their own protected memory
space.
An Internet based research revealed that there were cases when people
willingly pressed a particular button to download a virus. Security
analyst Didier Stevens ran a half year advertising campaign on Google
AdWords which said "Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!". The
result was 409 clicks.[18][19]
As of 2006[update], there are relatively few security exploits targeting
Mac OS X (with a Unix-based file system and kernel).[20] The number of
viruses for the older Apple operating systems, known as Mac OS Classic,
varies greatly from source to source, with Apple stating that there are
only four known viruses, and independent sources stating there are as
many as 63 viruses. Many Mac OS Classic viruses targeted the HyperCard
authoring environment. Virus vulnerability between Macs and Windows is a
chief selling point, one that Apple uses in their Get a Mac
advertising.[21] In January 2009, Symantec announced discovery of a
trojan that targets Macs.[22] This discovery did not gain much coverage
until April 2009.[22]
While Linux, and Unix in general, has always natively blocked normal
users from having access to make changes to the operating system
environment, Windows users are generally not. This difference has
continued partly due to the widespread use of administrator accounts in
contemporary versions like XP. In 1997, when a virus for Linux was
released – known as "Bliss" – leading antivirus vendors issued warnings
that Unix-like systems could fall prey to viruses just like Windows.[23]
The Bliss virus may be considered characteristic of viruses – as opposed
to worms – on Unix systems. Bliss requires that the user run it
explicitly (so it is a trojan), and it can only infect programs that the
user has the access to modify. Unlike Windows users, most Unix users do
not log in as an administrator user except to install or configure
software; as a result, even if a user ran the virus, it could not harm
their operating system. The Bliss virus never became widespread, and
remains chiefly a research curiosity. Its creator later posted the
source code to Usenet, allowing researchers to see how it worked.[24]"
--
Alias
