Preventions
DATA SECURITY I Encryption /Decryption. Prevention
Reading: Anatomy of a virus.
Class Discussion
How a virus infects a program
Grammar: Cause and effect 1
Specialist Reading: Safe Data
Transfer
Oral task: Computer Crimes.
1. What do we mean by Data security?
2. Is it technically possible for computer criminals to infiltrate into the Internet and steal sensitive
information? Explain.
3. What’s Cookies?
4. What’s Encryption?
5. What’s Decryption?
6. Explain the process “How a virus infects a program?
7. Make a list of computer crime.
8. What’s a backup?
9. What is Firewall?
Reading
Read the text below to find answers to the questions.
1. How are computer viruses like biological viruses?
2. What is the effect of a virus patching the operating system?
3. Why are some viruses designed to be loaded into memory?
4. What examples of payload does the writer provide?
5. What kind of programs do viruses often attach to?
6. How does a Trojan differ from a virus?
The ANATOMY OF A VIRUS
A biological virus is very small, simple organism that infects living cells, known as
the host, by attaching itself to them and using them to reproduce itself. This often
causes harm to the host cells.
Similarly, a computer virus is a very small program routine that infects a computer
system and uses its resources to reproduce itself. It often does this by patching the
operating system to enable it to detect program files, such as COM or EXE files. It
then copies itself into those files. This sometimes causes harm to the host computer
system. When the user runs an infected program, it is loaded into memory carrying
the virus. The virus uses a common programming technique to stay resident in
memory. It can then use a reproduction routine to infect other programs. This
process continues until the computer is switched off.
The virus may also contain a payload that remains dormant until a trigger event
activates it, such as the user pressing a particular key. The payload can have a variety
of forms. It might do something relatively harmless such as displaying a message on
the monitor screen or it might do something more destructive such as deleting files
on the hard disk.
When it infects a file, the virus replaces the first instruction in the host program
with a
command that changes the normal execution sequence. This type of command is
known as a JUMP command and causes the virus instructions to be executed before
the host program. The virus then returns control to the host program which then
continues with its normal sequence of instructions and is executed in the normal
way. To be a virus, a program only needs to have a reproduction routine that enables
it to infect other programs. Viruses can, however, have four main parts. A
misdirection routine that enables it to hide itself; a reproduction routine that allows
it to copy itself to other programs; a trigger that causes the payload to be activated at
a particular time or when a particular event takes place; and a payload that may be a
fairly harmless joke or may be very destructive. A program that has a payload but
doesn’t have a reproduction routine is known as a Trojan.
From : PC magazine
How a virus infects a program.
The following diagram explains how one type of virus operates.
Vocabulary:
Trigger, routine, bug, patching, crack, web phone scam, payload, misdirection, reproduction.
Language work: Cause and effect
(1)
Causative verbs are used when someone is causing someone else to do something by forcing,
allowing and asking.
Also, the imperative verb form (no subject) is common with causative verbs, since both
causatives and imperatives are used for giving orders.
Examples:
1. A date or event occurs which causes the trigger routine to run.
2. A date or event occurs which makes the trigger routine run.
Putting the events in sequence and using a causative verb.
1. The trigger routine runs, which activates the payload routine.
Using a When clause.
1. When the trigger routine runs, the payload routine activates.
Exercise1: Some verbs beginning or ending with ‘en’ have a causative meaning. Replace the
words in italics with the appropriate form of ‘en’ verb from the list.
enable encode encourage
encrypt enhance enlarge
ensure brighten widen
1. A MIDI message makes sound into code as 8-bit bytes of digital information. 2.
The teacher is using a new program to give courage to children to write stories. 3.
The new version of SimCity has been made better in many ways.
4. A gateway makes it possible for dissimilar networks to communicate.
5. You can convert data to secret code to make it secure.
6. Make sure the machine is disconnected before you remove the case.
7. Designers can offer good ideas for making your website brighter.
8. Electronic readers allow you to make the print size larger.
9. Programmers write software which makes the computer able to carry out particular
tasks.
10. You can make the picture on your monitor wider.
Exercise2: Describe the effects of these viruses and other destructive programs.
1. Anti EXE
a. The infected program is run.
b. The boot sector is corrupted.
c. The disk content is overwritten.
d. Data is lost.
2. Logic bomb
a. A dismissed employee’s name is deleted from the company’s payroll.
b. A logic bomb is activated.
c. All payroll records are destroyed.
3. Cascade (File virus-COM files only).
a. A particular date occurs.
b. The payload is triggered.
c. Characters on a text mode screen slide down to the bottom.
Specialist Reading
Safe Data Transfer
‘Power User Tutor’, PC magazine
Extracted from: Oxford English For Information Technology.
TTTechnologyTechnology
