Computer Security... By Kate Robinson 8P Viruses Hackers Backups Stuxnet Gary Mckinnon

Computer Viruses What is a virus??? A virus is something that is sent to you through a message, it could be a message to say that you’ve got a virus and to click on the link to get rid of it but when you click on the link that’s the virus and you didn’t already have one in the first place, then once the virus is unleashed into your computer then it makes things very difficult. What can a virus do??? A virus can do a lot to your computer, for example it can slow down your computer a lot or even shut it down completely. Another thing is that it can delete some of your hard drive but one of the most annoying things is that it can make tiny changes to your computer which can be really annoying. What are the different types of virus??? There is a few different types of virus including the Trojan horse, which is disguised as something else that is nice when actually it’s a virus so when you click on it to get something nice you get something that is not very nice instead.

Computer viruses How can you stop yourself from getting a virus??? You can stop yourself from getting a virus by installing anti-virus software, or by not clicking on anything that looks a bit dodgy e.g. if something pops up saying you’ve won a prize like an Ipod touch then its probably a virus in disguise (a Trojan horse) it may not be but its not worth the risk….trust me…. Are there any drawbacks to using anti-virus software? Yes there are a few disadvantages to anti-virus software including things like it costs a lot of money to install a good one and it also could slow down your internet a lot when you put the internet on every day.

STUXNET... What is STUXNET? It is a windows security worm that targets software and equipment. What did it do? It infects the system, hides itself with a rootkit and sees if the infected computer is connected to a Siemens Simatic factory system Who did it? There has been a few suspicions on who started stuxnet including America and Iran.

Hackers… What is hacking? Hacking is when someone manages to get into your computer and access personal/ non public things that you don’t want anyone to know e.g. medical files, bank accounts or personal information. One of the most common ways of hacking is by sending a virus into your computer through an then once its in they have complete control of the computer and everything that’s on it. What damage can hackers do? Hacking can do a lot of damage mainly to the person that was hacked more than the computer but it can be different sometimes. The damage it can do to you is mainly the fact that they can access your details and the biggest worry is your bank details because if they have them then they can use your credit card to buy themselves things using your money!

Hackers... How can you stop hackers from being able to get onto your computer? You can stop hackers from accessing your computer by doing a few simple things like installing a firewall, or simply turning your internet of at night can sometimes prevent them from getting in.

Backups... There are lots of ways to backup your work including things like: b Floppy disks b Memory sticks b Cds b Dvds b The cloud If you don’t backup your work then things could happen to it for example…

Backups… If you had your work backed up on a memory stick but you also had other things like photos or things that take up a lot of room on it then your work could be accidentally deleted. The same could happen if you had it all saved on your computer then it just ran out of space.

Gary Mckinnon... His only purpose of hacking was to prove the reality of UFOs. Gary Mckinnon was a Hacker who was jailed for what he did to computers in the US. He hacked into the 97 US military and Nasa and he even shut down over 200 computers in washington whilst he deleted the US navy weapons log.

Bibliography b Wikipedia b Wiki answers b Stuxnet questions and answers