Project Computer Viruses- What are the current most dangerous virus threats?

0 Conversations

The author will be unable to continuously update his article, so he will direct you to other sites.

McAfee VIL- Top Ten Virus Threats

Click Here

McAfee risk definitions:

HIGH-RISK

A virus that McAfee considers "high-risk" is ALWAYS widespread or worse. You can expect to see this one. Although the commonality is the strongest criteria, it also matters what it does. A High-Risk usually has a destructive payload that causes severe or worse damage, deleting files. It may actually cause Unforseeable damage, sending on possibly confidential files. It might damage an EPROM or Flash Bios so your computer, literally, will never work again. BE WARNED! Finally, there is the Target Commonality. Something with a high target commonality might fry anything with Windows, while a Low Target Commonality may hit Southeast-Asian computers running a German version of "Tetris" over the Internet before applying patch 4 but after applying patch 2, and only if they're using Linux. A high-risk threat will have among the worst of all categories.

MEDIUM-RISK

A "medium-risk" virus hits the middle of most categories. It might delete a few critical files, but it's not going to become an epidemic. It would hit something like Word- widespread, but not hugely so.

LOW-RISK

A Low-Risk threat has bottomed out on one or all categories. Yeah, it may forward your entire HD, in pieces, to everyone in your address book and to the virus author, and hit any OS there is, but if it's confined to one company, it's still low risk.


See this page for details.

CERT Current Threats

Click Here

Cert doesn't really do risk assesments, but they make it clear what could happen.

Symantec (Norton) Current Threats

Click Here

Risk Assesments:

  1. VERY dangerous. Has everything a High Risk has in McAfee.
  2. Similar, but slightly less widespread or less damaging.
  3. Like a McAfee Medium Risk.
  4. Doesn't do much damage, and is rather uncommon.
  5. Harmless payload, very rare.


Back to the Index.

Bookmark on your Personal Space


Conversations About This Entry

There are no Conversations for this Entry

Entry

A609833

Infinite Improbability Drive

Infinite Improbability Drive

Read a random Edited Entry


Edited by

h2g2 Editors

References

h2g2 Entries

External Links

Not Panicking Ltd is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Disclaimer

h2g2 is created by h2g2's users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Not Panicking Ltd. Unlike Edited Entries, Entries have not been checked by an Editor. If you consider any Entry to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please register a complaint. For any other comments, please visit the Feedback page.

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more