| Last October 2 marked 170 years of Charles | | | | article appeared on the Techweb site describing |
| Darwin's return to England after five years spent | | | | how "toolkits" are now openly available to anyone |
| around the world collecting knowledge about flora, | | | | wishing to set up a website with the intent of |
| fauna, wildlife and genealogy. The information he | | | | stealing their visitors' personal information. Toolkits, |
| gathered would form the basis of his Theory Of | | | | as the term itself suggests, are a package of |
| Evolution. Interestingly on the same day in 1985, | | | | codes that even those with little programming |
| actor Rock Hudson would die from the AIDS | | | | skills can use in setting up a rogue website. These |
| virus. 149 years separated two very contrasting | | | | rogue websites are programmed to secretly install |
| albeit controversial events--one delving into the | | | | codes to their visitor's browser. These codes take |
| very origin of life while the other, a death resulting | | | | advantage of unpatched computers--those that |
| from a threat with no known cure. | | | | do not have security updates. The installed code |
| 1985 also saw the emergence of another kind of | | | | can then send information to the criminal about |
| virus--the first computer virus. More than twenty | | | | what the visitor is typing, for example their credit |
| years later, computer viruses have morphed | | | | card number or bank account number. Depending |
| from a laboratory test into organized crime's new | | | | on what kind of attack is launched on your |
| weapon of choice. | | | | computer, it could even be turned into a "zombie" |
| There was a time when viruses were no more | | | | computer--completely under the attacker's |
| than the fruits of idle hands. Some might even | | | | command. |
| describe them as nothing more than hijinks by | | | | "How do I protect myself?" you ask. Well, with a |
| programmers out to make names for | | | | little foresight and the right tools naturally. And this |
| themselves. Even the naming of the viruses | | | | applies especially to users of Microsoft Windows |
| reflected a level of triviality, some were named | | | | since it is the preferred operating system of |
| for particular computer hardware brands, some | | | | cyber criminals because of its many weaknesses. |
| for the virus programmer's girlfriend, one was a | | | | Make sure your computer is up to date with their |
| homage to a female tennis player known better | | | | security patches. Install anti virus software, an |
| for her curves than her on-court ability, and who | | | | entire suite (which includes anti spyware, firewall, |
| could ever forget the disarming "I Love You" | | | | spam blocker, etc.) if possible and see to it they |
| virus? It was indeed a nuisance for users when | | | | are also up to date. Avoid going to "black market" |
| they find out that their computer system was | | | | websites--these include sites offer downloads of |
| infected. But with a little foresight and the right | | | | pirated software, pornography and the like. |
| tools, it was a problem that could be handled. The | | | | Twenty-one years of infecting personal |
| cost for the home user was time wasted, but in | | | | computers and annoying the users, yes indeed, |
| a business environment, time wasted meant | | | | computer viruses have come of age. But guess |
| money lost. | | | | what? They have not even reached their prime. |
| Times have indeed changed. On October 3, an | | | | |