New Technology Reviews!.: Death

Viruses - Life and Death

There are several things that count as "the bane" of computer users' lives. Computers crashing, screens freezing, the intention to save data two seconds before a power cut are some, and viruses are another. There are thousands of viruses out in the cyber world, in various guises, old and new, virulent and redundant, all created with the same malicious intent, to ruin your life. You have to be a special kind of evil to release something like a Trojan horse out into the world, knowing that it will infect millions of anonymous people, innocent people and do untold damage. Cyber-terrorists, they don't need bombs, they don't need guns, they don't need actual violence and death, but the destruction that they cause can be just as great as the traditional kind.   Viruses are not only virulent and destructive, they can also be sneaky, and many have methods that they use to avoid detection by anti-virus software. For example, some are able to infect files without increasing their size or damaging them. These viruses are called cavity viruses and achieve their goal by overwriting the unused areas of executable files. Other viruses kill the tasks that the anti-virus is supposed to carry out in its detection activities. As technology is constantly updated and computers and operating systems increase in complexity, the need for viruses to improve their deception techniques also grows.   A bait file is a file that has been especially created to be infected by a virus. The reasons for this are varied. They can be used to take a sample of the virus. Storing and exchanging a small, infected bait file is more practical than exchanging a large programme that has been infected. Bait files can be used to study the behaviour of viruses and evaluate detection methods. This can be particularly helpful when a virus is polymorphic and infects a large number of bait files, which can then be used to test if a scanner detects all versions. Some software uses bait files that are accessed on a regular basis, and when the files are modified the software alerts the user to the fact that a virus is active in the system.   Viruses are designed to avoid suspicious programmes, particularly small programme files or programmes that contain patterns of "garbage instructions". Another avoidance strategy that makes baiting difficult is sparse infection. This involves not infecting a file that would be an ideal host in other circumstances. For instance, there is a random process that decides whether or not to infect a file or not, there is also a process that decides to infect host files on particular days of the week only.   Another way that viruses deceive anti-virus software is by intercepting and interfering with its requests to the operating system to read the file. Instead, it passes it on to the virus, which returns an uninfected version so that it seems that the file is "clean". Booting from a medium that you know to be absolutely clean is one reliable method to avoid this stealth.   An advanced method of avoidance is actually fairly simple in theory. It involves the use of encryption to encipher the virus, which then consists of a decrypting module and an encrypted copy of the virus code. There may be a different encrypted key for each infected file so that the only constant is the decrypting module. A scanner wouldn't detect the virus using signatures but it can still detect the decrypting module, which is an indirect method of detection. The file would probably be flagged as suspicious.   Some viruses take sneaky tricks to a whole new level and completely rewrite themselves in order to avoid being detected. These are metamorphic viruses and need a metamorphic engine in order to complete this rewriting process. They are large and complex, most of which is made up of that engine.   When it comes to preventing viruses, there are two common methods of detection that are used. The first is to use a list of virus signature definitions. The computer's memory is examined, along with any files on fixed and removable drives, and these are compared with a database of known virus signatures. The downside to this is that you are only protected to the date of your last update. If anything new has been released and you haven't updated your system you will be vulnerable to it. The second method is to use an heuristic algorithm that identifies viruses based on common behaviours. This enables you to identify viruses that security firms still have to create signatures for. It is important that you update your anti-virus software on a regular basis so that you can prevent the latest and most virulent threats from attacking your computer and destroying all of your data.

Viruses - Life and Death

There are several things that count as "the bane" of computer users' lives. Computers crashing, screens freezing, the intent...

Electronic Money, RFID Implanted Chips, and the Death of the Paper Dollar Considered

Beware read the headline; Big Brother is out to chip you! And no they were not referring to throwing anyone into a wood-chipper, rather they were talking about implanting RFID Chips inside humans for tracking, communication, ID, and banking. Consider if you will that all you'd have to do to buy something is wave your arm over the cash register reader instead of sliding your ATM or credit card to buy something? No more check writing, no more waiting, as you could either buy online, or with your chip in person.Sales tax, use tax, and everything would be collected instantly, and everyone would be happy right? Wrong, you see a Conspiracy Theorist from Pennsylvania emailed me the other day and explained that this was a plot. And so, I told him what I thought of his whole conspiracy issue;You see, I would be concerned with the security issues and ID theft if we use the current RFID systems available. Also, some bio-scientists discuss the issues with the cells around such RFID chips, would vibrate incorrectly cause cancer cells in nearby cells. Even with a passive RFID tag it could be an issue, of course holding a cell phone microwave generating device up to your head isn't exactly wise either.Electronic embedded ID, banking, etc - well, I'd say It is inevitable, as paper money is a problem, viruses and diseases in the fiber, plus it is too easy to counterfeit and it doesn't last very long. Electronic funds move faster thus, it simulates increased money supply. I don't buy into the whole "mark of the beast" thing; remember human superstition doesn't faze me. Physical money has no real future looking forward very far.We need to do what is most efficient in our society, and what makes the most sense, so if they ever figure out the security features needed to protect your RFID implanted chip and protect you from ID thieves or electronic hacking, then it's all good. Right now the technology isn't there yet, so either way you really don't need to be concerned at this juncture anyway. Please consider all this.	 	 		 			 				 					 						Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. <a href="http://www.WorldThinkTank.net" target="_new">http://www.WorldThinkTank.net</a> - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.

Electronic Money, RFID Implanted Chips, and the Death of the Paper Dollar Considered

Beware read the headline; Big Brother is out to chip you! And no they were not referring to throwing anyone into a wood-chipper, rather t...

How to Decode the Blue Screen of Death Errors

Reboot the computer, and disable the automatic restart during a BSOD error. Right-click "My Computer," then "Properties" and then the "Advanced" tab. Click "Settings" under "Startup and Recovery." Uncheck the "Automatically Restart" under the "System Failure" section. The process applies to most versions of Windows, including XP and 7.Recreate the issue. Open the programs you were using and attempt to generate the issue. A majority of the time, you will be unable to recreate the issue. The next BSOD error that occurs will not reboot your computer automatically, giving you time to write down the technical information.Write down the first aspect of the error. The second section will have a sentence without spaces, such as "PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA." This is what caused the computer to crash. The page fault error implies a possibly damaged memory module. "INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE" indicates that the drivers for a storage device or hard drive were incorrectly installed. Most other common errors involve the word "DRIVER" pointing at a faulty driver.Copy down the impacted file name. The section under "Technical Information" lists the exact error in coded message. The first section is programming language. The second section will list a file. The standard file listed will be a combination of letters and numbers followed by ".dll" which is a device driver data file. For example, "ati3diag.dll" may be displayed.Open the "Search" engine for the computer. Click "Start" and "Search" for Windows XP. Click "Start" for Windows 7. Type the file name into the search engine to locate the file folder that holds the file. Some files will be in a "win32" folder which is a generic Windows folder. The majority will be housed in file folders specific to a program. The program will need to be uninstalled and reinstalled.

How to Decode the Blue Screen of Death Errors

Reboot the computer, and disable the automatic restart during a BSOD error. Right-click "My Computer," then "Properties...

What Causes the Blue Screen of Death When Opening a Drive?

The blue screen of death, or a <a class="StrongLink" href="http://www.ehow.com/computers/">computer</A> crash, is your computer's way of telling you of a serious software or hardware problem with the computer. The computer may crash when using the CD-ROM drive of the computer, booting up the main hard drive or using an external hard drive. Read the helpful error codes on the screen to diagnose the problem.Memory FailureMost crashes occur from bad memory sticks or insufficient memory. Memory sticks do fail over time. Computer drives require memory to run applications and read files. The computer's memory may be unable to handle the load of running the operating system and managing the drive at the same time. Depending on the problem, the error code displayed on the blue screen of death may read "UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP" or "KERNEL_DATA_INPAGE_ERROR."Corrupted Registry or DriverThe computer registry is the "brain" of your <a class="StrongLink" href="http://www.ehow.com/computers/">computer system</A>. The registry contains the operating system database, from which run the device drivers and software for your drive. When the registry is corrupted or a driver has been improperly installed, your computer may display the error code "REGISTRY_ERROR." In the event of an incompatible or incorrect driver, the screen displays the error code "KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED."Bad DriveA failing or virus-infected drive may be responsible for the computer crashes. The computer may have difficulty accessing the drive or reading the drive. A virus may have incapacitated the boot sector of the drive, rendering startup impossible. The blue screen of death error code "INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE" means that the computer cannot read the hard disk drive due to a faulty driver, a faulty interface terminator or a virus. The message "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL" indicates incompatible hardware or device drivers. References <a href="http://getit.rutgers.edu/tutorials/freezes_crashes/media/crash.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rutgers University: Freezes and Crashes</A>

What Causes the Blue Screen of Death When Opening a Drive?

The blue screen of death, or a computer crash, is your computer's way of telling you of a serious software or hardware problem with the...