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Life Cycle of a
Virus
Computer viruses have a life cycle that starts
when they’re created and ends when they’re completely eradicated. The following
outline describes each stage.
Creation
Until a few years ago, creating a
virus required knowledge of a computer programming language. Today anyone with
even a little programming knowledge can create a virus. Usually, though, viruses
are created by misguided individuals who wish to cause widespread, random damage
to computers.
Replication
Viruses replicate by nature. A
well-designed virus will replicate for a long time before it activates, which
allows it plenty of time to spread.
Activation
Viruses that have damage
routines will activate when certain conditions are met, for example, on a
certain date or when a particular action is taken by the user. Viruses without
damage routines don’t activate, instead causing damage by stealing storage
space.
Discovery
This phase doesn’t always come
after activation, but it usually does. When a virus is detected and isolated, it
is sent to the International Computer Security Association in Washington, D.C.,
to be documented and distributed to antivirus developers. Discovery normally
takes place at least a year before the virus might have become a threat to the
computing community.
Assimilation
At this point, antivirus
developers modify their software so that it can detect the new virus. This can
take anywhere from one day to six months, depending on the developer and the
virus type.
Eradication
If enough users install
up-to-date virus protection software, any virus can be wiped out. So far no
viruses have disappeared completely, but some have long ceased to be a major
threat.
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