Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Of trojans and Virus

Some days ago, I overheard a guy discussing with another guy the the anti-virus software program detected a trojan found in his windows computer. The guy mentioned that the trojan horse is a virus and then he went on talking about it....


Let us pause and think for a moment. Is trojan a virus? Let us have a look:


I'm not going to give the steps on how to remove them,  but rather the differences between the two.


The most common blunder people make when the topic of a computer virus arises is to refer to a worm or Trojan horse as a virus. While the words Trojan, worm and virus are often used interchangeably, they are not exactly the same. Viruses, worms and Trojan Horses are all malicious programs that can cause damage to your computer, but there are differences among the three, and knowing those differences can help you to better protect your computer from their often damaging effects. 
 

What Is a Virus?

A computer virus attaches itself to a program or file enabling it to spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Like a human virus, a computer virus can range in severity: some may cause only mildly annoying effects while others can damage your hardware, software or files.
Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on your computer but it actually cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program. It is important to note that a virus cannot be spread without a human action, (such as running an infected program) to keep it going. 
People continue the spread of a computer virus, mostly unknowingly, by sharing infecting files or sending e-mails with viruses as attachments in the e-mail.


What Is a Trojan horse?


A Trojan Horse is full of as much trickery as the mythological Trojan Horse it was named after. The Trojan Horse, at first glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer.  Those on the receiving end of a Trojan Horse are usually tricked into opening them because they appear to be receiving legitimate software or files from a legitimate source.  When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate. 




- wong chee tat :)

DatacenterDynamics New York - Thought leaders to challenge pre-conceptions of data center design and management and address the latest energy efficiency initiatives

DatacenterDynamics New York - Thought leaders to challenge pre-conceptions of data center design and management and address the latest energy efficiency initiatives


 
New York’s largest gathering of data center professionals takes place on March 3rd at the Hilton New York
(2/25/2010)
New York’s largest gathering of data center professionals, which takes place on March 3rd at the Hilton New York, gives attendees the choice of 33 technical seminars, case studies and panel discussions delivered by 60 speakers designed to keep local operators up to date with the latest developments in data center design and management and the ongoing drive to improve energy efficiency. Allied to an expo with 54 exhibitors DatacenterDynamics New York provides a comprehensive knowledge and networking experience. Opening keynotes from Kevin Timmons, General Manager of Datacenter Services, Global Foundation Services at Microsoft and Ronald Pepin, Vice President & General Manager of Data Center Operations from PNC Financial Services deal with challenging pre-conceptions of how data centers are designed, built and operated and the hands-on experience of managing data center and IT infrastructure consolidation as a result of corporate merger.

Providing insight on the key challenges faced by the industry in 2010, the DatacenterDynamics CXO Panel offers up Cyrus Izzo, Chief Executive Officer of Syska Hennessy Group, Al Nagib, Vice President, Corporate Services and Real Estate at Goldman Sachs and Philip Meyers, Executive Director at Morgan Stanley for debate and audience questions.

Examining the drivers behind the decision to build, buy or lease data centers will be Ed Russo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Russo Development, Andrew Federbusch, Managing Director at Credit Suisse, Michael Boccardi, President & Chief Executive Officer of Cervalis and Doane Kelly, KLG Advisors’ President.

Delivering a Tri-State focus Jim Kerrigan, EVP and Director National Data Center Group at Grubb & Ellis Company, Jason Shepard, SVP and Practice Leader, Technology Practice Group from CB Richard Ellis together with Dan Golding, Managing Director at DH Capital will examine colocation, outsourcing, and real estate trends in the data center market.

New York’s largest gathering of data center professionals, which takes place on March 3rd at the Hilton New York, gives attendees the choice of 33 technical seminars, case studies and panel discussions delivered by 60 speakers designed to keep local operators up to date with the latest developments in data center design and management and the ongoing drive to improve energy efficiency. Allied to an expo with 54 exhibitors DatacenterDynamics New York provides a comprehensive knowledge and networking experience.

Two of the industry’s most respected figures - Don Beaty and Dr. Roger Schmidt - combine for a session to set out how new US Energy Code requirements will affect operators across the country. Later in the day, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will announce the allocation of $93million towards its FlexTech and Industrial and Process Efficiency Programs (IPE) that provide incentives to reduce the energy consumption of data centers, industrial technology processing facilities, and mission-critical infrastructure.

Staying with the theme of energy efficiency, the conference will discuss the EPA Energy Star program for data centers and the impact of the energy data center rating system, and cover ASHRAE/Green Grid’s ‘Real Time Energy Consumption Measurements in Data Centers’ book. Rounding off the day, Brian Fortenbery, Engineering Manager for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) examines proven technologies and topologies that yield reduced energy costs, reliability and maintain power quality performance.

Supported by Energy Star, Save Energy Now, and the 7x24 Exchange Metro New York Chapter, full details about the conference are available online at www.datacenterdynamics.com/newyork

For any enquiries relating to the event please call Chris Collins on 1 800 922 7249.

- wong chee tat :)