A brief historical note on viruses

The term “virus” in the computing world has been inaccurately applied to a number of malware programs. Even if people have equated every malicious software to a virus and have misappropriated the word in a variety of situations, it is still important to clarify and identify correct contexts where programs can be considered viruses. 

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The system attacks of a computer virus may range from funny screen messages to acquisition of sensitive information. The main characteristic of a computer virus is its ability to reproduce and modify other software without the knowledge of the user. But unlike a worm, a virus needs the activation of the program or executable file to which it is attached. 

There was already considerable academic and theoretical work on self-replicating computer programs, decades before the first viruses ravaged systems all over the world. The Hungarian-American mathematician John von Neumann had lectured and published works in the 1940s and 1950s on the design and processes of program multiplication. 

Similar studies were produced within the academic circles of Europe and the US. Veith Risak and Jürgen Kraus wrote their own papers on the subject. The American computer scientist Fred Cohen did some of the most extensive research on the topic, finally coining and defining the computer virus and elaborating on its inherent characteristics of infection, modification, and reproduction. 

People didn’t care much about these malicious programs in the 1980s, basically considering them largely theoretical and with little or no consequence to real world operations. The introduction of the first virus in the wild, Elk Cloner, gave a clearer picture of the capabilities of these programs. 

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Richard Blech is an entrepreneur, investor, and innovator. He is also the CEO of Secure Channels, a company conceiving solutions designed to be customizable to its clients’ environment without compromising the level of protection it provides and reducing maintenance costs. To read similar articles, visit this blog.

Essential steps toward building a sound cyberdefense strategy

Data breaches are getting more efficient, speedier, and sophisticated by the minute, and businesses cannot afford to be left behind with no cyberdefense plan in place. 

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Here are the three starting points for companies and organizations to protect themselves and build a good, comprehensive cyberdefense strategy in the face of increasing cyber attacks. 

Classifying related assets 

Businesses must scour their own backyards and build an inventory of authorized as well as unauthorized software and devices. They should classify critical assets, data, processes, and overall infrastructure, and know what to defend and how. Prioritization is the way to properly allocate budget and resources. After this step, an organization can start to effectively protect the identified assets along with the data stored on them. 

Defining the threats 

Model potential threats cover everything from system failures to internal network abuses and external attacks. Understand all areas of possible attack, what the attackers’ likely objectives are, and which assets will be affected in the aftermath. Have technical teams know more about the effects of natural disasters on data centers, what might halt business continuity from their perspective, what happens when critical devices fail, and the effects of costly IT or internal user mistakes, to name a few. 

Manage configurations 

Consider the kind of configuration management controls and systems that are in place for network devices and systems. It’s vital that a company implement secure configurations using built-in security measures, as well as regularly audit such configurations. 

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Secure Channels CEO Richard Blech is an entrepreneur, investor, and innovator focusing on data security, technology, and strategic alliances. Learn more about his industry on this page.