Question

Management would like you to report on the Storm worm. Describe where it came from, what it does, and how it can be stopped. How does this malware use virtualization?

Answer 1

Storm Worm is one of the most dangerous computer malware (virus). A computer virus is like a biological virus which upon execution replicate itself throughout the host (the system inside which it is executed or replicated). There are different types of computer virus categorized into different groups which affects different part of the host system. Some viruses affect the system files directly, the result of which can be very bad and if not fixed can lead to crashing the of system. Whereas some affects and spread in the files or drives locally. Nonetheless all the drive are mostly connected to the same host and the spreading virus can eventually lead to infection of the whole drive and the drive as a result affecting the overall system.

Where it came from:  Coming to the other viruses, Storm Worm was also discovered over the internet in the late 2006. It was inside an email which had "230 dead as storm batters Europe." as its subject. Not to get confused with another instance of a virus going by the name "W32.Storm.Worm." which is an entirely a different virus, discovered in 2001.

What it does:  The Storm Worm we are discussing about is a Trojan Horse program (a category computer in which computer viruses are put in). It is used by the hacker to turn a system into "botnet" or "zombies" and the system becomes easier to remote control. Many version of this virus are used to send spam email and many lures the victim into downloading the viral application through fake links, videos, or headlines. A lot of these email were intercepted during major world events.

How it can be stopped: Although the storm worm is widespread, it is not the most difficult virus to detect and remove from a host system. A minimal knowledge is suggested for everyone working over the internet for the sake of experience of what a virus looks like. One must be cautious on receiving mail from an unknown source and not to rush into opening the mail. Also, try not to get lured by some tempting or curios headliners on the mail. The internet is as vast and as expanding as the Universe. So, choose to read the mail wisely and know what are you actually in the internet for. Apart from these there are many ways we can stop not only storm worm but all other computer virus is to keep your anit-virus program updated along with the windows defender (if you are using windows). This can a good combination of white blood cells for your PC. Surf Safe!