Can Viruses Mutate? And.....

by analyzerbunny Oct 23, 2008 7:25AM PDT

Hello,

In August of this year, my computer had to go into the shop.

It's a desktop running Windows XP Pro.

At that time, it had service pack 2, but the technician said the problems the computer was having were due to a virus, and when he reinstalled the software, he updated the computer to service pack 3.

The technician told me the computer was "inoculated" against that particular virus, but he also added viruses can mutate.

Is it true computer viruses mutate? I sure didn't think so.

Also, the technician did not tell me what the virus was or whether or not if it was a new virus the data had been sent to any anti virus companies, so of course, I am concerned about my other computer possibly getting infected by my transferring files, for even though I have scanned my laptop with 6 different programs, and none have found any viruses, if the virus which was on my desktop was some strange unknown virus, and the technician did not submit the data to any software company, there would be no way for me to protect my laptop no matter how many programs I scanned it with.

Does anyone have any suggestion about what I can do?

Discussion is locked

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The Virus Writers Cause Them To Mutate...

by Grif Thomas Former Forum moderator Oct 23, 2008 7:51AM PDT

A little change of code here, a little alteration in the name of the file infector there, and the same basic malware has mutated to something similar but not the same.. That's where the name "variant" came from as it relates to malware.. Something minor is changed in the basic code of the virus and it's therefore "mutated"..

As to what you can do... It's been posted lots of times on these forums.. Keep a good CURRENT antivirus program running realtime, and scan with a couple of antispyware programs frequently.. Use a secure browser whenever on the internet. A popup blocker of some type is a good thing. Don't open attachments in email unless you're certain as to what they are. Keep all software updated on your computer for security issues.. (Windows Updates, Java updates, Flash player updates, Acrobat Reader updates, media player updates, etc. etc.) Don't use P2P software downloading programs. Don't visit dubious sites on the internet.

And most important is YOU.. We all need to think a little before blindly visiting a website or clicking on a link.. Be cautious but have fun..

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Virus mutations

by robertewilson Oct 26, 2008 10:02PM PDT

Grif provides an excellent summary of preventative steps users can take to protect their systems from malware.

I would add, however, that security is for the most part a catch-up game. The infection appears first, then a defense against it is developed by the antivirus/antispyware makers. Automatic updates distribute the latest scan engine and definition updates in a timely manner.

Rarely do AV research departments get a heads up on mutations and new threats before they arrive on the scene. But, by practicing safe computing, users can avoid the nightmares that occur once malware invades their system. If in doubt about a web site or downloading content from sources not yet trusted, always take the safe course by asking the question: "Do I really need this?"

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1 Other Thought....Be Sure Your AV Program

by tobeach Oct 23, 2008 3:24PM PDT

has it's Heuristic abilities enabled. In many programs this is a manual check mark item user enabled/disabled. Heuristics scan for typical malware "behavior" to catch things new/in wild/ or just not yet in definition bases. Please note, because of the scanning nature, heuristics can lead to some false positives(as a trade off) as scan can't tell whether intent is malicious or not. Example:
Yes, Magic Jellybean Keyfinder IS a "Hack Tool" but it's MY Hack Tool!

This is a good reason to have default action set to "Quarantine" rather than delete/apply all actions/ etc. Recently, some major parts of OS's systems were in danger of being removed after being mis-identified as malicious. In quarantine, they're harmless for however long it takes to confirm they really are a threat, not an F.P.

Better safe than sorry!

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Viruses Can Mutate

by zblackmage Oct 25, 2008 10:03AM PDT

But it only very complicated viruses will do it. What they generally do is create an algorythm inside a loop. Not many of them have it but it is very possible.

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Mutated by a human

by AySz88 Oct 29, 2008 8:44AM PDT

To be clear - viruses "mutate" (gain a new variant) when some shady fellow captures it and adapts it for their own purposes. They generally don't spontaneously change on their own.

Can Viruses Mutate? And.....

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