Life cycle of a Virus
Until recently, creating a virus required knowledge of a computer
programming language. Today anyone with basic programming knowledge can
create a virus. Typically, individuals who wish to cause widespread,
random damage to computers create viruses.
Viruses typically replicate for a long period of time before they activate, allowing plenty of time to spread.
Viruses with damage routines will activate when certain conditions are
met, for example, on a certain date or when the infected user performs
a particular action. Viruses without damage routines do not activate,
instead causing damage by stealing storage space.
This phase does not always follow activation, but typically does. When
a virus is detected and isolated, it is sent to the ICSA in Washington,
D.C., to be documented and distributed to antivirus software
developers. Discovery normally takes place at least one year before the
virus might have become a threat to the computing community.
At this point, antivirus software developers modify their software so
that it can detect the new virus. This can take anywhere from one day
to six months, depending on the developer and the virus type.
