In recent years computer viruses have become increasingly significant as a form of computer abuse. By virtue of their reproductive capability, computer viruses can have cumulative and potentially catastrophic effects to the many people who use those affected computers. There is a growing concern in the computing community about these forms of electronic vandalism. This concern arises from the possible damage to stored information on which the work depends and the ensuing disruption of the work-place. Although the vandalism or purposeful abuse by introducing computer viruses to computer systems was originally mainly an American experience, research reports published by the Australian Computer Abuse Research Bureau (ACARB) support the claim that computer viruses have become increasingly significant as a form of computer abuse in Australia in recent years. Apart from ACARB's figures, there is minimal empirical research of a similar nature being conducted to investigate computer viruses as a form of computer abuse in Australia. In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate the problem, albeit on a limited scope. In this study, the infection types and rates of IBM PC viruses in limited government IT organizations in Western Australia were investigated. In addition, this study has made an attempt to validate Spafford's speculation that less than 10 viruses (out of a minimum of 374) account for 90%, of infections in the Western Australian environment. This study was descriptive in nature in that a fact-finding survey based on questionnaires and standardized interviews was conducted in State Government IT organizations in Western Australia in order to obtain data on which the research

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Computer viruses: Can they be prevented?

An Investigation of IBM PC Computer Viruses Infection Rates and Types in a Western Australian Environment

Virtually every computer installation is susceptible to the damage that computer viruses may cause. Without appropriate precautionary measures, it is difficult to contain/prevent the spread of these unwanted interlopers. The key to such precautionary measures is education about viruses and the damage they can cause. This article presents the findings of a study undertaken to assess what business college students know about viruses. The results indicate that, though the majority of students have some computer virus knowledge, they are surprisingly naive about many aspects of the phenomenon.

Computer viruses: Can they be prevented?

Citations

An Investigation of IBM PC Computer Viruses Infection Rates and Types in a Western Australian Environment

Computer Viruses: An Assessment of Student Perceptions

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