ABSTRACT
Malicious code is logically very similar to known biological attack mechanisms. This analogy is critical; like the evolution of biological mechanisms, malicious code attack mechanisms depend on the accretion of information over time. One glaring issue in the security world is the unwillingness of security professionals to discuss malicious code in open forums. In 2001, Code Red and Nimda caused billions of dollars of damage globally in remediation costs. The anti-virus firm McAfee.com claims that the effectiveness of the new wave of malicious codes was due to a one-two punch of traditional virus attributes combined with hacking techniques. A Trojan horse, like the eponymous statue, is a program that masquerades as a legitimate application while containing another program or block of undesired, malicious, destructive code, deliberately disguised and intentionally hidden in the block of desirable code. Virus creators keep up with the state-of-the-art in antiviral technology and improve their malicious technology to avoid detection.
