Managing Computer Viruses

The emergence of a new type of threat to computer security - the computer virus - has attracted much attention from the media, researchers, and entrepreneurs. It is clear that computer viruses and other software menaces, like their biological counterparts, are here to stay. This poses a particular problem for organizations which use computers - how to minimize the threat to their information systems without unduly disrupting their functioning. This book presents a concise overview of the problem and a detailed framework for dealing with computer viruses in organizations. Managers are the target audience, and will find that it offers more than the usual technical information. There is a wealth of advice, much of which applies to the problem of computer security in general. There are also a number of useful technical appendices and an in-depth insight into the biological analogy.

The destructive potential of computer viruses; The nature of computer viruses; The biological analogy; Protection against computer viruses; Computer viruses - current and future; Virus control methodologies; Conclusions; A generic DOS virus; Known viruses; Turing machines; Biological viruses; Information storage in cells; Reviews of anti-virus software