Digital Governance Nugget 5: Virus writers slow their pace to increase effectiveness

One would think that if virus writers wanted to be more productive in attacking personal computers, they would speed up the pace so they would not get caught. According to an article written by the Associate Press and posted on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's website, the opposite makes virus writers less likely to get caught doing the malicious activities that they do. Virus writers are now interested in making as much money as possible, and surprisingly, by taking a long time to complete a job, they will make more money. According to the article, taking more time to spread viruses actually makes it less likely to be blocked. The virus writers slowly find their way around the virus blocker software and into personal computers via spam email and spyware. If they were to throw their viruses out there very quickly, protective software blocks it right away and it is harder to get viruses.

The article explains this very well,
"Network worms such as 2004's "Sasser" exploited flaws in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system, automatically scanning the Internet for computers with the vulnerability and sending copies of themselves there. But the rapid spread also triggered rapid-response alerts among security vendors and prompted network operators to prioritize applying fixes to the Windows flaws.

High-profile threats, often more an annoyance than an effort to set up armies of rogue computers, are typically contained within a day or two.

By contrast, botnet computers can stay active for months."

Many people think that they are protected with their Anti-Virus Software, however, this article proves that virus writers will take their time, make more money, and find ways to get into your system no matter what.