Description
This article is from the Computer viruses FAQ, by David Harley D.Harley@icrf.icnet.uk, George Wenzel gwenzel@telusplanet.net and Bruce Burrell bpb@umich.edu with numerous contributions by
others.
2) Minimal Glossary (Computer virus)
[There is room for improvement and expansion here. Contributions
will be gratefully accepted.]
* AV - AntiVirus. Sometimes applied as a shorthand term for
anti-virus researchers/programmers/publishers - may include
those whose work is not AV research, but includes
virus-control. (See also Vx.)
* BSI - Boot Sector Infector (= BSV - Boot Sector Virus)
* BIOS - Basic Input Output System
* CMOS - Memory used to store hardware configuration information
* DBR - DOS Boot Record
* DBS - DOS Boot Sector
* False Positive - When an antivirus program incorrectly reports a
virus in memory or infecting a file or system area.
Heuristic scanners & integrity checkers are, by
definition, somewhat more prone to these. Also known
as false alarms, though this may have a wider
application.
* False Negative - Essentially, a virus undetected by an antivirus
program.
* In-the-wild - describes viruses known to be spreading
uncontrolled to real-life systems, as opposed to
those which exist only in controlled situations
such as anti-virus research labs. Virus code
which has been published but not actually found
spreading out of control is not usually regarded
as being in-the-wild.
* MBR - Master Boot Record (Partition Sector)
* TSR - A memory-resident DOS program, i.e one which remains in
memory while other programs are running. A good TSR should
at least detect all known in-the-wild viruses and a good
percentage of other known viruses. Generally, TSRs are not
so good with polymorphic viruses, and should not be relied on
exclusively. Most TSR scanners don't detect macro viruses.
* vx - Those who study, exchange and write viruses, not necessarily
with malicious intentions So we're frequently told here...
* VxD - A Windows program which can run in the background. A scanner
implemented as a VxD has nearly all the advantages of a DOS TSR,
but can have additional advantages: for instance, a good VxD
will scan continuously *and* for all the viruses detected by an
on-demand scanner.
* Zoo - suite of viruses used for testing.
See the comp.virus FAQ for fuller definitions of some of these terms and
others which aren't addressed here.
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