Twenty years after Fred Cohen first defined the computer security problem of viruses in a paper he wrote as a graduate student, most experts would contend that viruses have evolved from intermittent irritants into an internet plague. But Cohen, a research professor at the University of New Haven and principal analyst at the Burton Group, believes that viruses really haven't changed much since the late 1980s. Email-based viruses and programs that exploit software vulnerabilities basically all imitate similar iterations from the past, he says. . . .
The virus threat has continued to grow over the past few years, but as Marcia Savage discovers, the anti-virus industry is working hard to develop new techniques and technology to provide users with effective protection

Twenty years after Fred Cohen first defined the computer security problem of viruses in a paper he wrote as a graduate student, most experts would contend that viruses have evolved from intermittent irritants into an internet plague.

But Cohen, a research professor at the University of New Haven and principal analyst at the Burton Group, believes that viruses really haven't changed much since the late 1980s. Email-based viruses and programs that exploit software vulnerabilities basically all imitate similar iterations from the past, he says.

Still, the industry continues to grapple with viruses and other malware such as worms and Trojans that can tear across the internet and cause millions in damage. With a constant stream of new threats, anti-virus companies have responded by producing signature files at an ever-faster pace to detect new attacks and by deploying techniques such as heuristics.

But in light of what some security experts say is the evolving nature of internet threats that use multiple attack mechanisms, plus the looming potential of so-called "zero-day" attacks, has virus protection reached its limit?

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