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Researchers study real viruses to thwart virtual

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CIOL Bureau
New Update

Spencer Swartz



SAN FRANCISCO: U.S. university researchers will soon begin a $13 million study of the spread of Internet viruses using methods pioneered in tracking the outbreak of human epidemics, researchers said.



The goal is to create a computer network so robust that it can fend off the Internet attacks as they happen, much as the body's immune system reacts to infection, scientists said.



Carl Landwehr, a program director at the National Science Foundation, which is distributing the grants, said the funds are aimed at identifying Internet worms and viruses quicker and building global defenses.



To do this, researchers will aim to develop a better understanding the relationships between humans, computers, and cyberattacks, he said.



Fast-spreading viruses and worms are headaches to most computer users and can cause billions of dollars in lost productivity for businesses.



They are often spread by attacking users of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system, which runs on more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers.



Viruses have also created an industry specialty for anti-viral protection software developed by companies, like Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc.



Stefan Savage, a computer science professor at the University of California San Diego, likened the study of the movement of Internet viruses to studying the spread of viruses like West Nile, a sometimes-deadly, mosquito-borne virus that infects humans.



"We'll be focused on what vectors are used, just like in assessing West Nile, to spread computer viruses and ultimately try to develop defenses to prevent them from spreading," he said.



The university, along with International Computer Science Institute, is expected to receive about $6.2 million over five years from the National Science Foundation. The institute is affiliated with the University of California Berkeley.



Carnegie Mellon University will also receive about $6.4 million over five years. It will, among other things, examine how cyberattackers can combine attacks to reach their goals.



Computer security companies say computer viruses have increased over the past year as so-called malicious code writers and "spammers" join forces to exploit and profit from vulnerabilities in Microsoft's widely used software.



Under this scenario, spammers give money to hackers for access to computers that have been broken into, then flood those hacked computers with unsolicited messages, or spam, that often advertise products.



Computer security analysts have also warned more viruses in the future will be written to attack systems that run on the Linux operating system and hand-held devices like cell phones.

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