Blogs About The I Love You Virus

In the interest of viruses, and while researching them for my last post, I came across a story called the I Love You virus. Two blogs, one called the I Love You Blog and the other by George Hulme, both comment on the 10^th anniversary of the virus and everything that has changed since it infected so many people. As a little background, the I Love You virus “is a computer worm that successfully attacked tens of millions of Windows computers in 2000 when it was sent as an attachment to an email message with the text "ILOVEYOU" in the subject line” (Wikipedia).

                The first article, the I Love You Blog, relates mainly to its audience through emotion and pathos. It states that “we grow up hearing that there's not enough love to go around, we don't deserve love, and we're not good enough” (TheILoveYouBlog). It continues as the authors expresses how the effects that happened 10 years ago would still present themselves due to the fact that people are still just as deprived of love as we used to be. Even though the sources and effects of viruses are more widely known, this article claims that those advances are ambiguous.

                The second article, written by George Hulme for Information Week, comes across as much more scientific and appealing to ethos and logos. The author portrays himself as credible by using figures and back up evidence, not just commentary to convey his story. He remarks mostly on why the I Love You virus was so notable and how we have progressed since the attack, especially when he asserts how we have “managed to better secure the operating and E-mail [systems]” (InformationWeek). Even though it is a blog, therefore containing some bias, overall this author represents himself as less swayed by emotion, and more apt to telling the story. 

Viruses Infecting Your Computer

So originally for this post I was going to talk about cyber stalking as a transition from cyber bullying. However, while I was searching for articles about that topic my computer was infected by a virus. It said it was a Windows Efficiency Manager and it was trying to fight viruses, however it was quite the opposite. Therefore, I have decided to have to post pertain to security against viruses and what is really out there to protect your computer from these harmful bugs.

Ever since the increased use of the internet, viruses are more easily able to infect your computer. They can come from websites, emails, and pirated software. Fifteen out of every thousand PCs are hit by a virus each month, which is scary. There are several different types of viruses that can end up on your computer, including Trojan horses and worms. Trojan horse viruses look like computer programs, such as games or anti-virus, but actually infect your computer every time it runs. The worst part about this type is that some have the power to erase your hard drive. Worms on the other hand are “small pieces of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself” (HowStuffWorks). This differs from Trojan horse viruses because worms can replicate and Trojan horses cannot.   

The easiest way to avoid contracting a virus is by not opening unknown emails or attachments. It is best to just delete the email when you see it. You cannot be infected unless the file is actually opened or unzipped. Another way to avoid is by not purchasing bootleg or pirated software. This ranges from movies to file sharing music.  Although it seems difficult to resist, considering the rising prices, it is definitely safer to purchase it the right way. The easiest way to protect your computer and your files however, is simply downloading an anti-virus or anti-spyware software. There are plenty of them out there and they are proven to work. Although some cost more money than others, it is worth it in order to avoid the ultimate cost you could pay in the end.

Securing your computer from viruses is extremely important. Many people don’t back up their files, and therefore everything could be gone in an instant. I know that from now on I will definitely take these precautions and download anti-spyware software in order to protect myself from having this same situation happen to me in the future.

Article 1: How-to.com

Article 2 : How Stuff Works 

Blog Post #3 (Scholarly Article)

     The scholarly article that I chose to write about is one from the Australian Journal of Guidance & Counseling. It was written by a woman named Christine Suniti Bhat who attended Ohio University. The article is titled Cyber Bullying: Overview and Strategies for School Counselors, Guidance Officers, and All School Personnel and was written in 2008. This is a scholarly article because it is written by an expert in the field who is affiliated with a college. Along with this, the article itself contains several other sources of information. I found this article by searching on the library’s database for an article that pertained to cyber bullying. 
     I found this particular article interesting because it went into depth about several stories of cyber bullying as well as why this is a concern for schools around the world. It defines cyber bullying as “the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group that is intended to harm others” (Belsey, n.d., p. 8). It goes on to report several statistics about computer users in many countries as well as why counselors find this topic important. The article focuses on how technology takes bullying to the next level and how it actually differs from face to face bullying. It states the signs of people who are being bullied and how and when to step in. After that, it is divided up into outlets for cyber bullies such as instant messaging, cell phones, and social networking sites. Each contains its own unique strengths and weaknesses that bullies take advantage of. 
     The last seven pages are dedicated solely to how counselors can assist children who they think are being bullied or who are bullying. Often counselors and teacher are unsure of how to deal with these situations and so this article contains advice for working with these issues. Overall, I believe this article is very informative and provides a wonderful insight to the world of cyber-bullying.

Belsey, B. (n.d.).

June 11, 2007, from http://www.cyberbullying.ca/pdf/Cyberbullying_Article_by_Bill_

Belsey.pdf

ArticleCyber bullying: An emerging threat to the ‘always on’ generation. Retrieved

Effects of Cyber Bullying

While searching for a certain topic to write about, I came across a video from the Early Show on CBS. In the video are two different women who have been hurt by cyber bulling; one being bullied herself while the other had a daughter who was bullied over the internet. Throughout the interview each of the women talks about how this issue is nothing minor. It affects all people, especially children, and it is difficult to detect. Tina Meier, whose daughter committed suicide as a result of being bullied, encourages parents to have an open communication with their kids and not to let things go unnoticed.
After watching the broadcast I began to wonder what other preventative measure parents could be taking in order to stop such disasters from occurring in the future. Although I do not believe it is the sole responsibility of the parent to monitor their child's every move, the parent should still be aware of what their child is doing on the internet. Knowing what social media sites they are on and educating them on the dangers of cyber-bulling is a good first step. However, knowing the signs and symptoms of cyber-bulling in a child are key entities that every parent should know. Being an active parent means stepping in when something does not look right. By having knowledge about cyber-bullying, parents are more likely to prevent disasters before it is too late.
Overall, what Tina Meier suggested about having an open relationship with your child is extremely important. Parents should know when to step in and when to trust their kids, just as kids should be able to trust their parents and be able to reach out to them when they feel like they have no one. The other girl in the interview attempted to kill herself and was actually hospitalized for some time in order to cope with cyber-bullying. She states how she never reached out to anyone. She felt as if she couldn’t and that no one was there to help her. This situation is dangerous and proves that parents need to communicate with their children and listen to what they have to say, because at some point it may be dire.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6146188n