Sometimes It’s Better To Wait: The Harry Potter Virus
It is easy to get swept away in the story. All of us muggles, or future wizards, have the tendency to want more from JK Rowling as soon as our eyes wander off the last line in her latest masterpiece. In 2007, readers held tightly to their wands in hopes that the final novel set to release on July 21st would magically appear in their hands giving them the end to the much awaited Harry Potter saga. A clever hacker attacked those faithful followers with a not so clever virus designed so recipients would open a file called, “HarryPotter-TheDeathHallows.doc” to read the pre-released version of the book. Our staff understands these temptations can be hard to resist, so turn to us in your time of need and avoid any further conversations about your need for anything Harry Potter
How the Harry Potter Virus Worked
The virus attacked computer systems in a variety of sophomoric pranks. When the file named, “HarryPotter-TheDeathyHallows.doc” was opened the document alerts the fans and anxious followers that the star wizard was dead. The worm infiltrated the user’s computer system and was spread through USB memory drives. The Harry Potter virus, also known as the Hairy-A virus, added new users to the computer under the names of names of classic characters such as Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermoine Granger. Finally, the Harry Potter virus would also change the computer’s internet homepage to a humorous version of Amazon.com that displayed a book shrewdly called Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes.
Unfortunately, 2007 was not the only attack of the Harry Potter virus. In the summer of 2009, hackers deviously promised to share a bootleg of the upcoming blockbuster, ‘Half-Blood Prince’ with fans all over the globe. The premise was simple and so common that it did not send out red flags to users. First and foremost the virus instructed users to download the proper software to view the bootleg. This step is typical for online enthusiasts and probably occurs often. Once the user downloaded the “proper” software to view the new flick, it was too late. The download was not software or a worm, but a form of the dreaded crimeware.
Crimeware is a harmful category of online violations that scans your computer system for personal and sensitive information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and bank account information to name a few. Once this information is obtained it can be used by the hacker or sold to another party for a multitude of purposes. Criminals have been known to produce credit cards with your numbers and sell them on the street. Your information could be circulating on the street before you even realize that you have been violated.
Our group understands that our lives are heavily focused on our computer systems. We can help you find a sense of security and avoid future crimeware, worm, and virus incidents. It is possible to obtain the right magic tools to avoid those pesky evil wizards.