Analysis and Detection of Metamorphic Viruses

Analysis and Detection of Metamorphic Viruses Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Motivation Metamorphic Viruses are very special type of viruses which have ability to reconstruct into entirely new offspring which is completely different than the parent; Main object to use these techniques to rebuild itself is to avoid detection by Antivirus Software. Although for the time being some well known metamorphic viruses are detectable, but it is predicted that in future we might face problem of similar viruses those would be capable of changing their identification and perform malicious tasks. Our objective in this thesis is to perform an in-depth analysis of metamorphic code, and evaluate some best practices for detection of metamorphic viruses. 1.2 Outline This document has been divided into five chapters; first two chapters are for introductory purpose it provides basic information about viruses in Chapter 2 we have tried to give some details about virus evolution how metamorphic viruses came into existence. Chapter 3 includes detailed information about metamorphic Virus, Formal definition, Core components of Architecture and some explanations from a virus writer about metamorphic viruses. Chapter 3 deals with some of techniques which are being used by metamorphic viruses and what advantages these viruses have using those techniques. Chapter 4 contains different type of detection methodologies used to detect metamorphic viruses. It also contains sample code from different metamorphic viruses for their feature comparison. Chapter 2 Computer Virus Introduction 2.1 Introduction The term Virus was first described by Dr. Fred Cohan in his PHD thesis during 1986[1] although different type of computer malware where already exited that time but the term was specifically introduced by Dr. Fred. Thats why in may research papers he is considered the father of Virus Research [2]. According to his formal definition as virus A program that can infect other programs by modifying them to include a possibly evolved copy of itself[1] Based on this definition we have taken some pseudo code of Virus V from his research [25]. program virus:= {1234567; subroutine infect-executable:= {loop:file = get-random-executable-file; if first-line-of-file = 1234567 then goto loop; prepend virus to file; } subroutine do-damage:= {whatever damage is to be done} subroutine trigger-pulled:= {return true if some condition holds} main-program:= {infect-executable; if trigger-pulled then do-damage; goto next;} next:} This is a typical example of a computer virus, we can divide this virus into three major parts first subroutine which is infect-executable it tries to look for and executable file or any other target file which it wants to infect it contains a loop which tried to append the virus body to with the target file. Second subroutine do-damage is the virus code its self for which virus has been written this is called virus payload upon execution it performs some damage to the system. The third subroutine trigger-pulled is some sort of trigger to execute the virus code it could be some condition based on date or system or file. Main code of virus is that once the condition is met we it should append itself to the target file and perform something. If we evaluate this definition modern viruses cannot be considered as virus because there are several different type of viruses which are not performing any harm such as â€Å"Co-Virus†, their main target is to help the original virus by performing such tasks so the execution of original virus could be performed without being detected. Peter Szor has redefined this definition [2] as â€Å"A computer virus is a program that recursively and explicitly copies a possibly evolved version of itself.† This definition is also self explanatory, as the author suggest it recursively and explicitly search for the target files and then infect them with virus code to make possible copies. As we are all aware virus is special kind of malware which always requires a user attention to propagate such as either he access the infracted file or tries to execute infected files. Grimes[26] append this definition with boot sector information and other methodologies as Viruses are not limited to file infections only. 2.1.1 Different Type of Malware In this section we will try to discuss some type of malware which like virus but they are not virus. This section is for information purpose only. Viruses its self could be of different kind based on their activity we can define their category, such as boot sector virus, File Infection Virus or some of advanced Macro Viruses which are used inside Microsoft Office documents to automate the process. Basically all virus follow the same process of infection which is described by Dr. Fred Cohen in V Sample Virus. We will define some of advanced code armoring techniques in Section 2.2. 2.1.1.1 Trojans Trojans are very famous backdoor malware some time they are not considered as virus as their main objective is to let attacker gain access to the target machine without getting noticed by the user. Their main objective is not only to gain access but it could be executing some sort of malicious code. Origin of their name is from Greek History where a giant horse was built to gain access inside the castle and transport soldiers through that horse. Same technique is used with Trojans they tricked users by displaying something on screen and behind it is doing something else. Trojan does not infect files or attach their code to other files usually they contain some sort to joiner utility which help users to embed their code or application inside the Trojan. Trojans can used to gain access to infected systems, mounting share drives or disturbing network traffic through Denial of Services attacks. Some famous examples of Trojans are Netbus, Subseven, Deep Throat ,Beast etc. Some remote administration Trojans can have their client side which can be used to communicate to the infected computer. Above image is Client side of Beast Trojan which can perform so many operations on the target machine once it is connected. 2.1.1.2 Spyware and Adware Spyware are very common problem of todays internet user. They are used to get information about users and monitor their activity with or without his knowledge. Till now antivirus companies are unable to define detection and removal of spyware software because there are some famous companies who are selling spyware software to monitor user activities and they are getting legal support to protect spyware from getting removed by antivirus. With spyware it is quite possible that without user knowledge they transport all user information and activities to some monitoring email address. There is some sort of spyware which are only used to get all key press events by users whatever he is typing or writing in email or entering password. It will be recorded and based on the software settings it can be sent to email or saved on disk. Adware are slightly different than malware they collect information about users internet activity and based on that they tries to display target advertisement to the users or install some software on users system which displays unwanted advertisement to the user. 2.1.1.3 Rootkits Root kits are specially crafted virus; their main objective is to gain administrative level access on the target system. Usually they contain some virus or script to execute the malicious code on target machine, enable root level access for the attacker and hide the process, allowing attacker full access to machine without getting noticed. Detailed information about root kits is beyond the topic. Based on their functionality we can say that they hijack the target system and monitor all system calls. They are now capable of patching kernel also so attacker can get higher level of permissions. Security researchers have demonstrated a new technology called â€Å"Blue-Pill†[27] which has helped them creating a super root kit without getting any performance degradation or system restart. They have used virtualization support inside processor to run in a virtual machine mode. 2.1.1.4 Worms Worms are considered as the most advanced version of malware unlike virus they do not require any user interaction to propagate, but like virus they can replicate their code by infecting other target files. They can be combined with Trojan horses to execute on target machine. But unlike virus they are always dependent on some software for their execution without that specific software they cannot perform their actions. These try to exploit vulnerabilities of software or operating system to perform malicious actions. Love Bug is one of famous worm example it used Microsoft Emailing software to distribute its copies. CodeRed and Nimda are some other examples which used Microsoft protocols to distribute and infect other systems. 2.2 Virus Evolution Viruses are evolved throughout the time thats why today we are dealing with the most advanced type of viruses of all time. Most of time researchers are challenged by the virus writers to detect their created virus and create vaccine for it. In the following section we will describe some of the techniques which are used by virus to satisfy the main objective of Virus writer that is â€Å"Make Virus Completely Undetectable†. From time to time they have used different techniques in this section we will discuss those techniques and how those techniques lead toward metamorphic viruses. 2.2.1 Encryption Encryption is the main sources of information hiding. It has been used some centuries the same way virus writers are using encryption to avoid detection by antivirus. A decryptor is attached with the main virus code to decryp the virus body and performs the action. lea si, Start ; position to decrypt (dynamically set) mov sp, 0682 ; length of encrypted body (1666 bytes) Decrypt: xor [si],si ; decryption key/counter 1 xor [si],sp ; decryption key/counter 2 inc si ; increment one counter dec sp ; decrement the other jnz Decrypt ; loop until all bytes are decrypted Start: ; Encrypted/Decrypted Virus Body The above code is from [5] for Cascade Virus. In the same article the author has suggested four major reasons why some virus writer will use encryption: Prevention against code analysis: With encryption it becomes quite difficult to disassemble the virus code and examining the code for instructions which can be quite interesting for the virus researchers. For example if someone is performing specific operations such as calling INT 26H or calling specific Crypto API. By using encryption users will bet get an idea about what are the intentions of users because most of file contents will be encrypted and it is quite possible it may contain some Junk Code also. Making disassembling more difficult: Virus writers can used encryption not only to make it difficult they can also us to make this process more time consuming and difficult they can include more junk code inside or wrong instruction so the researchers will not be able to perform static analysis of code and get some confusing idea about the code itself. Making virus temper proof: Same like real life business products some virus writers do not want their virus code to be used by others with their name or generate new variant from their code because it is quite possible someone will decrypt virus and again generate another virus by modifying the code. This is also some sort of prevention from reverse engineering the virus. Avoid detection: This is the core objective of virus write to evade detection by Anti Virus software, based on time to time new techniques have been developed in following section we will discuss some of these techniques how they use encryption. Mostly the virus contains the decryptor within their code this had helped the Virus researchers to detect viruses based on their decryption signature. But this method is not very successful as it may raise an exception in case some other software tries to use similar methodologies to decrypt data. As time evolved they have developed some new interesting techniques. Most of time in assembly they use simply XOR ing operations help then in decrypting virus code. For example in above code of Cascade Virus it is using XOR to decrypt each byte of virus code unless all body is decrypted. With XOR they have some advantage first of all it is very simple operating and second XOR ing the same values twice yields the first value this operating can help them in decryption and making it more confusing during static code analysis. Peter Szor has described some of these strategies which can be used to make process of encryption and decryption more difficult [2-Chapter7], according to him: Virus Writers are not require to store decryption key inside the virus body some advanced virus such as RDA.Fighter generate their decryption key upon execution. This technique is called Random Key Decryption. They use brute force method to generate key during run-time. These Viruses are very hard to detect. It is under control by the attacker how he wants to modify the flow of decryption algorithm, it can be forward or backward or it is also possible to have multiple loops inside a single body. Or multiple layers of encryption. Second most important factor is the key size which can make decryption process more difficult based on the key length. Obfuscation is another factor involved in it. In Metamorphic Viruses Similie.D was one of the virus which used non-linear encryption and decrypts the virus body in semi-random order and most important thing is that it access the encrypted portion of virus body only once.[3] There is another factor involved in virus encryption such as virus is encrypted with very strong algorithm such as IDEA virus [9] which contains several decryptors. Main source of interest is that it is quite easy to detect virus and remove it but it is extremely difficult to repair the infected file as on second layer of IDEA it uses RDA for key generation. Microsoft Crypto API is part of Windows operating system. This can also be used for malicious purpose, Virus writers can use Crypto API to encrypt data with some secret key or call their API through virus code to perform encryption. It is also difficult to detect this because other program such as Internet Explorer also uses this API to encrypt transmission over secure channel. There is another variation in decryption which was demonstrated by W95/Silcer Virus that the first portion of virus which is already decrypted force Windows Loader to relocate infected software images once they are executed loaded in to memory. For the purpose of decryption the virus itself transfers relocation information. There are other possibilities such as some virus use file name as their decryption key in such case if file name is modified virus cannot execute and there is possibility we will not be able to recover that file after infection. Other methods such as it can use decryptor code itself as decryption key it help them in such condition if someone is analyzing code or virus execution is under a debugger it will raise an exception. 2.2.2 Oligomorphism With encrypted virus it is quite possible to find the decryption mechanism to challenge this situation virus writers implemented a new technique to create multiple decryptors and use them randomly while they are infecting other files. Major difference between Encryption and Oligomorphism is that in encryption is uses same decryptor for encryption purpose while in oligomorphic virus have multiple decryptors and they can use any of them during the process. Whale Virus was first of this kind to use multiple decryptors. W95/Memorial[7] is one of very famous examples of oligomprphic viruses it uses 96 different type of decryptors. mov ebp,00405000h ; select base mov ecx,0550h ; this many bytes lea esi,[ebp+0000002E] ; offset of Start add ecx,[ebp+00000029] ; plus this many bytes mov al,[ebp+0000002D] ; pick the first key Decrypt: nop ; junk nop ; junk xor [esi],al ; decrypt a byte inc esi ; next byte nop ; junk inc al ; slide the key dec ecx ; are there any more bytes to decrypt? jnz Decrypt ; until all bytes are decrypted jmp Start ; decryption done, execute body ; Data area Start: ; encrypted/decrypted virus body Sliding key feature can also be noted as with this feature it is quite possible to change instructions for decryptor. If we get other instance of same virus it has little variations there is a little change in loop instruction Another Variant of W95 Memorial mov ecx,0550h ; this many bytes mov ebp,013BC000h ; select base lea esi,[ebp+0000002E] ; offset of Start add ecx,[ebp+00000029] ; plus this many bytes mov al,[ebp+0000002D] ; pick the first key Decrypt: nop ; junk nop ; junk xor [esi],al ; decrypt a byte inc esi ; next byte nop ; junk inc al ; slide the key loop Decrypt ; until all bytes are decrypted jmp Start ; Decryption done, execute body ; Data area Start: ; Encrypted/decrypted virus body . It has been mentioned [2] that a virus is only called Oligomorphic if it can mutate its decryptor slightly. Detecting Oligomorphic virus is extremely difficult because as they have random decryptors it is quite possible that our virus detecting mechanism will not able to detect if there are quite large number of decryptors. 2.2.3 Polymorphism The term Polymorphism came from Greek origin Poly means multiple and morphi means forms. We can say that these types of viruses can take multiple forms. They are much advanced than their ancestors like Oligomorphic virus they rely on mutating their decryptor in such a way so it generates number of variation of same virus. Core of their operation is their engine which helps them in mutating. For each infection their mutation engine generates a completely new instruction set for decrypter. This process help them in generating a completely new virus having exact functionality as their parents but the sequence of instruction is entirely different from others[28]. Antivirus software are challenged by their method as every time a new file is infected it generated a new encryption code and decryptor so those software who are relying on virus decryptor signature will not be able to detect those viruses as new offspring are completely different in decryptors signature. Research has already shown that it is possible for a mutation engine to generate several million different type of decryptor code for new viruses [28]. Dark Mutation Engine is one of very famous example of polymorphic virus following code has been taken from [2]. mov bp,A16C ; This Block initializes BP ; to Start-delta mov cl,03 ; (delta is 0x0D2B in this example) ror bp,cl mov cx,bp mov bp,856E or bp,740F mov si,bp mov bp,3B92 add bp,si xor bp,cx sub bp,B10C ; Huh finally BP is set, but remains an ; obfuscated pointer to encrypted body Decrypt: mov bx,[bp+0D2B] ; pick next word ; (first time at Start) add bx,9D64 ; decrypt it xchg [bp+0D2B],bx ; put decrypted value to place mov bx,8F31 ; this block increments BP by 2 sub bx,bp mov bp,8F33 sub bp,bx ; and controls the length of decryption jnz Decrypt ; are all bytes decrypted? Start: ; encrypted/decrypted virus body Idea behind making a code engine was that in beginning virus writing was very difficult and time consuming so the experienced virus writers helped novice in virus generating by giving them code mutation engine with little modification they can use this engine within their own virus code and it can perform same operations. Based on the virus type and engine capabilities it can enhance the virus functionality there are several viruses which can use Microsoft CryptoAPI in their polymorphic operations. Marburg is also one of very famous polymorphic virus which has entirely different mechanism in file infection. till now we could think that infection method if polymorphic virus could be same just decryptor is changing but that virus introduced some of new methodologies like key length in encryption could be different and each file which it is infecting is using different encryption mechanism.[8] Start: ; Encrypted/Decrypted Virus body is placed here Routine-6: dec esi ; decrement loop counter ret Routine-3: mov esi,439FE661h ; set loop counter in ESI ret Routine-4: xor byte ptr [edi],6F ; decrypt with a constant byte ret Routine-5: add edi,0001h ; point to next byte to decrypt ret Decryptor_Start: call Routine-1 ; set EDI to Start call Routine-3 ; set loop counter Decrypt: call Routine-4 ; decrypt call Routine-5 ; get next call Routine-6 ; decrement loop register cmp esi,439FD271h ; is everything decrypted? jnz Decrypt ; not yet, continue to decrypt jmp Start ; jump to decrypted start Routine-1: call Routine-2 ; Call to POP trick! Routine-2: pop edi sub edi,143Ah ; EDI points to Start ret There are examples of other viruses which shows that 2.2.4 Metamorphism After all these evolution in virus, now we are dealing with one of the most advanced version of these viruses. Polymorphic viruses were really challenging to detect and remove from system, but it was just a matter of time Researchers tried to build solutions against polymorphic viruses. Viruses writer tired to work on something really amazing a virus which would be able to rebuild itself with same functionality but entirely different from the parent. This proposed solution was first implemented in W32/Apparition, If it finds a compiler in some machine it tries to rebuild itself into completely new shape. Following code has been taken from [2] two different variants of W95/Regswap . This virus was first of its kind to implement metamorphism in shifting registers. a.) 5A pop edx BF04000000 mov edi,0004h 8BF5 mov esi,ebp B80C000000 mov eax,000Ch 81C288000000 add edx,0088h 8B1A mov ebx,[edx] 899C8618110000 mov [esi+eax*4+00001118],ebx b.) 58 pop eax BB04000000 mov ebx,0004h 8BD5 mov edx,ebp BF0C000000 mov edi,000Ch 81C088000000 add eax,0088h 8B30 mov esi,[eax] 89B4BA18110000 mov [edx+edi*4+00001118],esi Although till now there is no big incident reported due to metamorphism as normal computers do not contain such utilities like compilers or scripting support to rebuild virus but this situation could be very dangerous for Linux machine where scripting languages and compilers are enabled by default. Upcoming versions of Microsoft Windows are also having support of .Net and MSIL which is capable of generating such virus very easily MSIL/Gastropod is one of famous example of metamorphic virus. In upcoming section we will describe main architecture of metamorphic viruses. Chapter 3 Metamorphic Virus Architecture The idea behind metamorphic legacies came from the same biological aspect that the parents are mutating and generating new offsprings which are entirely different than their parents but they are performing the same actions as their parents were doing. Virus Writers have adopted the same idea and implemented in the form of metamorphic virus. Power of any virus relies in its power to bypass the Antivirus Scanner and perform actions. Usually constants in their virus body, specific register allocation, patterns or heuristics scanning are some of the common ways to detect a virus. Metamorphic Viruses are one of those kinds which are capable of transforming their code into new generation, these viruses are capable of changing their syntax but their semantics remain same throughout generations. Polymorphic viruses were difficult to detect but their main weakness was their decryption mechanism once researchers found their decryption methodology and add this as a signature to antivirus products through this they were able to detect full generation of polymorphic virus but in case of metamorphic virus this approach fails because the syntax of code and mechanism of operation is entirely different throughout generations. They are considered as shape shifters [2] because each generation is entirely different than each other. Metamorphic engines are mostly buggy, this could be our luck that till now there is no perfect metamorphic engine available. It has been reported that metamorphism has been used as a mean of software security the same way it has been used in viruses to for their protection. They can be used stand alone by which they are self generating viruses and capable of performing actions on target system or they could take help from the surrounding environment in downloading some plug-in form internet or generating their new copies. Metamorphic viruses are capable of changing arrangement of their instruction. This ability gives them ability to generate new undetectable virus for examples if a virus contains n number of subroutines it will generate n! different type of generations. In case of BADBoy Virus it has 8 subroutines and it is capable of rearranging its subroutines it can generate 8! = 40320 type of different virus. This grows if number of subroutine increases inside the Virus Body. Above image is a code module of Badboy Virus in file it just need to take care of Entery Point whereregardless of where it is located remaining subroutines are access through jump instructions throughout the code. Zperm is another exam of metamorphic virus the above code sample is from Zperm virus which shows its rearrangement of code. 3.1 Formal Definition This formal definition is presented in [13] according to this definition let à ¡Ã‚ µÃ‚  P(d,p) represented as a function which is going to be computed by a program P in the current environment (d,p) in this case p represents programs stored on computer and d represents data processed. D(d,p) and S(p) are two recursive functions , T(d,p) is a trigger and is an injury condition and I(d,p) is considered as injury condition. In Case of this we can say that pair (v,v) are recursive functions and( v and v) are metamorphic virus if all conditions X(v,v) satisfies. Where T(d,p) ,I(d,p),S(d,p) is entirely different than T'(d,p) ,I'(d,p),S'(d,p). Based on that we can say that v and v are metamorphic virus and they are performing same actions. Polymorphic Virus share their kernel but in metamorphic virus each virus has its own kernel. 3.2 Core Architecture In this section we will discuss major components of metamorphic virus, although there are several other components already explained but architecture represented in [10] is considered as best. According to original author they have divided metamorphic virus in to two categories close-world or open-world. Open World are those who integrate with executing environment and perform some actions such are download some spyware etc. Here we will describe functional architecture of closed world viruses. Most of them perform binary transformation. 3.2.1 Locate Own Code The virus must be able to locate its code from inside the infected file or its own body each time it is transforming into new form or infecting a new file, metamorphic virus which are infecting other files and use them as their carrier must be capable of locating their code from inside the infected file. Mostly in file they use some predefined location of their startup code this location is mostly constant and remains contestant throughout the other generations. There are only few incidents when Engine tries to put dynamic locations. 3.2.2 Decode Once the code of virus is located by metamorphic engine it tries to obtain some sort of blue print information about how to transform. Although this is one of the drawback of metamorphic virus that within them self it they contain their architecture about how they are getting transformed. This information is very critical because this information is further encoded inside body of new virus. This unit can also retrieve information about flags, bit-vectors, markers, hints which will help in building new viruses. There is a drawback of this approach as it is required by the virus engine itself so virus write cannot obfuscate this area. 3.2.3 Analyze Once the core information is gathered there is other information which is very critical for proper execution of metamorphic virus. Without this information transformation cannot be performed. Metamorphic engine must have information about the register liveliness. If it is not available from Decode phase the engine must be capable of constructing it via def-use analysis. Control Flow Graph is also required by transformation phase because this will help in the rewriting logic and flow of the program. Control Flow graph is required in case if the malware itself is capable of generating the code which can shrink or grow in new generations and also it is required to process the control flow logic which is further transformed into code. In the following code it has gather its main idea about code what it is required to perform and it is further transforming it to simplified instructions. 1) mov [esi+4], 9 mov [esi+4], 6 add [esi+4], 3 2) mov [ebp+8], ecx push eax mov eax, ecx mov [ebp+8], eax pop eax 3) push 4 mov eax, 4 push eax 4) push eax push eax mov eax, 2Bh 3.2.4 Transform This unit is most important area of virus as it is capable of generating new virus. Most of virus logic resides here. This unit generate new instruction blocks semantically which are exactly same like its code but syntax is a bit different. Here some sort of obfuscation is also performed, metamorphic engine tries to rename registers , inserts NOP and garbage instructions and reorder the execution of block. Following code block has been taken from their examples in [10]. 1) mov eax, 10 mov eax, 5 add eax,5 2) mov eax, 5 sub eax, 10 mov eax, 1 add eax, 2 sub eax, 8 3) mov eax, 5 add eax, 5 mov eax, 10 4) cmp eax, 5 ja L1 cmp eax, 2 je L2 cmp eax, 5 jb L3 L1 : mov ebx, 3 jmp L4 L2 : mov ebx, 10 jmp L4 L3 : mov ebx, 10 jmp L4 L4 cmp eax, 5 ja L1 cmp eax, 5 jb L2 L1 : mov ebx, 3 jmp L3 L2 : mov ebx, 10 jmp L3 L3 3.2.5 Attach Attach unit it only available in those viruses which infect files and use them as source of replication. Transform unit not only transforms own code but also the code of target file, where it sets some entry point to virus main routine. During the attachment process it also shuffle the code

The Internet Past Present and Future Essay -- Internet History Web Cyb

The Internet Past Present and Future Introduction This report describes the history of the Internet. The report shows how the Internet was started and outlines the progress the Internet has made over the years. The World Just Got Smaller The Internet is not as new as you may think; today’s â€Å"information super highway† began as a bunch of converging footpaths in the 1960s. Many people credit the ARPAnet (the first computer network designed by the Advances Research Projects Agency) as the starting point of the Internet we all have come to know and love today, however this is not entirely true. It would be more accurate to say that the Internet grew from a number of indigenous technologies, which first started as ARPAnet, and then developed over the next thirty years to become what it is today. There have been enormous changes in the development of the Internet since it began in the 1960s revolutionizing the way people communicate and do business. The â€Å"Internet,† as defined by Microsoft ® Encarta ® 97 Encyclopaedia is the â€Å"interconnection of computer networks that enables connected machines to communicate directly. The term popularly refers to a particular global interconnection of government, education, and business computer networks that is available to the public. There are also smaller Internets usually for the private use of a single organization, called intranets. The fact that the Internet was created was a big surprise to the top leaders in computer technology. IBM president Thomas J. Watson declared, â€Å"There is a world market for about five computers,† in 1943. When Watson made this statement, he was being quite accurate. At the time, computers were not very practical, they were large, difficult to maintain and tremendously costly, the idea of linking these things together was unthinkable. Sputnik 1 The Sputnik was a major breakthrough, by launching this piece of metal into orbit; the Soviet Union proved its dominance in space technology. It also demonstrated that they had the ability to launch a nuclear warhead from anywhere in the world, at anywhere in the Unites States they desired. Leaders declared that â€Å"everything was threatened,† and a defensive response was seriously needed. The solution became visible to computer engineers, they must come up with a communication system that would not fail even if sections of it... ...ry’s borders. Even if such global control were possible, standards of international ethics and behaviour would need to first be determined. The Facts Today the internet is bigger than ever, four websites are created every second, traditional mail is being replaced with email, businesses are handing out less brochures and paper and putting the information on the internet instead, etc. The public is connecting in record numbers: about 75 000 users join the internet every day. In early 1996, more than 25 million computers were interconnected with the internet in over 180 countries, and it continues to increase at an extraordinary rate. 300 million users are expected to join the internet in the next three years! RealVideo and MP3s are providing consumers with excellent multimedia. The war continues between Microsoft and AOL (the new owners of Netscape) over who can give users the richest browsing experience possible. The internet has developed extensively over the last 30 years. The internet is now developing faster than ever, who knows where the next few years take us? Bibliography: College handouts Microsoft Encarta 97 WWW.whatis.com WWW.ask.co.uk

The Host Chapter 46: Encircled

Jamie started to sit up. â€Å"Easy there, kid. How you feelin'?† Ian moved to press Jamie's shoulders against the mattress. â€Å"I feel†¦ really good. Why is everyone here? I don't remember†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You've been sick. Hold still so we can finish fixing you.† â€Å"Can I have some water?† â€Å"Sure, kid. Here you go.† Doc was staring at Jamie with disbelieving eyes. I could barely talk, my throat was so tight with joy. â€Å"It's the No Pain,† I muttered. â€Å"It feels wonderful.† â€Å"Why does Jared have Sharon in a headlock?† Jamie whispered to Ian. â€Å"She's in a bad mood,† Ian stage-whispered back. â€Å"Hold very still, Jamie,† Doc cautioned. â€Å"We're going to†¦ clean out your injury. Okay?† â€Å"Okay,† Jamie agreed in a small voice. He'd noticed the scalpel in Doc's hands. He eyed it warily. â€Å"Tell me if you can feel this,† Doc said. â€Å"If it hurts,† I amended. With practiced skill, Doc slid the scalpel gently through the diseased skin in one swift movement. We both glanced at Jamie. He was staring straight up at the dark ceiling. â€Å"That feels weird,† Jamie said. â€Å"But it doesn't hurt.† Doc nodded to himself and brought the scalpel down again, making a cross cut. Red blood and dark yellow discharge oozed from the gash. As soon as Doc's hand was clear, I was spraying Clean back and forth across the bloody X. When it hit the oozing secretion, the unhealthy yellow seemed to sizzle silently. It began to recede. Almost like suds hit by a spray of water. It melted. Doc was breathing fast beside me. â€Å"Look at that.† I sprayed the area twice for good measure. Already the darker red was gone from Jamie's skin. All that was left was the normal red color of the human blood that flowed out. â€Å"Okay, Heal,† I muttered. I found the right canister and tipped the little spout over the gashes in his skin. The clear liquid trickled in, coating the raw flesh and glistening there. The bleeding stopped wherever the Heal spread. I poured half the container-surely twice as much as was needed-into the wound. â€Å"Okay, hold the edges together for me, Doc.† Doc was speechless as this point, though his mouth hung wide. He did as I asked, using two hands to get both cuts. Jamie laughed. â€Å"That tickles.† Doc's eyes bulged. I smeared Seal across the X, watching with deep satisfaction as the edges fused together and faded to pink. â€Å"Can I see?† Jamie asked. â€Å"Let him up, Ian. We're almost done.† Jamie pulled himself up on his elbows, his eyes bright and curious. His sweaty, dirty hair was matted to his head. It didn't make sense now, next to the healthy glow of his skin. â€Å"See, I put this on,† I said, brushing a handful of glitter across the cuts, â€Å"and it makes the scar very faint. Like this.† I showed him the one on my arm. Jamie laughed. â€Å"But don't scars impress girls? Where did you get this stuff, Wanda? It's like magic.† â€Å"Jared took me on a raid.† â€Å"Seriously? That's awesome.† Doc touched the glistening powder residue on my hand, then held his fingers to his nose. â€Å"You should have seen her,† Jared said. â€Å"She was incredible.† I was surprised to hear his voice close behind me. I looked around for Sharon automatically and just caught sight of the flame of her hair leaving the room. Maggie was right behind her. How sad. How frightening. To be filled with so much hate that you could not even rejoice in the healing of a child†¦ How did anyone ever come to that point? â€Å"She walked right into a hospital, right up to the alien there, and asked them to treat her injuries, bold as anything. Then, when they turned their backs, she robbed them blind!† Jared made it sound exciting. Jamie was enjoying it, too; his smile was huge. â€Å"Walked right out of there with medicine enough to last us all for a long time. She even waved at the bugger behind the counter as she drove away.† Jared laughed. I couldn't do this for them, Melanie said, suddenly chagrined. You're of more value to them than I would be. Hush, I said. It was not a time for sadness or jealousy. Only joy. I wouldn't be here to help them without you. You saved him, too. Jamie was staring at me with big eyes. â€Å"It wasn't that exciting, really,† I told him. He took my hand, and I squeezed his, my heart swollen with gratitude and love. â€Å"It was very easy. I'm a bugger, too, after all.† â€Å"I didn't mean -† Jared started to apologize. I waved his protest away, smiling. â€Å"How did you explain the scar on your face?† Doc asked. â€Å"Didn't they wonder why you hadn't -â€Å" â€Å"I had to have fresh injuries, of course. I was careful to leave them nothing to be suspicious about. I told them I'd fallen with a knife in my hand.† I nudged Jamie with my elbow. â€Å"It could happen to anyone.† I was really flying high now. Everything seemed to glow from inside-the fabrics, the faces, the very walls. The crowd inside and outside the room had begun to murmur and question, but that noise was just a ringing in my ears-like the lingering sound after a bell is struck. A shimmer in the air. Nothing seemed real but the little circle of people I loved. Jamie and Jared and Ian and Jeb. Even Doc belonged in this perfect moment. â€Å"Fresh injuries?† Ian asked in a flat voice. I stared at him, surprised at the anger in his eyes. â€Å"It was necessary. I had to hide my scar. And learn how to heal Jamie.† Jared picked up my left wrist and stroked his finger over the faint pink line a few inches above it. â€Å"It was horrible,† he said, all the humor suddenly gone from his sober voice. â€Å"She about hacked her hand off. I thought she'd never use it again.† Jamie's eyes widened in horror. â€Å"You cut yourself?† I squeezed his hand again. â€Å"Don't be anxious-it wasn't that bad. I knew it would be healed quickly.† â€Å"You should have seen her,† Jared repeated in a low voice, still stroking my arm. Ian's fingers brushed across my cheek. It felt nice, and I leaned into his hand when he left it there. I wondered if it was the No Pain or just the joy of saving Jamie that made everything warm and glowing. â€Å"No more raids for you,† Ian murmured. â€Å"Of course she'll go out again,† Jared said, his voice louder with surprise. â€Å"Ian, she was absolutely phenomenal. You'd have to see to really understand. I'm only just beginning to guess at all the possibilities-â€Å" â€Å"Possibilities?† Ian's hand slid down my neck to my shoulder. He pulled me closer to his side, away from Jared. â€Å"At what cost to her? You let her almost hack her own hand off?† His fingers flexed around the top of my arm with his inflections. The anger didn't belong with the glow. â€Å"No, Ian, it wasn't like that,† I said. â€Å"It was my idea. I had to.† â€Å"Of course it was your idea,† Ian growled. â€Å"You'd do anything†¦ You have no limits when it comes to these two. But Jared shouldn't have let you -â€Å" â€Å"What other way was there, Ian?† Jared argued. â€Å"Did you have a better plan? Do you think she'd be happier if she was unhurt but Jamie was gone?† I flinched at the hideous thought. Ian's voice was less hostile when he answered. â€Å"No. But I don't understand how you could sit there and watch her do that to herself.† Ian shook his head in disgust, and Jared's shoulders hunched in response. â€Å"What kind of a man -â€Å" â€Å"A practical one,† Jeb interrupted. We all looked up. Jeb stood over us, a bulky cardboard box in his arms. â€Å"It's why Jared's the best at getting what we need. Because he can do what has to be done. Or watch what has to be done. Even when watching's harder than doing. â€Å"Now, I know it's closer to breakfast than supper, but I figured some of you haven't eaten in a while,† Jeb went on, changing the subject without subtlety. â€Å"Hungry, kid?† â€Å"Uh†¦ I'm not sure,† Jamie admitted. â€Å"I feel real hollow, but it doesn't feel†¦ bad.† â€Å"That's the No Pain,† I said. â€Å"You should eat.† â€Å"And drink,† Doc said. â€Å"You need liquids.† Jeb let the unwieldy box fall onto the mattress. â€Å"Thought we might have a bit of a celebration. Dig in.† â€Å"Wow, yum!† Jamie said, pawing through the box of dehydrated meals of the sort that hikers used. â€Å"Spaghetti. Excellent.† â€Å"Dibs on the garlic chicken,† Jeb said. â€Å"I've been missin' garlic quite a bit-though I imagine no one misses it on my breath.† He chuckled. Jeb was prepared, with bottles of water and several portable stoves. People began to gather around, squeezing together in the small space. I was wedged between Jared and Ian, and I'd pulled Jamie onto my lap. Though he was much too old for this, he didn't protest. He must have sensed how much both of us needed that-Mel and I had to feel him alive and healthy and in our arms. The shimmering circle seemed to widen, enveloping the entire late-night supper party, making them family, too. Everyone waited contentedly for Jeb to prepare the unexpected treats, in no hurry. Fear had been replaced by relief and happy news. Even Kyle, compressed into the small space on the other side of his brother, was not unwelcome in the circle. Melanie sighed in contentment. She was vibrantly aware of the warmth of the boy in my lap and the touch of the man who still stroked his hand against my arm. She wasn't even upset by Ian's arm around my shoulders. You're feeling the No Pain, too, I teased her. I don't think it's the No Pain. Not for either of us. No, you're right. This is more than I've ever had. This is so much of what I lost. What was it that made this human love so much more desirable to me than the love of my own kind? Was it because it was exclusive and capricious? The souls offered love and acceptance to all. Did I crave a greater challenge? This love was tricky; it had no hard-and-fast rules-it might be given for free, as with Jamie, or earned through time and hard work, as with Ian, or completely and heartbreakingly unattainable, as with Jared. Or was it simply better somehow? Because these humans could hate with so much fury, was the other end of the spectrum that they could love with more heart and zeal and fire? I didn't know why I had yearned after it so desperately. All I knew was that, now that I had it, it was worth every ounce of risk and agony it had cost. It was better than I'd imagined. It was everything. By the time the food was prepared and consumed, the late-or rather early-hour had gotten to us all. People stumbled out of the crowded room toward their beds. As they left, there was more space. Those remaining slouched down where we were as room became available. Gradually, we melted in place until we were horizontal. My head ended up pillowed on Jared's stomach; his hand stroked my hair now and then. Jamie's face was against my chest, and his arms were around my neck. One of my arms wrapped around his shoulders. Ian's head was cushioned on my stomach, and he held my other hand to his face. I could feel Doc's long leg stretched beside mine, his shoe by my hip. Doc was asleep-I could hear him snoring. I may have even been touching Kyle somewhere. Jeb was sprawled on the bed. He belched, and Kyle chuckled. â€Å"Nicer night than I was plannin' for. I like it when pessimism goes unrewarded,† Jeb mused. â€Å"Thanks, Wanda.† â€Å"Mmm,† I sighed, half asleep. â€Å"Next time she raids†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Kyle said, somewhere on the other side of Jared's body. A big yawn interrupted his sentence. â€Å"Next time she raids, I'm coming, too.† â€Å"She's not going out again,† Ian answered, his body tensing. I brushed my hand against his face, trying to soothe him. â€Å"Of course not,† I murmured to him. â€Å"I don't have to go anywhere unless I'm needed. I don't mind staying in here.† â€Å"I'm not talking about keeping you prisoner, Wanda,† Ian explained, irritated. â€Å"You can go anywhere you want as far as I'm concerned. Jogging on the highway, if you'd like that. But not a raid. I'm talking about keeping you safe.† â€Å"We need her,† Jared said, his voice harder than I wanted to hear it. â€Å"We got by fine without her before.† â€Å"Fine? Jamie would have died without her. She can get things for us that no one else can.† â€Å"She's a person, Jared, not a tool.† â€Å"I know that. I didn't say that -â€Å" â€Å"‘S up to Wanda, I'd say.† Jeb interrupted the argument just as I was about to. My hand was holding Ian down now, and I could feel Jared's body shifting under my head as he prepared to get up. Jeb's words froze them in place. â€Å"You can't leave it up to her, Jeb,† Ian protested. â€Å"Why not? Seems like she's got her own mind. ‘S it your job to make decisions for her?† â€Å"I'll tell you why not,† Ian grumbled. â€Å"Wanda?† â€Å"Yes, Ian?† â€Å"Do you want to go out on raids?† â€Å"If I can help, of course I should go.† â€Å"That's not what I asked, Wanda.† I was quiet for a moment, trying to remember his question to see how I'd gotten it wrong. â€Å"See, Jeb? She never takes into account her own wants-her own happiness, her own health, even. She'd do anything we asked her to, even if it got her killed. It's not fair to ask her things the way we'd ask each other. We stop to think about ourselves. She doesn't.† It was quiet. No one answered Ian. The silence dragged on until I felt compelled to speak for myself. â€Å"That's not true,† I said. â€Å"I think about myself all the time. And I†¦ I want to help. Doesn't that count? It made me so happy to help Jamie tonight. Can't I find happiness the way I want to?† Ian sighed. â€Å"See what I mean?† â€Å"Well, I can't tell her she can't go if she wants to,† Jeb said. â€Å"She's not a prisoner anymore.† â€Å"But we don't have to ask.† Jared was very quiet through all this. Jamie was quiet, too, but I was pretty sure he was asleep. I knew Jared wasn't; his hand was tracing random patterns on the side of my face. Glowing, burning patterns. â€Å"You don't need to ask,† I said. â€Å"I volunteer. It really wasn't†¦ frightening. Not at all. The other souls are very kind. I'm not afraid of them. It was almost too easy.† â€Å"Easy? Cutting your -â€Å" I interrupted Ian quickly. â€Å"That was an emergency. I won't have to do that again.† I paused for a second. â€Å"Right?† I checked. Ian groaned. â€Å"If she goes, I'm going, too,† he said in a bleak tone. â€Å"Someone has to protect her from herself.† â€Å"And I'll be there to protect the rest of us from her,† Kyle said with a chuckle. Then he grunted and said, â€Å"Ow.† I was too tired to lift my head to see who had hit Kyle now. â€Å"And I'll be there to bring you all back alive,† Jared murmured.

Pato A Just Life - 853 Words

The ability to live a just life even when circumstances do not allow and there are no future benefits rests on a person, and is indeed possible. Being just takes more than a personality and extends to the belief that life has rewards far much better than what people see in normal circumstances. According to Plato, philosophers are the best in terms of leading just lives, and the nature of what they do makes them see things differently, which further prompts the idea of a just life. It follows that living a just life starts at a person’s early stages in life, and the upbringing influences outcomes, as well. In order to live a just life, therefore, the form of upbringing nurtures this requirement in a person’s soul and they see the need to be good and just in every aspect. It then becomes worthwhile for such people to live a just life since they do not see reasons for doing otherwise. Being just forms part and parcel of a person’s life, and such people appreciate l ife with every experience it brings since it is from such that they as well learn. Moreover, the need for a just life comes from experiences, which a person faces. Initially, philosophers learn different procedures and topics, like dialectic, which is essential in living justly. What follows is that such people begin to see the truth and do well in all situations irrespective of consequences. From this point of view, the idea of a just life requires an educated individual who sees life beyond mere imaginations toShow MoreRelatedThemes in The Beauty Queen of Leenane Essay1288 Words   |  6 Pages THEMES IN MARTIN MCDONAGH’S PLAY : THE BEAUTY QUUEN OFLEENANE Isolation Maureen and Mag are isolated because of their physical location and their relationship with each other. Maureen dreams of being free of her mother’s house and small town life in Leenane. 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