There have been talks and debates as to the extent to which a malicious code or virus can affect the computer hardware.
The debate is that, some powerful viruses when executed can crash the hardware (Hard disk, BIOS Chip, Memory etc) of the host machine and can never be repaired.
I am aware of the fact that many people have had cause to believe that viruses really destroy hardware especially the hard drive or the BIOS chip!
I disagree entirely in principle to this notion and I intend to raise the arguments for, and against this technically inclined issue so that you can judge for yourself.
As I seek to dissect this issue, I know we can all learn something new from this very important issue [I hope this article would not be too technical, I would not be making myself clear when not making some technical clarifications though]
The Virus effect
When your computer is infected with a virus and your data is corrupted, is the hardware at risk? (I will not explain the types of Viruses and their effects here since they can be ‘goggled’)
Computer virus is a term applied to any program that is designed to damage data stored on a computer system or network. The virus may infect documents, applications or worst of all system files that are essential to the correct running of the computer system.
A virus itself is programme software and has effect basically on software and not hardware. It could have effect on the systems or Application software to execute specific instructions on the hardware.
Virus Fact
People argue that the Virus can affect hardware, because some viruses when they infect, the computer can shut down, restart, even open the CD ROM tray or manipulate other peripherals like the Keyboard! Of course they do, but technically they do not operate on them as you would want to think they do, they instruct the software or drivers to perform. So should those software or device drivers not installed on the System, the virus could be redundant on the System whilst the hardware exist.
There are instances when upgrades from previous system or application software versions have ‘paralyzed’ viruses to malfunction on target computers. Should viruses have effect on hardware; open CD ROM tray, shut down Computers etc., they should do those when the software is upgraded so long as the hardware exist.
What happens is, they are unable to be compatible with the new upgrades signature to make them execute those instructions. I once rendered a computer useless, I asked the user to replace the motherboard of the PC if he still want to use it because a virus have erased the BIOS and displays some funny characters after which it hung. I was stunned.
What BIOS Does
Without the BIOS, the Computer can not function since the Processor on its own do not get to the Hard disk where the Operating System is residing.It is the BIOS which provides the instructions for the POST (power-on self-test).Of course it is the same BIOS that oversee that other chips (Hard drives, Memory, CPU) functions together.
The BIOS Controls the entire functionality of the motherboard. You can imagine! Should a virus get to the BIOS and erase the BIOS. Think about it!
The Computer would be dead.Don’t get me wrong, the BIOS is not hardware; it is a setting or set of instruction programmed by the computer manufacture.
Coming to Basics
When a BIOS is corrupted, does it mean a hardware (Motherboard, Hard drive, BIOS Chip) is damaged? or a software instruction failure!Unfortunately there was little i could do once upon a time and I rendered a Pentium III Computer useless. The motherboard had to be replaced because the BIOS has been erased by a virus. The current was flowing and all other hardware components such as heat sink and fan and power on lead were on but the Computer was dead!
The fact of the matter is that the BIOS Component on some early motherboards with low processor speed (486, Pentium I, II, III) was on board or embedded( on the mother board) so when they are erased by a virus it could not be recovered and you have to replace the motherboard.
Today, nearly all computers manufactured have their BIOS specially designed on Chips based on flash technology which are detached to the motherboard.
The essence of the BIOS Chip is specifically designed to allow the BIOS (which are set of instructions) to be backed up, repaired and analyzed when corrupted or damaged.
These days manufactures have listed for download online, BIOS updates and utilities http://www.wimsbios.com/biosupdates.jsp and it’s making it very useful to bring computers back to life when virus affects the BIOS which was not so some time back, and ignorantly people kept on saying ‘virus has crashed my Computer’, There are also BIOS kits designed to redeem your computer. Since the BIOS is not a hardware, the manufacturer provides software to recover them whiles the chip is still intact.
Conclussion
One known virus that corrupts the Computer BIOS is the Chernobyl virus or the CIH Virus and this has been designed to corrupt older Windows 9x (95, 98, Me) operating systems.In the later part of 1998 the KILL_CIH tool was released by Symantec as the antidote.
Indeed, there would not be a need for a virus removal tool, an anti virus, an antidote, because they don’t repair hardware. Ironically all known Virus have got some sort of antidote even the CIH Virus which erases the BIOS.
I base this argument solely on the Microsoft Windows platform because viruses are platform based, i.e. A Symbian OS, Windows OS, Linux OS, Mac OS Virus can not be transferred to the other to execute.
March 27, 2008 at 12:06 am
[...] The Myth behind Virus Attack and hardware! [...]
March 27, 2008 at 12:17 pm
the site is cool but theres more to do to make it a boom!!!
March 27, 2008 at 2:16 pm
i agree with you because a virus is a programmed software and a software is being install on a hardware before it can work, because of that when a virus attack a computer some see it in a different way because the hardware seizes to work, but some refuse to think that hardware cannot go without software and the other way round. But all the same atimes a virus can make a computer useless, i mean the whole system.
March 27, 2008 at 8:33 pm
David, David… David
You’ve cast your perspective too rigidly in stone. Off the top of my head, I can think of one way a virus could kill your hard drive… cause repeated disk reads and put enough Load/Unload cycle strain on the drive until it dies… really dies! (as I understand it, most HDDs have only about 600,000 load/unload cycles built into them; that usually guarantees about 10 years of reliable service but a virus could make that two days!) Let’s turn to your graphics card (perhaps the busiest component of any pc). Most modern cards come with their dedicated processors (and fans, heat sinks, etc.) so it would be possible for a smart programmer to write a virus that could trigger a cyclic event that would massively overheat the card processor; throw in the possibility of turning off the fan simultaneously and you’d better have a fire extinguisher close at hand. 
Oh, and this would work for the main processor too… scary huh? In essence, viruses could tear down your hardware if they’ve been programmed for it and it wouldn’t matter that it instructed software drivers or the OS itself to take actions that result in damage to the hardware… in the end, the virus was the cause.
IMO, I don’t think these kinds of viruses are anything to worry about yet but if you’re going to be academic about it, we might as well analyze this from all angles.
BTW, what’s up with you these days? I haven’t seen you in a while.
Ciao
July 29, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Sad to say that im a computer savy, and I didn’t see it coming.
I have a Dell computer which I just cleaned up – fresh install windows XP about 2 months ago, and it’s been working fine. Then suddenly the virus scan, disappeared. and funky things happening. So, i knew that it got infected with a virus, then I start re installing virus scan, and in the middle of the install, the computer reboots by itself. I restarted and it keeps on rebooting, and got different kind of error message from P.O.S.T. “that a hardware failure had been detected”, first the mouse, the PCI, the keyboard, and everytime it reboots it gives me a new error message about a hardware failure and that I have to contact DELL. (I should have record the exact error message, but the computer reboots it self in just a matter of seconds).
And today, I tried unplugging and flashing the BIOS, and taking out the battery (tried everything). And with the desperation i called DELL SUPPORT which told me to perform everything that i did already, and at the end – the guy said, you need to replace your motherboard.
This problem started only with a virus, and i didn’t even have any idea what kind of virus hits my computer. Any thought on what could have happen, and what kind of virus was this?
July 30, 2008 at 2:18 pm
well! well! I can only give concrete advice when I meet your box face to face. But one thing you can do is to back-up your stuff and re-install windows XP. format all the box.
Or try AVG Anti spam removal tool. Somehow, your PC might be infected by some other malicious programme multiplying than virus.
If you should do any of these like scanning, unplug the internet and try these powerful tools SmitFraudFix and WinSock XP fix. These tools are recommended