Even casual computer users are familiar with firewalls, programs designed to protect their computers from malicious programs that might download themselves onto unsuspecting machines when they are connected to the Internet. What many computer users may not understand is that the same type of programs that might contain viruses and Trojan horses are also used to perform critical functions when one is connected to the Internet. These small programs automatically download themselves onto machines without action from the user and run in the background. Typically, users are unaware that any download has taken place. When these programs are used for legitimate purposes, they enhance processing speed and enable users to perform functions that would be more difficult otherwise. However, some programmers use these programs for malicious purposes, and so security measures are necessary to protect systems. This research considers the use of these types of programs, their security implications, and whether they are actually friends or foes to information technology security professionals.
Mobile code is small programs that are downloaded onto computers without the user's knowledge or action. Mobile code was originally designed so that programmers could write routines to perform data validation, basic processing or similar tasks without requiring additional input from the user. The code is downloaded from the remote server onto the workstation, and executes such that the user is unaware of the activity. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) provided an ideal environment for mobile code, and its use proliferated at the same time that analysts predicted that its use would revolutionize the online experience. With the widespread use of mobile computing devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and even cell phones that can run mobile code, this type of code has come under increased scrutiny (Barman 1).
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