Satan's Viruses, Fighting Back

This is the final on a series of posts about malware. Here is the introduction and here is the previous one.

It is easy to see the huge amount of malware out there and the hold that Satan seems to have on the world and get discouraged. Fortunately, we have ways to counter both malware and Satan! First would be being smart and not placing ourselves (or computers) in places where we could easily be harmed. To do this we need to learn where bad things tend to linger. On the Internet, there are many sites that are put up with the desire to trap users and infect them with malware. The smart way to use the Internet is to avoid websites that you don't trust, know what you're going on for, and not to fall for ads that don't promise you anything needful. For more guidance on how to use the Internet, ask somebody that knows more than you through experience or study. In real life this guidance is found is such forms as "surround yourself with friends who desire to be [trustworthy]" (President Packer), "avoid unnecessary debt" (President Hinckley), or to "seek after the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). For the Internet you might ask an Internet-savvy friend, but with life you can ask God and listen through the scriptures and prophets.

Of course, we are imperfect and we might get caught through a clever trap or take a risk because we think we know what we're doing. This is where the second line of defense comes in. With the Internet, every connected computer should have an antimalware or antivirus program. This is a program designed to block access to malware, catch problems before they become too big, and keep a computer safe on the Internet. These programs function much like the Holy Ghost. He will guide us in our day to day lives as we allow him to, protecting us from Satan's attacks and help us change our ways before we become trapped. As long as we follow the guidance and direction of the Holy Ghost we will not be vulnerable to the wiles of the devil.

Unfortunately, simply having the guidance of the Holy Ghost is not enough protection. We can still choose to ignore him, just as we can choose to turn off antivirus protection. At times it may seem tempting to do so, such as experiencing an earthly pleasure or visiting a particular site, but in the end it leaves us open to attack. When we are attacked, we will be placed in a situation that is beyond our control and we will often be without the help or guidance of our protectors (Holy Ghost or antivirus). Fortunately, there is still help. If a computer is badly infected, there are steps to either restore it to an uninfected state or go through and fix all the infections. For our lives, we have our Friend, our Brother, our Savior Jesus Christ. He suffered for us so that we wouldn't need to suffer the full pain of our sins. I know that Jesus Christ has accomplished the Atonement for us, and that through his interposing and infinite sacrifice we are able to be forgiven of our sins and receive his loving help in our lives.

Satan's Viruses, Intent

This is second in a series about malware. Click here for the introduction, here for the previous, and here for the followup.

First, a look at the goal of a programmer. Malware is unlike most software because instead of helping the prepared user, it is designed to hinder the unprepared user. Goals range from almost innocent, a bored student seeing if it can be done, to outright malicious, a criminal stealing money, data, or even computer power. Innocent writers may be able to say it was all for good fun, but the general goal is still malicious and often times harmful. Understanding this thought helps prepare Internet users against foolish activities that put themselves and their computers at risk.

Satan has very few goals in "life." He has already failed to follow the plan of salvation, so now he simply tries to make everybody else as miserable as he can. Sometimes it is through causing people to exercise their agency to limit their happiness, other times he tempts people to choose to inflict pain and trials on others. His ultimate goal is to tempt people away from God, and he will do everything he can to do that. He authors temptations that lead to addictions, that hurt other people, and that satisfies temporary desires in exchange for lasting consequences. He also jumps on legitimate trials, and tries to argue against the natural process of overcoming challenges and growing from them.

Understanding the goal of something helps us know how to deal with it. Just as knowing that a company wants to make money will help you be skeptical of promises of unlimited cash in exchange for a down payment, knowing that Satan wants to hurt us will keep us aware that what he offers us is not going to help us out. The scriptures tell us that he teaches a man not to pray (2 Nephi 32:8), that he will not tempt us to do good (Moroni 7:12), and that he works according to the person (2 Nephi 28:7-9, 20-22). We need to realize that we are being tempted all the time, and that we can choose to resist this temptation. Knowing why things are happening to us won't automatically protect us from doubt, discouragement, or mistakes, but it will give us tools to overcome those trials.

Satan's Viruses, Types

This is first in a series about malware. Click here for the introduction and here for the followup.

The reason I sometimes use the term "malware" instead of "virus" is simply because there are several kinds of malware, only one of which is viruses. The most common is actually Trojan horses, named after the famous horse that led to the defeat of Troy. These bits of software are programs that are designed to look enticing, helpful,or sometimes just innocent, but in reality are terrible for your computer. This is perhaps the most striking similarity I've found while thinking about my grand analogy. So many sins are dressed up to look appealing, fun, helpful, innocent, or any number of adjectives that aren't bad. However, once activated or used they begin to afflict your life in  myriad of ways, from simply blocking the influence of the Holy Ghost to terrible consequences from the sin itself. Sometimes sin that looks appealing also opens us up to the influence of more sin (gateway sins, if you may), which is exactly like a Trojan horse subsequently downloading other malware without your permission (or opening the gate for the Greek army). Temptation is by far the most common way we are attacked by Satan, and also the kind that we have the greatest responsibility to avoid.

In addition to these traps for our souls or our computers, there is also malware that attacks before we do anything. Things like computer viruses don't necessarily need you to activate it before it starts wreacking havoc with your computer. Sometimes in our lives we are afflicted by the agency of others, by bad luck, or by accident. Very rarely are we rewarded in this life exactly according to our works and our desires (D&C 137:9). Instead we have opportunities to adapt to a variety of circumstances, to grow and become better. It is only Satan that wants us to suffer, and at times he'll instigate our suffering or try to persuade us to give up because of it. We cannot let him win. At times that we are tempted to give in to anger or misery because of our circumstances, we should instead seek to do our best and use the opportunity to come closer to the Lord.

Satan's Viruses, Introduction

I really enjoy computers, and I have definitely found the Internet to be a way to enhance my computer experience. The only problem with using the Internet is that there are frequently malicious pieces of software, or malware, designed to lower the quality of a computer or even to put them in some kind of harm's way. I was thinking the other day about Satan and the way he tries to get at us with temptations and then trap us with the effects of sin, and I suddenly realized that there are many similarities between computer viruses and the temptation to commit sin, and bam! Instant blog idea.

However, I started writing this "instant blog idea" and found that there were just too many similarities and that I could never include everything I wanted to and still write a post that was short enough to hold your attention. So I now am trying to split this idea into a series of posts, similar to what I did with thermite. Stay tuned for information on malware, why it gets written, what kinds there are, and what we can do about it. With every post there will be a piece of the analogy between malware and sin, and hopefully you'll leave this series more protected, mentally and spiritually, from the wiles of hackers as well as Satan.