The ANSI Bomb is a type of trojan virus that re-programs certain keys (including function keys), making them display color and unwanted graphics by use of character sequencing. ANSI bombs connect themselves to the ANSI.SYS driver, which is usually associated with a text file or a mail message. Escape sequences redefine keys in this bomb process initiating destructive commands.
The ANSI bomb has been around since 1996. Key commands like “Enter” may also malfunction, causing the system to crash. These types of trojan viruses are not as harmful as some other viruses, since they typically do not launch onto third-party systems. The ANSI bomb can execute within ANSI systems, but the number of programs requiring ANSI have lessened drastically. The current versions of Windows no longer utilize ANSI terminal emulations.
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