Patent ID: 7287278

Claim:
In a distributed network having a number of server computers and associated client devices, method of creating and implementing an anti-computer virus agent, comprising: correlating virus reports to determine whether there is a virus outbreak; identifying a virus; locating an associated anti-virus; parsing the virus into a detection module that identifies a selected one of the client devices as a target client device, an infection module that causes the virus to infect the target client device not infected by the selected virus, and a viral code payload module that infects the targeted client device; analyzing the infection module to determine the method of infection and the anti-viral payload module to determine the deleterious effects; modifying the infection module to infect client devices already infected by the virus; incorporating the anti-virus into the payload module that acts to prevent further infection by the virus; forming an anti-computer virus agent by combining the detection module, the modified infection module and the modified viral payload module; locating client devices infected by the virus; determining whether a cleaning tool for utilizing the anti-virus is present on the infected client device and if not, route all traffic to and from the infected client device to a cleaning tool server; using the anti-virus in the viral code payload module of the anti-computer virus agent to overwrite the virus in client devices infected by the virus; and inoculating uninfected client devices using the anti-computer virus agent.