Sometimes computers can be your best friend, but at other times it can be your worst enemy. Just like human beings, computers can get “sick” with a virus. So you might be wondering, what is a computer virus and how does it spread? Well, in the strictest of terms, a computer virus is a program that has the ability to replicate itself and to spread from computer to computer. Other malware, such as spyware, adware, computer worms, and Trojan horses, are often mistakenly called viruses.
When you download a file from the internet, whether intentionally or otherwise, there is a chance that a virus could be hidden within the file. Executing the file also causes the virus to be activated,which sends the virus to look for programs to infect. Upon infecting these programs, the virus then duplicates within the program, just like a biological virus, and continues the cycle.
What are the different types of viruses?
There are four types of viruses: program, boot sector, macro, and e-mail. Program viruses spread when the program is executed, spreading to the other programs on your computer. When an infected program is uploaded to another computer, the process then repeats. A boot sector virus is one loaded through a floppy disk and then proceeds to infect the rest of your hard drive. Floppies loaded afterward are then also infected with the virus, which spreads to other computers when loaded. Since floppy disks rarely used now, boot sector viruses are not as common as they were before. Macros work with macro applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. When a document that is infected with a macro is opened up, the program and all the files it opens are also infected. E-mail viruses infect your e-mail account when an attachment is opened. Then, the virus sends the infected e-mail to everyone in your address book using your account.
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