What Are Computer Viruses
Computer viruses are software programs that invade a computer system to wreck havoc with computer files or the computer users themselves. Some are benign causing nothing more than a nuisance while others can delete files or even destroy computer hardware. Typically viruses are programmed to reproduce themselves and spread from one computer system to another, just like a normal human virus spreads via human contact throughout the population. Computer viruses can be spread via diskettes or other removable media, by way of email attachments, or in some cases simply by being connected to the Internet and not protected. |
Computer viruses are categorized into four main types: boot sector, file or program, macro, and multipartite viruses.
Macro viruses are currently the most commonly found viruses. They infect files run by applications that use macro languages, like Microsoft Word or Excel. The virus looks like a macro in the file, and when the file is opened, the virus can execute commands understood by the application's macro language. The infamous Melissa virus is a macro virus as well as the common Laroux Excel spreadsheet virus. Multipartite viruses have characteristics of both boot sector viruses and file viruses. They may start out in the boot sector and spread to applications, or vice versa.
Years ago, only certain types of files (generally executable files like program files) could be carriers of a virus, however with the invention of macro languages in programs like Microsoft Word or Excel, and the use of Javascript in web page building, almost any type of data could theoretically carry a virus. The most common way a computer is infected with a virus today is through the use of a floppy disk containing data from another computer, or through the use of the Internet with email, IRC, or other online communication. Because viruses are becoming more clever, no one should be using a computer that does not have anti-virus software running on it. The more you use a computer, the more likely it is you will encounter a virus. Some common symptoms that could indicate your
system's been infected are:
If you're system is infected with a virus, you
should install anti-virus software to rid it of the intruder. You can
visit PC Hell's Virus Center
for Tips on Virus Prevention and Cures. If the anti-virus software
can't clean the system, you may have to delete
the infected files from your system and restore from backups. In extreme
cases, it may be necessary to reformat your hard drive, destroying all
of the data on it. Then you'll have to reinstall your software and
data, assuming you have the original software disks and clean backups
of your files. In this case, it's a good idea to install your virus
protection software right after installing your operating system (like
Windows), so that the integrity of your backup files and original
software can be verified. You might
also want to contact all the people that you've recently exchanged
information with -- via floppy disks, e-mail attachments, Zip disks --
and let them know your system's been infected and theirs may be
infected as well. You'd want to advise them to check their system for
the appropriate virus or symptoms. |
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Buy Anti-Virus Software |
If you don't already have antivirus software loaded on your computer. You should download and install an antivirus product immediately. The popular commercial antivirus products like McAfee and Norton are ok, but there are also excellent free antivirus solutions available. Listed below are some of the popular free and commercial antivirus software products.
Learn more information
about
Viruses at the PC HELL Virus Center