What are Computer Viruses
A computer virus is an infiltration which corrupts existing files on your computer. Viruses are named as such after biological viruses, as they use similar techniques to spread from one computer to another.
Computer viruses attack mainly executable files and documents. To replicate, a virus attaches its “body” to the end of a target file. In short, this is how a computer virus works: after execution of the infected file, the virus activates itself (before the original application) and performs its predefined task. Only after that, the original application runs. A virus cannot infect a computer unless a user (either accidentally or deliberately) runs or opens the malicious program by him/herself.
Computer viruses can range in activity and severity. Some of them are extremely dangerous because of their ability to purposely delete files from a hard drive. On the other hand, some viruses cause no real damage – they only serve to annoy the user and demonstrate the technical skills of their authors.
It is important to note that viruses are (when compared to trojans or spyware) gradually becoming more of a rarity, since they are not commercially enticing for authors of malicious software. Also, the term “virus” is often incorrectly used to cover all types of infiltrations. At present, this is gradually being overcome and the new, more accurate term “malware” (malicious software) is used.
If your computer is infected with a virus, it is necessary to restore infected files to their original state – i.e. to clean them by using an antivirus program.
Examples of viruses are: OneHalf, Tenga, and Yankee Doodle.
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A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer. The term “virus” is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.
The term “computer virus” is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojans, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware, and other malicious and unwanted software, including true viruses. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agenda. Worms and Trojans, like viruses, may cause harm to either a computer system’s hosted data, functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are executed. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious or go unnoticed.