What is a Computer Virus?
Written by admin on February 9, 2009 – 5:15 am -Before understanding what a computer virus is, it is necessary to understand what a virus is when it occurs in a living form (such as a human body, an animal, or a plant). A small organism, a virus is only able to reproduce itself within another living cell or body. Body cells can be damaged as a result of a viral infection and an individual will become ill as consequence.
The word virus comes from Latin and literally means ‘poison’ and that is basically what it is - a ‘poison’, able to reproduce itself within another cell or body and an example of an illness caused by a virus is the flu. Well basically, a computer virus is a harmful computer program which will damage files or your computer, and which is able to duplicate and spread itself within a computer or computer network. The virus can be anywhere on your computer, concealed within a program, file or document.
The production and spread of these viruses is the responsibility of criminals and other knowledgeable idiots who have nothing worthwhile to do. This activity’s sole purpose is to create trouble and damage for every pc user. Files and documents can be severely damaged when a computer virus enters the computer, similar to the effects of influenza upon the human body. A computer virus can spread itself through files and documents; such as word-processing documents, spreadsheets, emails, computer programs etc. As well as through removable storage devices such as memory sticks and floppy disks, it can spread itself through the Internet and through local computer networks. Because it is hidden, it is hard to detect and it can be spread to other computers, unknowingly, by the computer user.
A computer virus works similarly to viruses (like the flu) that make a person sick. A ‘digital virus’ can be very harmful, while others are created to simply annoy and will literally make your computer ’sick’ but just what each type will do to your computer depends on what it has been programmed to do. Macro Viruses, Email Viruses and Trojan Horses. Taking appropriate safety precautions with regard to your computer will be easier once you have an understanding of what computer viruses are and how they work.
Tags: body cells, computer network, computer program, computer programs, computer user, computer virus, floppy disks, flu, human body, influenza, local computer networks, memory sticks, organism, poison, removable storage devices, sole purpose, spreadsheets, viral infection, word processing, word virus
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