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What is a Computer Virus?
A Brief History of Computer Viruses:
The term Computer Virus was first used in 1983 by Fred Cohen. Cohen was the first to suggest that one computer program could infect another one. He later noted that a Virus could spread through a computer system or network to infect other computers (more info: History of Computer Viruses).
Computer Virus Definition & Characteristics:
A Computer Virus is a program that can copy itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user. A Computer Virus has 2 major characteristics: the ability to replicate itself, and the ability to attach itself to another computer file. Every file or program that becomes infected can also act as a Virus itself, allowing it to spread to other files and computers. The term "computer virus" is often used incorrectly as a catch-all phrase to include all types of Malware such as Computer Worms, Trojan Horses, Spyware, Adware, and Rootkits - all of which are slightly different than Computer Viruses.
A Computer Virus needs another program in order to be able to be activated and infect other computers files. Essentially, a computer virus rides piggyback on another file into your computer - once it is executed, the virus will continue to replicate and attach itself to other program files and continue to spread.
Symptoms of a Computer Virus:
There are many different symptoms of a virus-infected computer. Some viruses work quickly to damage your computer, while others can linger for months before you notice there is any real problem. Some viruses will start to copy themselves within your computer and use up disk space and system memory - slowing down your computer and degrading your system's performance. Other viruses can be more serious and erase programs, corrupt or destroy selected files or cause a complete system crash. There are also viruses that can open a backdoor to hackers and allow them to access your computer.
Virus Protection:
Most Viruses these days are spread on the Internet either by email or by downloaded files. It is essential for the health of your computer that you make sure you have a good anti-virus program such as Norton Antivirus, NOD32 Antivirus, or Kaspersky Antivirus in place to help you catch these viruses so that they cannot get in and corrupt your computer system.
Related Articles:
AntiVirus Software Reviews: Norton AntiVirus 2010, NOD32 Antivirus Version 4.0, Kaspersky AntiVirus 2010, BitDefender AntiVirus 2010, Avira AntiVir Premium 2009, McAfee VirusScan Plus 2010, Avast AntiVirus Pro 5.0, Trend Micro AntiVirus 2010, AVG AntiVirus Version 9.0, F-Secure AntiVirus 2010, Other AntiVirus Software
Advanced Protection: Norton 360 (Version 4.0), Norton Internet Security 2010, Norton SystemWorks 2010, ESET Smart Security 4, Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
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