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What is a Computer Virus?A lot of people fear their computer getting a virus, but don’t really even understand what one is. The term computer virus was first used in 1983 by Mr. Fred Cohen. Cohen was the first to suggest that one computer program would be able to infect another. He later noted that a virus can spread through a computer system or network by using authorizations of another user to infect their programs. Then every program that becomes infected can also act as a virus itself, spreading the virus from one computer to another (more info: History of Computer Viruses). Computer Virus Definition: The phrase Computer Virus, is actually an acronym. The word Virus stands for A computer virus needs another program in order to be able to be activated and infect your computers files. Essentially, a computer virus rides piggyback on another file into your computer. However, once it is executed and enters your computer, it can then infect other programs inside. Once inside, the virus will continue to replicate and attach itself to program files and continue to spread. Some computer viruses will spread more quickly than others and some do more damage than others. 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 to programs in your computer and start to fill up disk space and your systems memory, slowing down your system and degrading your systems 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 will open a back door to hackers and allow them to access your computer. There are many other ways a virus can attack your computer. Virus Protection: Knowing what a computer virus is and how it works can help you to better protect your computer system. Most viruses these days seem to be spread on the Internet either by email or by downloaded files, though it is possible to get hardware that has been infected with a virus as well. It is essential to the health of your computer that you make sure you have a good anti-virus protection program in place to help you catch these viruses so that they cannot get in and corrupt your system. Related Articles:
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