Computer Virus Definition And How Viruses Affect Us
However, we will be looking at each of these various types so you can distinguish the differences between them and how they each can affect our computers differently. Computer viruses are just like death and taxes. If we own a PC, we WILL be infected... unless we have the best antivirus software installed. A common misconception is that worms and Trojan horse applications are viruses, but they aren't. We'll cover what each are and their differences, as follows... 1. Computer Virus Definition... What Are Viruses And Worms?Definitions abound and this one from Netlingo.com is typical of a computer virus definition... "A computer program that replicates on computer systems by incorporating itself into shared programs. Viruses range from harmless pranks that merely display an annoying message to programs that can destroy files or disable a computer altogether. Whether they're considered malicious or malevolent, all viruses spread rapidly. For example, from one computer to millions of others around the world, infecting machines and causing them to crash. Some well-known examples include the "I Love You" virus, code red, and NIMDA." There are thousands of different kinds of viruses but they form distinct groups. They all operate differently and affect our computers and the information contained on them in different ways. The table you see below gives you a feel for some of the types... TABLE 1. Computer Virus Definition... Types Of Viruses
1.1. Computer Virus Definition Of A WormA worm is also a man-made program that replicates itself. However, unlike a virus, it does not infect other program files on the computer. Instead, a worm can spread itself automatically to other computers. Cleverly, it does this by sending a copy of itself through email, over a network and via Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to other computers. 1.2. Computer Virus Definition... How Do We Get Infected?Viruses and worms can infect desktop computers, laptops and network servers and pose one of the most serious Internet security risks. They reach our PCs from email, web sites, downloaded files and loadable media, such as floppy disks, CD-ROMs and DVDs. 1.3. Computer Virus Definition... How Does An Infection Affect Us?Unfortunately, the effects of an infection are pretty unpleasant. The virus or worm can,
1.4. Computer Virus Definition... How Do We Protect Ourselves?Viruses and worms are detected and removed by antivirus software. But beware... we can still get infected if we haven't got a top performing AV program or haven't updated our virus definitions. For more information on antivirus software, see The Features Of The Best Antivirus Software and What Are The Best Antivirus Programs? 2. Computer Virus Definition... What Is A Trojan Horse?Although Trojan horse programs are categorized as viruses, they are not true viruses, since they do not replicate. It is a malicious program disguised as something benign, such as a screen saver. When loaded onto our machine, a Trojan horse can capture information from our system -- such as user names and passwords--or could allow a malicious hacker to remotely control our computer. 2.1. Computer Virus Definition... How Do We Get Infected?Trojans are one of the sneakiest of the online risks. They are often downloaded on the back of a free program (freeware) that has some value to the user -- a free game, software program or music, for instance. 2.2. Computer Virus Definition... How Does A Trojan Infection Affect Us?A Trojan installed on a computer allows that PC to be entered by any remote user that has the access code to the Trojan. The remote attacker can enter the computer undetected when online, to access or destroy any information stored. Alternatively, the Trojan can be programmed to automatically send any information on our PCs back to the attacker. This could include,
2.3. Computer Virus Definition... How Do We Protect Ourselves?Like viruses and worms, Trojans are detected and removed by AV software. However, you'll see in Which Is The Best Antivirus Program?, that there are only a few AV programs that are effective at detecting and removing Trojans. A good spyware blocker will also do the job -- antispyware is critical to install alongside our AV software. For more information on Trojans and spyware, go to Spyware Remover Evaluation Of Popular AntiSpyware Programs. 3. Computer Virus Definition... Supporting ArticlesWant to know which are the best AV programs shown by independent testing? Maybe you'd like to know how the best antivirus software works? Well, there are a number of other articles prepared for you to cover the whole gamut of protecting ourselves from worms, viruses and Trojan horses. Just click on the links below to find out more...
|
