Computer Viruses
In recent years, the explosion in the use of networks and the Internet has created a new avenue for computer viruses to spread at a rapid rate. Earlier viruses used executable files and would typically be no more than an annoyance by displaying harmless phrases. The latest viruses are much more sophisticated and able to cause extensive and irreparable damage to files. Some viruses are able to spread themselves to other computers on the Internet or network causing widespread damage to many systems.What is a computer virus? A virus is a piece of software designed and written to adversely affect your computer by altering the way it works without your knowledge or permission. In more technical terms, a virus is a segment of program code that attaches itself to one of your executable files and spreads systematically from one file to another. Computer viruses do not spontaneously generate. They must be written and have a specific purpose. A computer virus (virus) is a program that invades computer systems and performs a variety of damaging tasks after a "trigger" event occurs. The "trigger" event can be as simple as starting up a word processing program or opening an e-mail attachment from an e-mail cl
Even with active monitoring of computer systems, anti-virus software can only protect against known viruses since the programs need to know the viruses' signature before it is able to detect the virus. For this reason, update files for anti-virus software are needed every time there is a new virus release. How to protect your computer from viruses: There are many anti-virus programs that you can buy that you install on your computer and it detects any viruses. Some of the most popular ant-virus software is Norton and McAffe ant-virus programs. A Trojan horse is a type of virus which enters a computer system by the sharing of infected program files, or when an infected program is downloaded from the Internet. As the name implies, its trademark is deceptiveness. Victims are falsely lured into thinking that their computer systems will benefit from the infected program when in reality, the Trojan horse is waiting for a "trigger" event to occur so that it can activate its damaging behavior. A computer worm is another type of virus. It infects entire networks of computers by making a copy of itself as it moves from system to system. In recent releases, worms have been found in e-mail attachments and are activated when the victim tries to open the infected file. Usually a virus has two distinct functions: · NIMDA is a virulent virus, which spreads by e-mail and also infects PCs running Microsoft Web-server software. October 21, 2001 Report new viruses immediately to your anti-virus software vendor. Most anti-virus vendors have Web sites with instructions on how to submit infected files of unknown viruses. The vendor can then release an upgrade that includes the new virus signature in the scanner's database. With dangerous viruses on the network, what can computer users do to protect their systems? Practice caution when working with files from unknown or questionable sources. Do not open e-mail attachments if you do not recognize the sender. Download files only from reputable Internet sites and be wary when exchanging disk
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Approximate Word count = 1380
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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