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Computer viruses are mysterious and grab our attention. Every time a new virus hits, it makes the news as it spreads quickly. Don’t wait anymore and STOP them with STOPzilla Antivirus!
Viruses can do anything from annoying the user to deleting your entire computer. With more computers are being connected to the Internet, viruses are very easy to be spread. That’s why it’s important to STOP them fast!
While computers will never be 100% secure, there are many steps that you can take to prevent your computer from being infected with viruses.
What is a Computer Virus?
A computer virus is basically a malicious computer code that either harms computer data by writing over reserved areas of the operating system or attaches itself to other programs.
Viruses can infect computer files, programs, and write over parts of files. Viruses are also able to delete files from removable disk media (e.g. floppy diskettes, zip disks) or the hard drive.
More recent viruses take advantage of vulnerabilities in e-mail programs. These new viruses are written to not only damage your computer, but (with certain software configurations) also send a copy of the virus-contaminated document to all entries in the e-mail program’s address book. Using a reliable antivirus is highly recommended to stop them in this activity!
Viruses spread from computer system to computer system, usually by removable disk media, via e-mail and downloads.
Computers connected to a network are even more susceptible because newer viruses are written to spread through the network, infecting files on all connected computers.
While some viruses can be removed with antivirus programs, it is recommended that you keep two backup copies of your important files, thus increasing your chances to have a clean copy available in the event a virus infects a file.
Types of viruses
There are three basic types of ‘virus’ each with a different intended purpose.
True ‘viruses’ bear the closest resemblance to their biological namesakes. Their purpose in life is twofold. Firstly, they want to multiply around the internet. Most commonly this is achieved by the virus sending itself to all contacts in your e-mail address book.
Secondly, a virus wants you to know it is there, so it starts to change files on your computer. This can result in a whole range of outcomes – from \minor repairable damage to complete system failure.
Worms are viruses, which seek only to proliferate around the internet with the intention of causing a system overload. This type of virus is typically used by groups of ‘hacktivists’ who seek to make a social or political point by targeting a particular organization.
Trojans are named after the Trojan Horse and are designed to reside on a host computer unseen, creating a security breach that another virus can exploit.
Antivirus Software
Most of the time, you will not know you have a virus until you scan for viruses. There are many options for scanning and curing viruses, what we suggest is downloading as soon as possible STOPzilla Antivirus
Virus software scans for viruses in real-time, which means that as your computer receives files, the software checks the files for viruses. The software will also constantly monitor the computer files to search for viruses.
It is vital when using a real-time virus scanner to updates frequently. By doing so, the software can detect all of the newly found viruses.