Computer Viruses

types of computer

A number of the most widely known and most destructive virus's shutdown large corporations until the virus could be contained. The ILOVEYOU virus erupted in the year 2000 and forced companies like Microsoft to close down all of their e-mail servers, an amazing feat thinking about the simplicity of the virus.

Computer viruses are an fascinating thing and as much as all of us detest them you cannot deny how well-bred these beasts have become. They can do an amazing amount of destroy in a very short time showing us how destructive the nature of human beings as a race can be. However, computer viruses can take years to engineer and with their ability to spread at alarming rates undetected through the most sophisticated prevention systems demonstrates how complex the human mind has become.
types of computer

A virus by definition is a tiny piece of computer code that embeds itself to what would otherwise be a safe program. They are called viruses because the spread like a biological virus would and like a living virus, a computer virus needs a host to live off of. Also, like viruses, computer viruses are very tiny compared to program programs. A common piece of program that could get infected would be your Web Explorer web browser. When the browser is infected, every time you launch it the virus is launched to and does its dirty work. A virus's purpose of existence is to spread to as plenty of computers as feasible as quick as feasible. One time the virus as infected as plenty of computers as it can, systems start to fail like security systems and a feasible hacker can make his move.

I desired to take a moment to discuss a number of the kinds of viruses and a number of the things you can do to better protect yourself by becoming a better decision maker when using expertise like e-mail and web.

Another common virus seen is called a Trojan horse. As you may imagine, this virus gets its name from the story of the Trojan War when the Greeks pretended to sail away but in lieu hid inside a wooden horse outside the gates of Troy. The Trojans pulled the horse in to their city as a victory trophy allowing the Greeks passed the city walls and finally taking over Troy. A computer Trojan horse also disguises its self to trick a user in to letting it in to their computer. It may be hiding in a game or media file you download from the net, or it could be a computer program for school or work. One time the file is downloaded and executed, the virus is let free in to your process.

A worm is another type of virus that utilizes security flaws (holes) in a piece of program or an operating process to exploit. One time a process is infected, the worm scans the network for other available host who also disclose the security hole so that it can replicate itself. Worms can spread very quick. For example, the Code Red worm replicated itself over 250,000 times in about nine hours in the summertime of 2001. The destructive nature of a worm is to spread as quick as it can and cause congestion on networks bringing it to a cease - like plenty of living worms on earth!

types of computer