Unmasking Computer Viruses What They Are? Attack and Spread? What is Types, How Prevent from Virus?

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What Are Computer Viruses
Computer Virus Definition
Chances are you’ve heard how important it is to keep viruses out, but what is a computer virus exactly? A computer virus is a type of malicious software, or malware, that spreads between computers and causes damage to data and software.
Computer viruses aim to disrupt systems, cause major operational issues, and result in data loss and leakage. A key thing to know about computer viruses is that they are designed to spread across programs and systems. Computer viruses typically attach to an executable host file, which results in their viral codes executing when a file is opened. The code then spreads from the document or software it is attached to via networks, drives, file-sharing programs, or infected email attachments.
Common Signs of Computer Viruses
Chances are you’ve heard how important it is to keep viruses out, but what is a computer virus exactly? A computer virus will more than likely have an adverse effect on the device it resides on and may be discoverable through common signs of performance loss, including:
Speed of System
A computer system running slower than usual is one of the most common signs that the device has a virus. This includes the system itself running slowly, as well as applications and internet speed suffering. If a computer does not have powerful applications or programs installed and is running slowly, then it may be a sign it is infected with a virus.
Pop-up Windows
Unwanted pop-up windows appearing on a computer or in a web browser are a telltale sign of a computer virus. Unwanted pop-ups are a sign of malware, viruses, or spyware affecting a device.
Programs Self-executing
If computer programs unexpectedly close by themselves, then it is highly likely that the software has been infected with some form of virus or malware. Another indicator of a virus is when applications fail to load when selected from the Start menu or their desktop icon. Every time that happens, your next step should be to perform a virus scan and remove any files on programs that might not be safe to use.
Accounts Being Logged Out
Some viruses are designed to affect specific applications, which will either cause them to crash or force the user to automatically log out of the service.
Crashing of the Device
System crashes and the computer itself unexpectedly closing down are common indicators of a virus. Computer viruses cause computers to act in a variety of strange ways, which may include opening files by themselves, displaying unusual error messages, or clicking keys at random.
Mass Emails Being Sent from Your Email Account
Computer viruses are commonly spread via email. Hackers can use other people's email accounts to spread malware and carry out wider cyberattacks. Therefore, if an email account has sent emails in the outbox that a user did not send, then this could be a sign of a computer virus.
Changes to Your Homepage
Any unexpected changes to a computer-such as your system’s homepage being amended or any browser settings being updated-are signs that a computer virus may be present on the device.
How Do Computer Viruses Attack and Spread?
In the early days of computers, viruses were spread between devices using floppy disks. Nowadays, viruses can still be spread via hard disks and Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices, but they are more likely to be passed between devices through the internet.
Computer viruses can be spread via email, with some even capable of hijacking email software to spread themselves. Others may attach to legitimate software, within software packs, or infect code, and other viruses can be downloaded from compromised application stores and infected code repositories. A key feature of any computer virus is it requires a victim to execute its code or payload, which means the host application should be running.
Types of Computer Viruses
There are several types of computer viruses that can infect devices. This section will cover computer virus protections and how to get rid of computer viruses.
Resident Virus
Viruses propagate themselves by infecting applications on a host computer. A resident virus achieves this by infecting applications as they are opened by a user. A non-resident virus is capable of infecting executable files when programs are not running.
Multipartite Virus
A multipartite virus uses multiple methods to infect and spread across computers. It will typically remain in the computer’s memory to infect the hard disk, then spread through and infect more drives by altering the content of applications. This results in performance lag and application memory running low.
Multipartite viruses can be avoided by not opening attachments from untrusted sources and by installing trusted antivirus software. It can also be prevented by cleaning the boot sector and the computer’s entire disk.
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