What does computer virus mean?

A computer virus is a program that attaches itself to a host computer with the purpose of further propagating and spreading. From individuals to large organizations, anyone with the right skills can create a computer virus and infect computers, smartphones, tablets, and even smart cars.

A computer virus is a program that attaches itself to a host computer with the goal of further multiplying and spreading. From individuals to large organizations, anyone with the right skills can create a computer virus and infect computers, smartphones, tablets, and even smart cars.

The term "computer virus" is often mistakenly used as an umbrella term to refer to any suspicious program, plug-in, or code that infects software, computers, and files. The misuse of this phrase may be due to the fact that computer viruses appear more commonly in television shows and movies. In fact, the correct general term for such programs should be malware. Computer viruses are only one type of them. Other types of malware include worms and Trojan horses.

Basically, a computer virus is a type of malware that installs on a device and reproduces. Some viruses are designed to steal or destroy data, while others are designed to destabilize a program or system or even render it unusable. Others may just be made by programmers for fun, such as displaying an image or text message after turning on the computer or opening an application.

Strictly speaking, if the malware infecting a host is not designed to reproduce and spread, then technically it would not be classified as a computer virus, no matter how dangerous it is.

Computer viruses are usually classified according to their goals and functions, rather than according to their creation process and coding style, and the same computer virus may also be classified into multiple categories. Here are some common examples of computer viruses:

Browser hijacking viruses: This type of computer virus infects a victim's browser and is often used to tamper with the victim's homepage, steal data, and display ads.

Boot Sector Viruses: In addition to the boot sector of the hard drive, this type of virus can also affect the disk used to help the system start.

Email Viruses: This type of virus is designed to multiply by attaching itself to emails, generating emails using the victim's address book, or infecting email applications with the intent of stealing data.

Macro viruses: Macro computer viruses are encoded in the macro language so that they can be attached to documents and activate as soon as the file they are attached to is opened.

Polymorphic virus: A computer virus that can change itself to evade detection by security systems and antivirus programs.

Resident viruses: Resident viruses continue to run in the background after infecting the operating system, negatively impacting system and application performance.

Non-resident viruses: This type of virus will close itself after performing its task.

While many computer viruses can hide well on your device, there are several telltale behaviors that can indicate you may have been infected, such as a noticeable slowdown in your system, and mysteriously changing system and application settings. changes, receiving notifications from services and applications you do not own, installing browser extensions or plug-ins without your permission, and being unable to access the Internet or open certain programs.

It is important to adopt a variety of strategies to ensure that your computer and other smart devices are protected from viruses and other forms of malware. Here are some ways to protect your computer from viruses:

Keep your operating system and applications up to date: This will make it harder for viruses to infect your computer device.

Connect only to trusted internet connections: This also protects you from other types of attacks, such as ARP spoofing.

Avoid suspicious attachments: Never open email attachments from unknown senders as these attachments may contain malware and other viruses.

Only download files from official websites and trusted sources: Downloading files from unfamiliar websites is always risky. No matter how legitimate a download may appear, avoid downloading if it does not come from a trusted source.

Install anti-virus software: High-quality anti-virus software can help users remove viruses from their computers and prevent virus infections.

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