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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

COMPUTER VIRUS (DEFINITION)

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer. The term "Virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of Delaware, adware, and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another ( in some from of executable code ) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.
The term "computer virus" is sometimes used a a catch all phrase to include all types of malware, adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojans, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware, and other malicious and unwanted software, including true viruses. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilites to spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as a part of a host, and a trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agends. Worms and Trojans, like viruses, may cause harm to either a computer system's hosted data, functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are excuted. some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious or go unnoticed.

1 comment:

  1. A clear definition of a computer virus is essential for understanding its impact on technology. Utilizing solutions like AmbitionHost can help safeguard against these malicious programs effectively!

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