Virus Basics


An Introduction to Computer Viruses

A computer virus is a program or piece of code specifically designed and written to copy itself and spread from computer to computer, or program to program. This is usually without the knowledge of the user. Viruses are sometimes called parasitic programs because they attach themselves to files or boot sectors of your computer, replicate and continue to spread. A virus can trigger anything from a harmless flashing message to a complete crash. This mimics the way a virus infects a human body. Much like human viruses, computer viruses can range from being a bothersome cold (like the happy.exe virus) or life threatening and ebola-like (as the Worm.ExploreZip).

As humans, we can't escape viruses and as computer users, we can't seem to escape them either. So here are some tips for maintaining a healthy virus-free computer.

  • Use virus protection software
  • Update your virus definitions weekly/monthly
  • Sign up for email announcements of new viruses
  • Scan disks for viruses or use only new disks.
  • Don't open attachments from people you don't know.
  • Don't open attachments from people you do know, unless they name and describe the document they have attached. (Example: "I've attached a Microsoft Word document called Maine Bibliography to this email message.)
  • Know what email program you are using and be aware if certain viruses target this program. Outlook and Outlook Express seem to be targets recently. if you use Outlook Express you should make sure that you visit Microsoft's security site and download all updates and patches.
  • Macs can get viruses too, there just aren't as many being written for the Mac.

The introduction to computer viruses at the Virus Information Center says: "Some viruses display symptoms, and some cause damage to files in a system they have infected. But neither symptoms nor damage are essential in the definition of a virus. A non-damaging virus is still a virus, not a prank.There are no "good" viruses, simply because virus is code that was not intentionally installed by the user... A virus is surreptitiously self-installed."


General Virus Information


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Page last updated on 8/25/03