Why knowing about viruses is important for any computer user?
For anyone who owns a computer, the prospect of being infected with computer viruses is both dreaded and hated. Its effects appear the moment the computer starts doing strange things like slowing down or not being able to open some files and programs. Not only is it so annoying, it can also lead to a waste of precious time and effort. If left unchecked, it could destroy many things from important files and documents to the computer unit itself.
Generally, computer viruses are malwares or malicious programs that are designed to damage or harm computers. They can come from a variety of sources like file attachments in emails and the use of diskettes in transferring files between computer units. Aside from that, it can also be acquired in file sharing networks. Websites that offer downloads are also very likely sources of computer viruses.
Different types of computer virus exist and each one produces different effects from producing a silly message on your screen to damaging data files and disks. The most common of these computer viruses include: boot sector viruses, multi “ partite viruses, parasitic viruses, link viruses, companion viruses and macro viruses. They may produce different effects but all of them share one common characteristic. All of them must be executed in order to be operational.
One of the most common mistake of many amateur computer users is that they tend to generalize everything malware as a virus. It's important to know that differences between the different malware types as this can help a lot especially in the cleaning and fixing afterwards.
Trojans are different from computer viruses because of the fact that they don't replicate. They are usually masked as interesting programs and files. However, once they are run, they will do a completely different task from what it is supposed to do. Trojans are used by many hackers to gain information on control on other people's accounts and computers.
Worms, on the other hand, are malwares that are usually spread through security holes in network connections. They are different from computer viruses because they don't need programs in order to spread. Instead it scans computer networks for security holes which it infiltrates and then replicates in. Then it starts scanning other computers to be infiltrated in again.
Once a computer virus is detected on your unit, many things can be done in order to resolve it. The important thing that needs to be done is to evaluate the type of virus and the extent of infection. This helps in identifying what files and programs are affected as well as minimize its spread to others. Once the infection is properly diagnosed, the proper "cure can be easily administered.
Protecting your computers against viruses is important if you want to avoid the hassle of dealing with their occurrence. The use of updated anti- virus programs is one of the most effective ways to do so. Regular scanning of files and disks must be done in order to minimize the risks of being with one. Also being extra careful especially in receiving e-mails, transferring files and downloading programs, is greatly recommended.
Computer viruses may be deadly but with the right knowledge and methods, its risks can easily be minimized and reduced.
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