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What Is A Computer Virus
What Is A Computer Virus
A computer virus is a program – a piece of executable code – that has the unique ability to
replicate. Like biological viruses, computer viruses can spread quickly and are often difficult to
eradicate. They can attach themselves to just about any type of file and are spread as files that
are copied and sent from individual to individual. Besides replication, some computer viruses
have something else in common: a damage routine that can deliver the virus payload. While
payloads may only display messages or images, they can also destroy files, reformat your hard
drive, or cause other kinds of damage. If the virus doesn’t contain a damage routine, it can still
cause trouble by taking up storage space and memory, and downgrading the overall performance
of your computer. Several years ago most viruses spread primarily via floppy disk, but the Internet
has introduced new virus distribution mechanisms. With email now used as an important
business communication tool, viruses are spreading faster than ever.
Viruses attached to email messages can infect an entire enterprise in a matter of minutes, costing
companies millions of dollars annually in productivity loss and clean-up expenses. Viruses won’t
go away any time soon. More than 10,000 have been identified, and 200 new ones are created
every month, according to the International Computer Security Association. With numbers like
those, it’s safe to say that most organizations will deal regularly with virus outbreaks. No one who
uses computers is immune from viruses.
Creation
Until a few years ago, creating a virus required knowledge of a computer programming language.
Today anyone with even a little programming knowledge can create a virus. Usually, though,
viruses are created by misguided individuals who wish to cause widespread, random damage to
computers.
Replication
Viruses replicate by nature. A well-designed virus will replicate for a long time before it activates,
which allows it plenty of time to spread.
Activation
Viruses that have damage routines will activate when certain conditions are met, for example, on
a certain date or when a particular action is taken by the user. Viruses without damage routines
don’t activate, instead causing damage by stealing storage space.
Discovery
This phase doesn’t always come after activation, but it usually does. When a virus is detected
and isolated, it is sent to the International Computer Security Association in Washington, D.C., to
be documented and distributed to antivirus developers. Discovery normally takes place at least a
year before the virus might have become a threat to the computing community.
Assimilation
At this point, antivirus developers modify their software so that it can detect the new virus. This
can take anywhere from one day to six months, depending on the developer and the virus type.
Eradication
If enough users install up-to-date virus protection software, any virus can be wiped out. So far no
viruses have disappeared completely, but some have long ceased to be a major threat. Virus
Types The majority of viruses fall into four main classes: Boot sector File infector Multi-partite
Macro viruses
Multi-Partite Viruses
Multi-partite viruses have characteristics of both boot sector viruses and file infecting viruses.
Macro Viruses
Macro viruses currently account for about 80 percent of all viruses, according to the International
Computer Security Association, and are the fastest growing viruses in computer history. Unlike
other virus types, macro viruses aren’t specific to an operating system and spread with ease via
email attachments, floppy disks, Web downloads, file transfers, and cooperative applications.
Macro viruses are, however, application-specific. They infect macro utilities that accompany such
applications as Microsoft Word and Excel, which means a Word macro virus cannot infect an
Excel document and vice versa. Instead, macro viruses travel between data files in the
application and can eventually infect hundreds of files if undeterred. Macro viruses are written in
"every man’s programming language" – Visual Basic – and are relatively easy to create. They can
infect at different points during a file’s use, for example, when it is opened, saved, closed, or
deleted.