Computer Viruses and their Effects on the Computer :: Computers Software Technology Essays

estimator Viruses and their Effects on the ComputerIn our health-conscious society, computer computer computer viruses of any type are an enemy. Computer viruses are especially pernicious. They nooky and do strike any unprotected computer system, with results that range from still annoying to the disastrous, time-consuming and expensive loss of software and info. And with corporations increasingly use computers for enterprise-wide, business-critical computing, the costs of virus-induced down-time are growing along with the threat from viruses themselves. Concern is confirm - but unbridled paranoia is not. Just as proper diet, exercise and term of enlistment health care can add years to your life, prudent and efficient anti-virus strategies can minimize your exposure to computer viruses.Because Symantec is the worlds largest supplier of anti-virus technology, we are unambiguously able to offer comprehensive virus protection options and service plans. As an introduction, we of fer this white paper series. In concise text, graphs and illustrations, we will portray you a overview ofA history of computer viruses Who writes viruses - and how they can reach you The primal warning symptoms of virus infection The real numbers behind the proceeds of viruses and their costs How viruses work - and how virus protection can stop them Anti-virus tools from Symantec for enterprise-wide, multi-platform, state of the art protection What, Exactly, Is A Computer Virus?A computer virus is a class designed to replicate and spread, generally with the victim be oblivious to its existence. Computer viruses spread by attaching themselves to other programs (e.g., word processors or spreadsheets application tears) or to the boot sector of a disk. When an infected file is activated - or executed - or when the computer is started from an infected disk, the virus itself is also executed. Often, it lurks in computer memory, waiting to infect the next program that is activated, o r the next disk that is accessed.What makes viruses dangerous is their ability to perform an event. charm someevents are benign (e.g. displaying a message on a certain date) and others annoying (e.g., slowing performance or altering the check display), some viruses can be catastrophic by damaging files, destroying data and crashing systems.How Do Infections Spread?Viruses come from a variety of sources. Because a virus is software code, it can be transmitted along with any decriminalise software that enters your environmentIn a 1991 study of major U.S. and Canadian computer users by the market research firm Dataquest for the National Computer Security Association, most users blamed an infected diskette (87 percent).