How Viruses Work

There are many examples of computer viruses with new ones being mentioned in the news on a daily basis. There are a number of different types of malware, each of which works in a slightly different way.

Virus

A computer virus is quite simply a type of program which is designed to make your computer breakdown. These viruses are not friendly pieces of software and should be avoided at all costs.

Whenever your computer has a virus you will experience error messages and a slowdown of your computer function. Many viruses will also cause your computer to reset without warning which can make using it a real challenge.

To get rid of viruses you need to use anti-virus software as this will help to scan your computer and remove the threats. If you don't already have a virus scanner then you should get one straight away, you might even like to consider using free software.

Trojans

Trojans are similar to viruses but these are designed to sit on your computer silently. Unlike viruses, Trojans should not alert you to their presence. They also aren't capable of replicating themselves.

Trojans will then open a backdoor into your computer which hackers can use to gain control and spy on you. They can use this to monitor which sites you visit, what you type, and even turn your webcam on to get a good look at you.

Infection

Most computer viruses spread through the internet these days. In the past, computer viruses used to spread using removable media including floppy disks and USB drives. Although they can still spread in this manner, most virus infections are caused by the internet.

The internet makes it possible to share lots of different types of files very easily. Some of these can be infected with viruses and Trojans. Whenever you download one of these, installing it on your computer, then your computer can become infected.

Downloading from illegal sources such as warez will increase the risk of your computer contracting a nasty computer virus.

A virus works by tricking users into downloading it or installing infected files. Once a computer is infected with a computer virus the virus can then spread to all files in the computer. Whenever you share files with anyone else there is a good chance that you are spreading the infection. This is how they work and this is how they can manage to get around the world in a matter of hours.

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Identity theft costs business and individuals $53 billion dollars annually

In 2003, Americans spent 300 million hours resolving issues related to identity theft.

70% of all identity theft cases are perpetrated by a co-worker or employee of an affiliated business.