A computer virus is one of the most destructive computer problems that can cause a lot of damage to the computer. It is a kind of computer program that infects a computer without the user being aware of it.
Multiplication of Viruses
C omputer virus copies and modifies itself. They spread by infecting files. The term computer virus is derived from the biological virus since it resembles the latter in its ability to multiply. There are certain computer viruses which are programmed in such a way that they harm the computer by changing the format of the disk or deleting important files. There are some benign viruses that can also produce a lot of trouble for the computer user. Their work is to take over the memory that is used by valid programs. In this way they may force the system to crash. Moreover, if a computer virus is bug-ridden, then the bugs may lead to additional loss of data.
Types of Viruses
There are 2 kinds of computer viruses and they are:
• Nonresident viruses : They comprise a replication module and a finder module. The finder module looks up new files for infecting them while the replication module helps in the process of infection.
• Resident viruses : These do not possess a finder module. They can be further categorized into fast infectors and slow infectors.
Prevention of Computer Viruses
A computer can be protected from the attack of a computer virus by the installation of an anti-virus software which help a computer user to detect the presence of a virus.
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