What happens when your computer is zapped by a virus, a malicious program that at worst could wipe out all your computer files? Your photo of your dog Skippy is gone, and erased is all of your homework assignments that have taken you weeks to grind out. Yes, this is possible and getting a computer virus has become easier and easier throughout the years. As recent as three years ago, a virus could spread from computer to computer mainly through shared floppy disks. Now, just opening up your e-mail can launch a nasty virus into your system. .
Creating a computer virus is no easy trick. Just like computer games and word-processing software, a virus is a program, or step-by-step instructions that tell a computer what to do. Unlike games and other software, however, a virus attaches itself to other programs in your computer and is essentially a digital parasite.
A virus contains instructions that tell it to self-replicate, or copy itself over and over again. When it first enters your computer through an infected floppy disk, e-mail, or a program downloaded from the Internet the virus copies itself to your computer's memory. From there, it attaches itself to any program you open up. The virus actually rewrites a program to incorporate itself into the program and rewrites the program so the virus will run first.
Many thousands of viruses exist, although only a relatively small number cause the majority of virus related damage. Viruses can be classified into different categories based on where they reside on a computer and how they propagate themselves. Often, creator of viruses, which are usually males age 14-24 who find it a great thrill to push the limits of technology and have there name spread or virus spread over the news worldwide. Anyway, these virus creators apply slight variations to their original viruses to make them undetectable by antivirus programs. The result is a related virus.