Extended Definition of a Computer Virus.
The purpose of this report is to provide an extended definition of a Computer Virus. .
Scope:.
This report will give an overview of a computer virus to include:.
What is a computer virus.
The life cycle of a virus.
How viruses spread.
The different classes of computer viruses.
How you can protect your computer from being infected with a computer virus.
What is a computer virus?.
A virus is a piece of programming code usually disguised as something else that causes some unexpected and usually undesirable event. A virus is often designed so that it is automatically spread to other computer users. Viruses can be transmitted as attachments to an e-mail note, as downloads, or be present on a diskette or CD. The source of the e-mail note, downloaded file, or diskette you've received is often unaware of the virus. Some viruses carry out their effect as soon as their code is executed; other viruses lie dormant until circumstances cause their code to be executed by the computer. Some viruses are playful in intent and effect ("Happy Birthday, Betty!") and some can be quite harmful, erasing data or causing your hard disk to require reformatting. Which would mean you would be starting all over and lose any/or all information you had stored on your pc.
What is the life cycle of a virus?.
The life cycle of a virus begins when it is created and ends when it is completely eradicated. The following outline describes each stage:.
Creation. Until recently, creating a virus required knowledge of a computer programming language. Today anyone with basic programming knowledge can create a virus. Typically, individuals who wish to cause widespread, random damage to computers create viruses.
Replication. Viruses typically replicate for a long period of time before they activate, allowing plenty of time to spread.
Activation. Viruses with damage routines will activate when certain conditions are met, for example, on a certain date or when the infected user performs a particular action.
