![]() The last two are used to mask the actual executable. If you receive an email with an executable attachment, you should either scan it or avoid running it on your computer altogether.Ī few common file extensions that can install viruses: If you get a strange email from someone you know, alert the person that their email could be hacked but don’t click the link. The link points users to a virus file or a site where the user can download the virus. A person’s email is used to send a link to a group of contacts from the victim’s machine. ![]() These programs sometimes install the actual application, but then the creators add an extra malware piece to the installation process. Virus writers use common programs distributed on third-party sites to help persuade users to install malware on their machines. For instance, if you want to install Microsoft Office, you should only install it from Microsoft’s site or from a packaged suite you buy in a store. The first step towards avoiding viruses is only installing software you download from an official source. It used to be that simply having an operating system besides Windows protected you from viruses. Times have changed and Linux and Apple computers continue to gain traction. Today, however, the operating landscape is much different. Remember that virus creators must be able to replicate the virus across machines, so targeting Apple and Linux was a poor choice – there weren’t enough of these users. Linux and Apple computers had very few viruses made for their operating system. ![]() What Can You Do to Avoid Viruses?īecause a majority of users had Windows a decade ago, most viruses targeted Windows users. Most users don’t even have any type of antivirus installed on their smartphone, so it’s the perfect haven for virus creators. It wasn’t until the last few years that people did online banking from their phone, paid through apps, stored private information and shared documents using a mobile device. Virus makers have even moved on to mobile devices. For this reason, most hackers go for data theft instead of just deleting important files. Sensitive data makes hackers a high amount of cash on the black market. Viruses started out corrupting boot files and deleting files, but current viruses are often used to steal data. As you can probably see, the strategy is extremely efficient. A couple of those dozen runs it again, and the virus is spread exponentially. All it takes is for one user to open and run the malware to spread to dozens of more users. The virus would scan the user’s computer for contacts, and then email a copy of itself to all contacts. For instance, the 1990s saw several viruses that replicated through email. This is done in numerous ways, most of which are clever ideas from virus creators. To be effective, the virus must be able to replicate to other machines using any type of vector – diskettes, flash drives, the internet or email. A virus isn’t efficient if it infects one PC and doesn’t spread to any other machines. One main component of a computer virus is the replication factor. However, the main target for a computer hacker is someone with data to delete, destroy, or steal. With over 17 million viruses, it’s difficult to list every function of a virus. ![]() A virus is meant to self-replicate, destroy or delete data, ruin boot sequences, or just send data to another user. A trojan gives a hacker access to your machine. What Does a Virus Do?Īlthough trojans and viruses often get lumped into the same category, they are different types of computer programs. The 1990s is when viruses begin to spread more rapidly, and there are now over 17 million viruses since 2012. When the Internet became popular in the 1990s, viruses had a more convenient way to spread – websites and email. The limitation for virus creators was that the programs had to be spread using floppy disks passed from user to user. In the 1980s, virus creators become more vicious and compiled programs that destroyed and deleted files. The virus displayed a simple message that said “I’m a creeper, catch me if you can!” A counter program named Reaper was then created to delete the virus – a sort of “antivirus” before antivirus applications were created. In the 1970s, a virus named Creeper was created and distributed over the original version of the Internet – ARPANET. It was a harmless yet effective way of self-replicating a computer program. On the 50th boot, the Elk Cloner virus would display a poem. It was written for the Apple II computer, and it infected any floppy disk inserted after infection. One of the very first computer viruses was written as a prank.
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