Computer Viruses : Beware of Computer Viruses Spreading Globally

March 8, 2012 - PRLog -- All malicious computer programs have been unfairly lumped with each other as computer viruses. Technically speaking, computer viruses are just one type of malicious software, called malware, that can infiltrate, damage and/or prevent the normal use of a pc system. A computer virus has properties which makes it distinct from other types of malware, namely computer worms, trojans, spy ware, adware, spy software, and cryptoviruses. To get the best discounts and lowest price on any antivirus, visit: http://www.scan.com

•   Types of Viruses According to the Type of File Infected
File Virus. A file virus targets executable files and runs whenever the infected file is run. Files with extensions such as .exe, .com, .bin, .sys, and .drv are often targeted by file viruses. Suriv-02 is the first file virus that was released in 1987. It infected COM files and later evolved into the Jerusalem virus.
Boostrap Virus. Bootstrap viruses infect the portion of physical disks that is first executed when the computer is turned on, called the master boot record. Because the virus is activated even before the computer loads the operating system, it can gain more control over the computer. These viruses are harder to detect and even harder to remove. The first bootstrap virus released in 1987, the Brain Virus, infected boot sectors of disks so that their contents cannot be accessed.
Macro Virus. Macros are snippets of code designed to simplify repetitive functions in a program. Software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint use macros to run more efficiently. Macro viruses target macros in these documents. The Melissa virus is a popular macro virus that infected Word 97 and 2000 documents.
Retrovirus. A retrovirus is an anti-antivirus virus that targets, disables, and infects antivirus software. This makes it easier for it to replicate and deliver its payload undetected. The Bugbear virus, for example, shuts down antivirus programs to make it harder to remove.
Multipartite Virus. These viruses use a combination of techniques to target and infect documents, executable files, the boot sector, and antivirus software. These can be really damaging and hard to remove. Ghostball was the first multipartite virus to be discovered in 1989. It infected both COM files and boot sectors.
Multiplatform Virus. Usually, a virus is created for only one type of operating system. Multiplatform viruses can infect more than one operating system. The Lindose virus discovered in 2001 is an example of a multiplatform virus; it can infect both Windows PE and Linux ELF files.


Your basic computer viruses consists of a short signal of instructions that "infects" computer files by placing or attaching by itself to the original file. When an infected file is opened, the virus program is activated. Once activated, the virus makes duplicates of itself as well as tries to infect other files. Viruses may contain additional code, called the payload, which instructs it to complete other things on the computer. The payload may be relatively safe, like displaying text or graphics on the screen, or possibly damaging, like interfering with software function or corrupting or erasing data. Most viruses just duplicate without a payload function. This particular, however, still interferes with the normal functions of the computer. See the latest antivirus at http://www.scan.com/category/anti-virus/