What
Is a Computer Virus?
A computer virus is a program – a
piece of executable code – that has the unique ability to replicate. Like
biological viruses, computer viruses can spread quickly and are often difficult
to eradicate. They can attach themselves to just about any type of file and are
spread as files that are copied and sent from individual to individual.
Besides replication, some computer viruses have
something else in common: a damage routine that can deliver the virus payload.
While payloads may only display messages or images, they can also destroy files,
reformat your hard drive, or cause other kinds of damage. If the virus doesn’t
contain a damage routine, it can still cause trouble by taking up storage space
and memory, and downgrading the overall performance of your
computer.
Several years ago most viruses spread primarily via
floppy disk, but the Internet has introduced new virus distribution mechanisms.
With email now used as an important business communication tool, viruses are
spreading faster than ever. Viruses attached to email messages can infect an
entire enterprise in a matter of minutes, costing companies millions of dollars
annually in productivity loss and clean-up expenses.
Viruses won’t go away any time soon. More
than 10,000 have been identified, and 200 new ones are created every month,
according to the International Computer Security Association. With numbers like
those, it’s safe to say that most organizations will deal regularly with virus
outbreaks. No one who uses computers is immune to viruses.
